Booking a wedding band is not cheap! Before handing over a wad of your hard earned cash you want to make sure you’re getting a great night of entertainment in return. There are many important factors to take into consideration when seeking a wedding band. They say knowledge is power, so the Bentley Boys have compiled a list of not very romantic but very important tips you’ll want to consider before you book a wedding band.
The Wedding Band Search
When searching for an awesome wedding band the best advice one can give is ‘ask the right people!’ Couples who have already celebrated their wedding are a good place to start. They’ve gone through the process and know who to contact and who to avoid. If you’re looking for more couples’ experiences, online wedding forums including Weddings Online, Mrs2Be and WeddingDates are a wonderful source of information not only on wedding entertainment, but on all areas of wedding planning. A note of caution here – it can, at times, be difficult to verify the veracity of some forum reviews and who in fact has posted them!
Our advice (and this is probably our top tip!) is to take it up a notch and ask the experts. Your venue’s wedding coordinator is a trustworthy and safe source for opinions on wedding bands that they can stand over. It’s in their best interests to provide you with the top wedding band options. Venues have seen countless wedding bands over the years and are more than happy to recommend the very best.
Once you have your shortlist of bands, plan to attend their showcases. All professional wedding bands run showcases in venues nationwide to allow you see them in action without having to gate-crash someone else’s big day.
Make Sure You Get a Booking Contract
Preparing a booking contract is common practice by professional bands. This contract clearly outlines the services being provided and the fees to be paid. It’s best to insist on a contract or booking form. This contract should include a Force Majeure clause. The Force Majeure clause protects both parties in the event of some unforeseeable disaster happening that prevents the event going ahead. In such circumstances neither party is obliged to or can be compelled to fulfil the engagement.
Request a copy of the Band’s Public Liability Insurance
Booorrrrinnnnggg!!!! There’s nothing more boring than insurance. It’s not something that anyone wants to deal with, especially days before your wedding. Avoid all the drama and get a copy of your band’s public liability insurance before confirming your booking. Brides and grooms sign a legal booking-contract with their wedding venue and, generally speaking, the only stipulation it has about outside vendors is they must have public liability insurance – not all vendors do! This is also an indicator of the professionalism of the band you are dealing with.
What happens if…….
Look, life happens! There are no guarantees in life no matter what anybody tells you. People get sick, accidents happen etc. etc. What you need to know is how prepared your band is to deal with something that comes at them out of leftfield! What is their plan B if the drummer falls and breaks his arm the day before your wedding? Do they have back up talent that can slot right in and that plays with them regularly enough so that your performance is not affected?
Clarify Payment Methods
So you’ve made it through the maze that is booking a wedding band and decided on the one. A deposit will be required to secure your booking, you should be able to pay via the usual methods i.e. cash, credit/debit card, cheque or via bank transfer. If a band insists on a cash deposit, alarm bells should be ringing! Be very wary of cash deposits, no record of a transaction gives very little room to manoeuvre if that band disappears. Yes, it happens, more often than you might imagine!
Post contributed by the Bentley Boys learn more about this top-rated wedding band here.
