If you’ve decided you want to hire a band for your wedding, there are some key questions you should ask to ensure you are getting the best person for the job. The answers to these questions will help you to ensure you are getting an entertaining NJ wedding band for your special day.
How Much Do Your Services Cost?
This is of course a big consideration when hiring a band or any other service for your wedding. There’s no point in adding a band to your short list of contenders if their price is outside of your budget. It’s important to be aware of how much money you can allot to your wedding music, so you only consider bands within that budget.
What is Included in That Price?
This is very important. Comparing prices isn’t always like comparing apples to oranges. What one band includes in their price won’t necessarily be reflected in the price another company offers. It’s important to get a clear understanding of what is included in the price. A contract may include a breakdown such as this: three hours of music over a four-hour period, such as three sets of one hour each, with 2 half-hour breaks, or something similar to that. Find out what they do during their breaks (do you need to provide other music? Do they provide recorded music?) You may actually find a higher-priced band offers a better value than one that is less expensive.
Do You Provide Your Own Equipment?
Most bands will provide their own sound equipment, lights, etc. – but don’t assume that’s the case. Always get in writing what services the band provides and those they expect you to provide.
Do You Take Requests?
If you would like to make requests of your band, be sure they are OK with that. Some will be more than happy to accommodate you, while others will have specific set they like to stick to. Ask the band for their repertoire list and be sure there are at minimum about 40 songs on there that you approve of. They’ll need that many songs to get through a three-hour set. Similarly, if there are songs on the list that you would prefer they don’t play, be sure they are willing to be respectful of that. If there’s a particular song you really want at your wedding but it’s not on the band’s song list, you can always ask them if they can learn it. They may be willing to do so, but not necessarily. It’s a big burden on a band to learn a new song, and especially if you are giving them short notice, sometimes learning a new song is not possible. Remember that your event is likely not the only one that they are preparing for, so try not to make unrealistic requests. And bear in mind that if you have very diverse musical tastes, a single band may not be able to accommodate every style. It never hurts to ask, but the country band you are hiring may not be able to accommodate your request to play a Rolling Stones song.
What if a Band Member Gets Sick?
No one wants to believe that this will happen, and it’s very likely that it won’t. However, it’s imperative to have a contingency plan in writing should one of the band members get sick or be otherwise unable to attend the event. You may not be able to prevent these things from happening, but you can have a plan in place. A band worth its salt will have a go-to list of professional musicians they have worked with before and who can effortlessly stand in at the last minute. The “new” band member should fit into the band so seamlessly that the wedding couple should not notice a difference (but they should always be brought up to speed and not deceived).