A wedding is one of the most unforgettable events that a person experiences in his or her life. Tying the knot together with the person whom you want to spend your life is indeed a very memorable happening. Another thing that people love about a wedding is the reception. You, as the bride or the groom, would also want to let your guest experience the best wedding they could attend to. One way for that is to hire a live band that will play at your wedding reception.
Having a live band playing at your wedding adds more fun to the guest and you. It will also add to the excitement. But live bands aren’t free, unless if you have a friends or relatives who will offer a free charge for playing. Nonetheless, hiring a band will add to the total cost of your wedding. If you are willing to pay any amount for a band, the question will be how much does a wedding band cost?
Average Cost of Wedding Band
There are a lot of styles of music you can choose that a live band could play. So before you want to hire one, be sure that you and your partner have decided what style of music is going to be played. If you and your partner still have no idea on what music to play, you can visit The Knot. They can help you decide what music you should play on your wedding.
Usually, the most common type of wedding band is cover bands. They are popular since they can play a wide variety of music that is familiar to your guests. If you are into classical, you can also hire a band that plays swing, jazz, and other similar types of music genres. Another type of band that is now becoming more popular are Karaoke bands; they are a type of band that allows your guest to get a microphone so that they can sing along with them.
The average cost of wedding band depends on the number of members the band has. Usually, it will cost you around $2,085 for a band that has five members. The price given is for a four-hour performance. If you want to hire a four man band, you will have to spend around $1,150. If you are going big, hiring a band that consists anywhere from 6 up to 10 members would cost you around $2,200 or more.
How much does a wedding band cost for a karaoke type? Usually, the cost would be the same as the other bands, but you will have to pay an additional fee for the extra microphones that you will need. The average cost of wedding band depends on the date and time of your wedding; there are months where weddings are at peak. The location of your wedding also affects the price of the wedding band. If you live in a large city, you can find a lot of wedding bands, which gives you a lot of options to choose from.
You can hire a wedding band at Gig Masters.
Extra Costs
Most wedding bands base their pricing on a per hour performance. There are times when the energy level of your wedding reception skyrockets that you will feel the need for them to do overtime. Usually, you will have to pay around $450 up to $750 for the overtime charge. This is based on the band’s charge per-hour. There are also bands that charge more than their rate-per-hour if they do overtime. To save you money from overtime cost, some professional wedding planner recommends to their clients to book a band for an additional hour or two ahead of time.
A plain, simple band would be boring. To add effects on your wedding, you might have to rent special backdrops and lightings for the stage. Of course, it will add to the total cost. But these extras can be negotiated. You should always ask for the breakdown of the price in your contract.
Usually, the price given by the band doesn’t include their meals. So if you are planning to hire a band, make sure that they are already included in the number of guests so that they already have their meal. Meanwhile, you can also arrange separate meals for them.
Ways to Save Money
Most weddings nowadays have a different location for the wedding ceremony and the reception. To save money, you can ask one member of the band that will perform at the reception to also perform at the ceremony.
You could also save money if your wedding is on Sunday since most of the bands offer discounts for weddings that are held on a Sunday. However, there are also some of them who don’t perform during Sundays.
Inclusions
Knowing how much does a wedding band cost is not enough, you should also know some inclusions so that you’ll have a full grasp on what to expect.
Whenever you hire a band, the price they give should include the actual playing time of the musician and all the instruments and equipment needed for the performance. There are also times when the vocalist of the band can be the emcee of the reception. They should also provide a large speaker and a microphone.
Live bands can’t play non-stop, they will need a break. Typically, they will require five up to 15 minutes of break per hour.
Size of the Band
As what we have mentioned above, the size of the band is a great factor to the cost. So if you are hiring a band, make sure that the space in your reception is spacious enough for your band to play and perform in.
Also, before you pick a band, make sure you see beforehand some of their performance. It is also recommended that you see them ahead of time. This will prevent any regrets you will have when the time comes for them to play live.
It should also take at least an hour for the band to set up their equipment. To avoid any problems, you should let them set the equipment a day before the event, especially if you are hiring a large band.
Travel and Accommodation
There are times where you can’t find the right band near your area. If this is the case, then you will have to hire bands that are from other places. If this happens, you will be the one to pay for their travel and accommodations.
If they are from a very far location, it is better to have money that you can pay for at least three days and two nights worth of stay. Depending on what size of band you are going to hire, it will affect on how many hotel rooms you will need.
You should also consider how they will travel to your destination. This will cost you more that their actual performance.
Equipment Rental
If you are hiring a band from a different place, there is a possibility that they can’t bring their equipment. With this, you will have to pay for the equipment rental in your location. The most common equipment you will have to rent are drums and guitars.
DJ’s
Today, DJ’s are popular. Usually, they only play music using their laptops. Hiring a DJ will be much more affordable because you are only hiring one person. Usually, you will have to pay around $750 up to $1,500 for a DJ.