What is a good budget for a wedding band?
If you’re here, you’re probably planning your wedding. So firstly, congratulations! Secondly, we’re going to assume that music is going to feature heavily throughout your day. If you ask us, the music you choose will really set the mood, stirs the emotions, and gets a dance floor jumping - all key elements of the best day of your life! So, choosing the right soundtrack for your wedding day is probably one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your wedding planning process (no pressure!). In our decades of providing music for weddings, we’ve seen it all! From couples who want to go big on their evening band, to couples who chose a special solo musician for their ceremony (a solo saxophonist has become particularly popular!), to couples who weave music into every minute of their day. If you’re passionate about music, you’re in the right place. We are too! Knowing that music is a big priority for you in your wedding budget, we’ve put together this blog to help you understand some of your options, what you can expect and what to consider.
Why do costs for a live wedding band vary so much?
If you’ve popped ‘live wedding band’ into Google, you’ve likely been met with a big range of options, from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand. How do you choose between them and decide on a healthy budget? Here are a few different factors that can influence the cost of a live wedding band in the UK:
Band Size: This is probably the biggest factor, as the higher the number of musicians, the more folks who need paying, meaning higher total fees. It may also mean more equipment hire too. Here are some average costs to work towards:
Solo Artist: £300 - £600+
Duo: £450 - £800+
3-Piece Band: £750 - £1,600+
4-5 Piece Band: £1,300 - £2,000+
6+ Piece Band (often with brass sections): £1,800 - £3,500+ (or even up to £20,000 for large showbands)
Popularity & Experience: If the band you’re going for is well-known and/or highly experienced, they will generally be more in demand from other weddings and events, and therefore have higher fees.
When you’re booking: Certain times of the year and key calendar dates will be more or less in demand. For example, Saturdays tend to be most popular - even more so during peak wedding season (May to September). This means at those times, you might find a band charges more, whereas appearances at off-season or weekday weddings might be a little cheaper. Also don’t forget to consider the lead time you’re giving the band - some may give discounts and incentives for early booking or last-minute bookings. To keep things simple for our clients, we actually don’t change our prices throughout the year, so it will be the same whatever the season or day of the week!
How long you’d like them to play:
A standard performance tends to include 2 x 60-minute sets with a break in between, so if you request longer sets, or more of them, you can expect the fees to increase as well. We, like man other bands will charge to play beyond midnight, but most venues will ask you to wrap up by 11.30 anyway.
Some bands may charge extra to learn specific songs (e.g., for your first dance). We actually don’t do this and are happy to include this in your package for free.
If you would like to have a DJ before or after your band, this will likely incur extra fees too.
Travel and accommodation: If your band of choice needs to travel a significant distance to get to your wedding venue, you may be charged extra for fuel, and potentially accommodation too if it's a very long journey or an early start the next day.
Required equipment: Most professional bands should include sound and lighting equipment in their fee, but this is worth checking with them. It’s also worth discussing with your venue to see if anything is supplied that could reduce the cost for your band, and if they are happy with this.
Early Set Up: Typically a band needs 60 - 90 minutes to set up and sound check. If you are having your evening entertainment in the same room as your wedding breakfast and need the band to set a lot earlier in the day, there will be an extra charge to pay for everyone's extra time. At DLE all our bands will happily arrive to set up up to 4 hours prior to the start time of their first set.
As you can see, there’s a lot more to hiring a band than just the musicians and their instruments! Ensuring you have considered all these factors and the impact they could have on your budget up front will help you to plan and have a healthy amount available to get the music right for your big day. If you have questions about how to book a live wedding band, don’t forget you can book a free, no-obligation chat with us. We’d love to help you create the perfect soundtrack to your wedding day!
