May 2012 Weddings

Band Dilemma

I always wanted to have a band at our wedding (and a DJ for the band’s breaks).  When we first got engaged, our favorite band agreed to play at the wedding for only $700 and one of our good friends offered to DJ between breaks.  It seemed too good to be true.  Well, a little over a year later the band decided to move to Oklahoma (we are in FL)…:(.  They told us they couldn’t come back because the cost of flights is just too much.  I completely understood, but freaked out about the fact that we only have 3 months to find a replacement and started my search for a new band.

 

Wedding bands in our area charge between $2,500 and 3,000.  Since we are already late in the game, we hadn’t budgeting that much, but we decided we really wanted one.  We found one we like (Matt Winter Band), and they are available on our date.  We listened to them on YouTube and they were pretty decent.  They charge $2,600.  We got the contract last night, and I found myself questioning whether we should book them.  We really want a band, but we hadn’t planned on paying 2,600.  If we hire them and they aren’t as good as we are expecting, it will end up being a huge waste of money.  I looked at their song list and it doesn’t have any Top 40 songs on it.    

 

I just don’t want to get swept up in the “desperation to fix the issue” and regret the choice.  So now I am wondering, do I give up the band I know is available (with time running out) and keep looking?  Or do I book this band?  

 

Share your brilliance with me, please.  Smile

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Re: Band Dilemma

  • That's a lot of money to drop on something you aren't quite sure of.  Does the band you booked previously have any suggestions for a replacement?  I guess I'd rather have a DJ play what I want than a band play music I didn't care for.

    Also, if they were only charging you $700 to start with....if you paid $400 per flight for 5 band members, that's $2,000.  Even if you paid for their flights, it sounds like that would be comparable to what you'd pay a new local band anyways.  Maybe it wouldn't be possible, but maybe they'd be willing to take an advantage of a free visit back where they used to live!
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  • That is so frustrating! I would definitely want to hear a band before booking them, some bands will play some songs at your request. However if the band isn't everything you want them to be maybe look at DJs, they have a lot more flexibility as far as song choice.

    Don't stress too much, my parents still haven't decided if they want a band or DJ.
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  • Does the band have any gigs coming up that you could go to and check them out? I sent my parents to go see the two bands we were considering and they gave me their opinions and that's how we decided on our band.

    Also, I would try to get them down in price. Most bands are pretty flexible with their prices, so if you email back and say something like "we'd really like to book you, but we're just not sure it's in the budget at this point in time. If something changes and we're able to book you, we will be in touch." I did that with a "wedding" band when I was first looking at bands, and they ended up knocking $1000 off the price.

    And one last thing - if you're willing to go with a band that isn't a "wedding" band, I would check out craigslist or put an ad up on CL. That's how we found our band and they are awesome and were much more affordable than a "wedding" band. And we got a ton of responses from a lot of great bands so we had a lot to pick from. Just be sure to be specific in the ad as to what you're looking for (type of music, male/female vocalist, etc).
  • Good tips!  The original band we hired was a bar band.  We knew the minute we heard them that we wanted to have them at the wedding.

    I think the fact that I have doubts tells me I shouldn't hire them.  I'll keep looking, and if it doesn't work out we can always hire a DJ.  Six of our friends are DJs.  :)

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  • Bar bands are more fun anway, and are generally more affordable!! I find that a lot of "wedding" bands, while great musicans, don't always have a lot of stage presence and aren't usually as fun as the cover bands I see when I go out to bars. :) Good luck in your search!
  • Personally, I wouldn't do it. Especially if you don't feel confident in hiring them. It seems like you're having a lot of second thoughts about them, & that would be enough to make me hold off on signing a contract. I'd keep searching for a band & if you don't find one that you absolutely love, I'd do without & just go with the DJ. $2,500-$3,000 is a lot of money to spend on something if you don't love it!
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