If you're wanting to book a professional wedding band, then the price can range anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000. There are a few factors that can have an impact on the price of a wedding band.
What Impacts The Cost
Band Size: Band typically charge by the musician, so choosing bands with less musicians could help lower the cost when making the decision to hire a live wedding band.
Performance Length: A simple 3 hours of performance can be a lot cheaper than covering the ceremony, cocktail hour, AND the reception party. When discussing this with the band, see if removing some of the included services could lower the price!
Days of the Week: Weddings occurring on weekdays have a much cheaper cost all around because Saturdays/Sundays are very high in demand for all large-scale events. Friday weddings are a great choice if you're looking to book the band at a lower cost!
Experience and Demand: Bands that are experienced know exactly how to announce the couple as they enter the dance floor, make last minute announcements about catering, and get the crowd towards the stage instead of in their seats. Bands that are in higher demand are also more expensive because it will cost a lot more to remove a Saturday from their mostly booked calendar.
Travel: Bands from out of town will require additional costs for transportation. This could be in the form of additional fees or hotel accommodations arranged by the client.
Equipment: Professional bands with their own quality equipment might charge more. It takes a of time and money to carry, set up, and store this equipment, so this requires additional labor/funds. Some examples of professional equipment that bands might bring are stage strobe lights, large capacity speakers, lapel mics for the ceremony, top-of-the line drums, professional-grade guitars/pianos, etc. Having a reception venue that includes a sound technician as well as all of the sound equipment (minus the instruments) can have an impact on the price if you mention this from the initial inquiry.
Season: The season can also determine the price of live bands. Weddings that might come at a higher price are: May, June, or July.
Additional Tips
It's okay to negotiate. We understand that purchasing a band is a large investment, and we are willing to work around your budget to find a unique experience that will fit your budget AND provide all of what you're looking for.
Weekday Wedding. More often than not, bands will not be booked on weekdays. Fridays or Sundays in particular may prove to be better price-wise than Saturday weddings. However, they can sometimes be just as popular depending on the date.
Why should you pay for it?
A live wedding band is like having Beyoncé or Taylor Swift at your wedding, but it has to make sense for you financially. In order to make sure that you can afford having live entertainment for your reception, you can look at different areas where you can cut costs: Maybe you play tracks over the MP3 instead of hiring live string musicians for the ceremony, play tracks over MP3 for cocktail hour, or request that the band perform on ground level instead of a stage when possible. Regardless of who you choose to be your wedding band, the experience is well worth the purchase, because it will be one you'll remember for the rest of your life. It's just like a great live concert, but this time, it's all about you.
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