Image via Real Wedding by DKPHOTO
There are a few things on every couples wedding wishlist, things they rate highly for their wedding day. But there are two that always make the cut regardless of the style of wedding you’re after – great food and great music. Music is so important for the overall ambience of the wedding, if the band or DJ gets people up dancing, the craic can be had. So choosing who your guests will rock out to is an important decision with plenty of things to think about. To help you make that all important decision, wedding bands The Best Men and Blush Band outline a few things you might like to think about…
Jonathan Casey of The Best Men – View Profile
1. See Them Live – Neil Young once said, “Live Music is Better”. He’s wrong, of course. I like nothing better than to sit with a sherry and listen to my Val Doonican vinyls, but I think what Neil was trying to say is that it’s a good idea to go to a band’s showcase. That way you can get your own true response to the musicians’ performance right in front of you.
2. Are They Experienced? – Jimi Hendrix once said, “Are You Experienced?”. I don’t know what he meant, but this is important: experience is everything. Just like any trade, the best, most reliable exponents are those that have done it before. The experienced know what they are doing and are not guessing or ignorant of all the external factors that are present on a wedding day.
3. Get chatting – Often bands have booking agents who are on call 24/7. Chat to them about what it is you’re after. They will help hugely in planning, organising and making sure you get what you want on your big day.
4. Square Peg, Round Hole – Let’s say you like a particular rock band, but want them to learn/play a lot of not-rock music. Slipknot once said, “The age of the gross is a living VIRUS!”. Try asking them to do the ‘Locomotion’. It’s much better to get a band that does the styles you want naturally, rather than try to tailor-make what’s there. Some bands make it their business to master every style.
5. Cater for your Crowd – You will have an amazing time. But you want your guests to have an amazing time too. Ask yourself questions like, ‘My band is quite one-genre-specific, how will that go down with my guests?’, ‘Is this the right band for my intimate venue?’ and ‘Who’s that man in my garden?’. Easy ways to help yourself make the right decision!
Enda from Blush Band – View Profile
1. You need a band that will have your dance floor packed for the evening – full stop! How do you go about this? Don’t restrict yourself to one genre of music (jazz band, 80’s band, rock band etc). Look for a band that plays across the full spectrum of music – cater for all your guests.
2. Look for a band that also keeps up to date with current hits – this means that you’re not booking a band who learnt a list of tunes years ago and are not freshening up their set.
3. Make sure you see your band perform live – the better bands host regular showcases. This is the best way to view a band. Trying to view a band perform at somebody else’s wedding is too difficult – you’re hiding around corners and only get to hear a small portion of their set. If you are booking from overseas, get somebody to view the band on your behalf.
4. It can also be an advantage to have a band with more than one singer – it can be tedious listening to the same vocalist for two and a half hours.
5. Consider also a band who can look after your other musical requirements for your day – ceremony, pre-reception and DJ. The better outfits do this. This saves you the hassle of dealing with more suppliers plus you generally can negotiate a package price.
