How to Choose the Best Available
Bands For Your Wedding Reception
Live Bands are a great touch for wedding entertainment. Live music
tends to be of better quality than recorded music and guests will generally warm up to a band better than they do with a disc
jockey.
A good cover band is always going to be far more successful than an original band at a wedding reception
and hiring the best cover band is going to be your mission for a successful reception. Many bands are well known for their
great versatility at making a wedding reception successful, but how do you find the right one out of the huge selection of
bands?
Search Engines: Search for bands in your area using Google, Yahoo! or your favorite search engine.
Be sure to use specific keywords based on the style of band you are looking for and your location. For example, don’t
search the term wedding band because you won’t get specific enough results. Instead search terms like Wedding Reception
Band, or Dance Bands Dayton, Ohio or Dayton, Ohio Party Bands.
For starters, you should check out the list of songs the band performs. Does the band have a huge
selection of tunes to play from all eras? Remember, you will have everyone at your reception from your
young cousins and nieces to your grandparents, so music from the fifties on up to current is needed. The group needs to have
a large number of popular radio tunes, have an awesome sound, and have lots of energy while they are performing,
Next, after the band passes the variety song list test, take a listen to the band's demos. Most professional bands will
have a demo or live video to review. It's a great way to see and hear what the band sounds like live; or
you can check their schedule and go to view a live show.
It's important to not only choose a band
that reflects your personal style, but also one that will keep your guests dancing for hours. Remember though, bands take
breaks. Some couples hire both a band and disc jockey. The DJ can keep the guests dancing while the band is taking a break.
However, this may be cost prohibitive. Another option available is to have the couples’ own choice
of songs on a CD that can be played through the band’s PA system while they are on break, at no charge. You’ll
have to decide what would work best for your event and budget.
The last thing to look at, and probably most
critical in most people's opinion is the cost of the band. Most pro musicians are very talented and the cream of the crop
is going to cost more than the bottom tier bands, but in this arena you get what you pay for.
There
are a few reasons that professional wedding bands command the higher dollar than amateur bands. One is that they simply sound
incredible and often sound exactly like the record when they perform songs by the original artist. This
will always awe your guests and the compliments on your band will be coming for months to come after your reception.
The second reason is that an experienced
band will have a huge song list that allows them to judge crowd response to the tunes they play and use that to decide which
styles they perform most during the night. This ensures that the dance floor stays packed and your guests don't leave half
way through the reception.
Experience has proven you get what you pay for. It takes long
time to become an accomplished musician and lots more to produce a sophisticated and quality sound. Anticipate
paying anywhere between $1000.00 – $2000.00 for a professional live band to play a wedding reception.
Getting
your guests to dance and have fun is important. Party bands that get the audience to join in with the show are great for atmosphere.
A lot of bands will have monthly performances locally that you can visit in order to meet and talk to the members of the band,
while at the same time getting to hear them perform live.
Below are a
few additional tips to help you in deciding which band is right for your wedding reception:
#1 Good live bands will always try to learn 3 -5 of your song
requests for your night. Make sure the wedding reception band that you book is happy to play your requested tunes.
#2 Always book early! A
lot of entertainment can be booked for over a year in advanced so try to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Most entertainment will ask for a 50% deposit to reserve your date.
#3 The best wedding reception bands are happy
to dress up according to the theme of your event i.e. Halloween, etc. This really helps to set the tone
for the night and set the party off with a bang.
#4 Try to talk to the band in person or by
phone rather than by email when booking. Good cover bands will always be happy to discuss your event at length and even recommend
schedules or songs for your event. Don’t be shy! Feel free to ask lots of questions!
#5 Once you have hired the right
band for your party, you should put together a list of songs that you like, but keep in mind that you hired a professional
for a reason. There are certain subtleties to a party that you may not be aware of, whereas they experience it on a weekly
basis and they generally know what works best and what doesn’t. Express your feelings about how you want the party to
go and let them do what they do best.
When it comes to arranging the wedding entertainment the most important
thing is to book quality acts. Bottoms Up! can help make your special day one that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Visit
our website at http://www.BottomsUpDayton.com for more information or to check for our performance dates. Come
out to see us at any one of our events, introduce yourself to us at the breaks to meet us or to discuss your wedding reception
needs, and we will buy you your favorite drink while we talk.
Or if you would like to
talk to us now, just give us a call at (937) 830-6108 and we will be happy to talk with you.
