Planning > Wedding Entertainment
Everything You Need to Know About Booking the Band
Article written by Mike Amado,
Entertainment Specialists 		 
Photo by Demetri Productions
There is something about the grandness of the shining brass and high energy of a great band motivating your guests to dance. A great band satisfies the musical appetite as well as the visual appetite. There is nothing better than being at a wedding reception and seeing a great looking band perform live on stage.
When it comes to planning a wedding ceremony and reception, there are so many factors and elements that have to be considered. Food, music, photography, video, transportation, flowers and invitations are all very important elements that go into planning your day. Most brides will tell you that the music is very high on the priority list. The band is usually the vendor that the bride-to-be will book first. This article will cover what no one seems to tell you about the entertainment industry as it relates to weddings and social events.
Agency vs. booking direct. Many brides-to-be are under the impression that they pay more to book through an agency. This is not true. In most cases it is always better to go with an agency. Most agencies will hold the deposit of the client in an escrow account and not release those funds until the date passes. The good thing about this is that if a lead singer or any other key member of the band leaves the band, a good agency will contact the client to have them come out and view the band with the personnel changes. If the client still likes the band, then everything remains intact. On the other hand, if the client does not like the change, then the agency will refund the deposits collected or put it towards another choice of the client. Make sure this is in your contract. It is too late to do anything about it when you notice the change on your wedding day.
Very rarely do you see a price difference from booking directly with the band or through an agency. The "A" and "B" (more expensive) bands usually charge their clients the same fees that the agencies are quoting. Most quotes from agencies are suggested by the bands based on what they are quoting directly to clients. These upscale bands usually pay the agency 10-15% - sometimes even up to 20% commission depending on certain deals made with the agency. The prices quoted to the client from the agency are the same as the bands quote. With some of the "C" class (less expensive) bands you will notice that it may be $200 to $500 less to book direct, but these are the bands that usually go through personnel changes. So the extra money you may spend going through an agency with these lesser priced bands is money well spent, because if there is a change, a good agency will contact you.
The booking process.  First you must understand that 95% of all the top bands in the New England area are represented by many of the leading agencies. The reason for this is that it maximizes the band's potential to get bookings. When an agent receives a call from a perspective client they immediately begin calling all of the top bands on their roster. They give the bride's name, date and reception site to the band. The bands then log in the name of the client, her date and location in a database to protect the agent's client from another agency that may call with the same client or even the client trying to go around the agency and book directly. The bands look at it like this... "Well this agent turned this client onto us first so, therefore, should be the only agent that we allow to book this specific client".
The client (bride or groom to be) then, like in any other industry, will begin shopping around for other bands or even price comparisons. They then contact some bands directly or some other agencies. Little do they know that these other agencies are contacting many of the same bands that have already been submitted to them. Now the bands start to think, as this client's name keeps coming up with so many different agencies..."hmmm, this client is not a serious client, she is shopping around too much". So then another bride-to-be contacts the same band (the first client's top choice) for the same date through an agency and this client does not have 3 or 4 other agencies shopping around for bands for her. The bands are more likely to go with the client that is not shopping around as much because she has less conflicts and just seems less of a shopper than the first client. So the first client will end up losing the band she really wanted simply because she just wanted to shop around a bit. Bands will always take the first person to give a deposit for a date regardless of who contacts them first. In the entertainment industry the first client to give the deposit or request a contract for the date, is the client that gets the booking. Bands typically do not hold dates.
Details. Some of the details you need to know when booking a band include knowing the break schedule. Usually it is 45 minutes on and 15 minutes off. The bands usually play recorded music during the breaks. This should be in the contract. The bands typically require a 50% deposit to retain their services. The balance of 50% is due on the date of the wedding.
Viewing a band is important. Band showcases or viewing a band in a night club atmosphere are a great way to view a band live. Someone else's wedding is not a good idea. Most hotels frown on people trying to crash a wedding to sneak a peek at a band.
The entertainment industry is a very aggressive and competitive area of your wedding planning. If you have an understanding of this, it puts you in a better position to be able to be aggressive in booking the band that you want for your wedding and not lose them to a more aggressive bride-to-be. My advice is to book your band 18 to 24 months in advance if you have a Saturday evening wedding reception in the months of May, June, September or October. Any other dates should be booked 12 to 18 months in advance. If you follow this guideline you will find that it will be less competitive, but most importantly it will put you in a position to have less stress and therefore, be able to shop around a bit without feeling pressured. Good luck!
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