Our ultimate guide to choosing the perfect band for your wedding celebration party

Our many experiences with different future brides and grooms in previous years clearly indicate to us that many of them did not know where to start in this heavy task of planning their wedding. Worse still, some were fooled by attractive features that, in hindsight, may not have been worth it! We are talking here in particular by lower prices and, above all, false promises.

In order to avoid any bad experiences in hiring a music band to other future brides and grooms, the members of Brand New Band have put their many experiences to work to offer this ultimate guide featuring many practical tips of our own to cover all the questions useful to answer for this purpose: a game plan for selecting the best country cover band for your wedding, and this, according to your reality and your specific needs!

How to choose the music band for your wedding?

We will cover and explore these areas in particular when it comes to hiring a country music band for your wedding:

• Musical expertise
• Live performance ability
• Repertoire, setlist and special requests
• Technical capabilities
• Logistical considerations
• Recommendations
• Additional services
• Professionalism
• Budgetary considerations
• Flexibility

Musical expertise

To clarify the musical expertise of the desired music group(s), we advise you to answer these questions below.

Does the desired music group specialize in the genre of music (country, jazz, electronic music, etc.) that I want to hear at my wedding?

The genre of music desired during your wedding celebration evening is to be determined by you first. A music group specialized in country music may not be the right experts to respond to any other style of music desired by you (and your guests!).

Once determined, you can begin your research in this direction. Do not do the opposite! Do not fall into the trap of choosing an artist before the genre: neither you nor the selected artist will be comfortable in this adventure that will generate the background story of your wedding celebration evening!

Do the musicians of the desired music group all have a certain expertise on their instrument that seems satisfactory to us?

Don't hesitate to ask for background information on the members of the desired music group. This written information can say a lot about the ability of this music group to meet your expectations at your desired level of satisfaction. Note: Some members of the music group may be less experienced than others. And that's completely normal! At least make sure that more experienced members are present, their presence is usually a sign of a certain level of quality: an experienced person will not stay with younger musicians if he does not believe he can still deliver a good level of quality. Sometimes there are young prodigies who deserve to be put forward!

Live performance ability

As for the ability of the desired band to perform live, we recommend that you answer the following questions.

Does the desired band perform well live?

Don’t hesitate to go see the band you’ve booked at a bar or festival near you if you haven’t already! Following the artists you’re considering for your wedding on different social networks will allow you to know when these desired artists will be performing near you.

Never rely solely on studio recordings to select the band that will host your wedding celebration evening: on a recording, you won’t be able to hear the quality of their live musical performance or even measure their ability to entertain a crowd. Two of the most important criteria for the success of your future wedding party!

Is the singer of the desired band able to entertain a crowd?

The singer is usually the frontman of the band: he is the one who will interact with you and your guests throughout the evening of your wedding celebration. There are a lot of good singers, but a little less singers who master the animation of a crowd. His ability to interact and discuss properly with you and your guests, in a usually more formal setting that a wedding requires, is essential in order to reassure you that the music group will know how to interact and adapt the evening to all the levels of energy necessary during this wedding celebration (first dance, father-daughter dance, etc.).

Repertoire, setlist and special requests

The songs that will be performed at your wedding party are the crux of the matter: a repertoire that does not meet your expectations is far from being a guarantee of success for your evening. Regarding the ability of the coveted music group to list their repertoire (partially or completely), define a seltlist that meets your expectations and take special requests into consideration, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Does the coveted music group offer you a repertoire that matches the desired genre of music?

The definition of certain musical genres sometimes varies from one person to another. To avoid any misunderstanding, we advise you to validate the repertoire of songs that the coveted music group usually performs during their other previous performances. If the majority of what you see as a repertoire seems interesting to you: that's a good sign! You have a common understanding on the issue, which will only make your evening even more aligned with your expectations.

Does the desired music group offer to customize the setlist according to your convenience for your wedding celebration evening?

In addition to the repertoire, partial or total, of the desired music group, you can also ask them to prepare a setlist for you before your wedding celebration evening. This setlist will act as a list of songs that the music group intends to perform for you and your guests when the time comes.

In this way, you can ask for adjustments if everything does not seem to be totally in line with your expectations and avoid unpleasant surprises when the evening comes!

Warning: Some music groups are more open-minded to designing a personalized setlist than others: this is a good sign as to the open-mindedness and flexibility that this music group will be offered throughout this adventure with you.

How many songs can be performed during my wedding celebration evening?

Although all songs have different lengths, there is a general rule: 15 songs for each hour of expected performance. Better to plan too many than not enough! This way, if there are more discussions between the guests and the band, you won't spend the entire setlist, but you will at least have planned for the opposite case!

Does the coveted band offer to learn songs that are important to you?

Have you dreamed of hearing a specific song at this party since your childhood (a song planned for the father-daughter dance, for example)? Some bands are more closed than others to learning new songs for perhaps more ephemeral needs (a single evening). Therefore, it is better to plan ahead and tell them the song, or a list of songs, that it is imperative for you to hear at your long-awaited evening.

Will the coveted band accept special requests from you and your guests at your wedding celebration evening?

There are bands that accept special requests and others that flatly refuse. We believe that special requests allow for personalization and better crowd engagement at any event, even your wedding celebration party!

However, it is your choice to allow special requests to be considered at your party or not. Some brides and grooms have already asked us, for example, to refuse special requests because they did not want the party to turn into a retro-pop-country party from the 60s or 70s due to the large number of older people among their guests.

Technical capabilities

With regard to the technical capabilities of the desired music group to offer you a good level of audio-visual quality, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Does the desired music group see themselves as being responsible for the quality of the sound that will be broadcast during the evening (or should a sound technician be provided for this purpose)?

Each musician brings their expertise to their instrument in a music group, but few musicians are able to handle their instrument while ensuring that the finality of the performance, what comes out of the sound system, is adequate according to all the variables that can affect the quality of the sound projected.

Some music groups are more proactive and autonomous about the quality of the sound of what they produce than other musicians and will participate in ensuring, to the best of their ability, that the rendering in the room is pleasant to the ears of you and your guests. Other bands will say that hiring a sound technician is a must for them: this should be considered in the budget for hiring the band responsible for the soundtrack of your event.

Note: However, even with the best intentions, the musicians on stage do not hear the same result as the sound that propagates in the reception room of your wedding celebration. To the extent that you want to have the best quality of sound projected by the band dedicated to offering a live performance, you can use the services of a sound technician yourself (the coveted band could certainly share suggestions with you in this regard!) who will have the task of ensuring that the sound is adjusted as the variables affecting the quality of the sound projected change during your evening (number of people in the room, doors open or closed, volume level of the ambient sound of the guests, change of instrument on the stage, etc.).

Does the desired music group see themselves as being responsible for the stage dressing (lights, sheets, etc.) during the evening (or should a lighting technician be provided for this purpose)?

Just like the quality of the audio, the visual of the stage can greatly affect the aesthetics of your reception room and contribute to making the music group performing more pleasing to the eye. When we talk about visuals, or stage dressing, we are talking about lighting effects, the decoration of the stage (removable or fixed) to accommodate the music group (in whole or in part), the decoration of the wall(s) behind the musicians, etc., and even the attire of the musicians selected to perform at your evening (respect for a specific theme, more formal clothing, etc.).

Are you lacking inspiration in this regard? Your wedding party planners and the selected band can attend a workshop, prior to your party, to reach a consensus on what should be set up for your event. A highly rewarding workshop to assure both the artist and the wedding planners of what the stage that will be the main focal point of your upcoming celebration evening will look like. Your expectations in this regard should be discussed as early as possible as some artists are more closed-minded than others in order to present adequate flexibility to meet your requirements.

Logistical considerations

As for the logistical considerations of the desired music group, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Are the members of the desired music group from your region, or are there delays and/or travel times to be expected on the date of your wedding?

Although it is not uncommon to hire artists who come from outside the region where you are located, this distance can generate risks that are better to know in order to mitigate them before the evening of your event. We are mainly talking here about delays and travel costs of the music group for your event.

Travel delays

Travel delays may seem, at first glance, to only have an impact on the musicians who will have to spend the necessary hours on the road to get to you. But no, not quite: you, as the organizer of your event, can also be impacted by travel delays on the part of the chosen music group from an outside region.

Indeed, these travel times also come with risks on your side in the event of delays to these planned trips (vehicle breakdown, accident, traffic, storm, etc.). These delays could delay the completion of all the activities required by the coveted music group to: set up the instruments, dress the stage, perform sound tests, etc. We would especially not want the musicians not to be ready for their show as soon as the first guests arrive!

Travel expenses

The travel expenses of the coveted music group may not be fully covered in the fee discussed. When a group comes from an outside region, the musicians can ask to benefit from an accommodation service following the show (hotel, motel, lodge, etc.). Or, to benefit from a dressing room, on site, to store their personal belongings during their performance. Travel costs are not only calculated in terms of the kilometers traveled to get to your location, but also by adding all the items needed to bring these artists to your event.

To avoid such additional costs (direct or indirect), hiring an artist from your area can be a viable and less expensive option for you.

How much time does it take for the coveted band to set up and take down all their necessary equipment at the location of your wedding celebration party?

It is false to claim that the time when the members of the band will be on stage is the only time they will work during your wedding day. In fact, you have to consider the installation time, the time required for the sound check as well as the time required to uninstall the musicians. Depending on the number of members and the instruments played by them, the time associated with these activities can vary greatly. It is better to consider these activities in the planning of your wedding day in order to avoid any impact on the other activities to be done in order to set up this very important day: your wedding day.

Does the coveted music group have all the necessary equipment (instruments, monitors, consoles, etc.) to provide adequate sound depending on the location of your wedding celebration evening?

Depending on the location of your wedding, the music group will have to adapt to your needs and the equipment made available to you for the performance of the music group during your evening. For example, monitors are potentially made available to you in the reception hall of your wedding: does the music group have the equipment and technical skills to use these facilities? If not, hiring technicians capable of piloting the facilities, either already on site or missing, both in terms of audio and visual needs would be, as you wish, appropriate.

Can all the necessary equipment of the coveted musical group fit into the planned location of the show during your wedding celebration evening?

Normally, all the instruments and equipment necessary for the performance of the coveted artist should fit through a standard door size. However, other irritants should be raised with the selected musical group in order to avoid frustrations with realities that make the musical performance location more or less accessible: numerous stairs, limited access for cars for unloading, etc. These details not communicated to the musicians could negatively impact the respect of the deadlines required for their activities: especially with regard to the installation and uninstallation of their equipment necessary for the show.

Recommendations

As for recommendations for the desired music group, we recommend that you answer the following questions.

Can a third party (or several) recommend the desired music group to you?

Hiring a music group whose quality of musical performance you appreciate is one thing, but planning, discussing and confirming all the details necessary to meet the specific needs of your event is another!

Recommendations from people who have already planned other previous events with the desired music group could be very reassuring for you to ensure their ability to fulfill the more “administrative” needs of the artist service goes well: there is nothing worse than a service provider who does not make themselves accessible to properly plan their activities according to your needs.

Are favorable testimonials available on the website of the desired music group or any other online source (Google reviews, Yelp, etc.)?

To properly select the band that will entertain the evening of your wedding celebration, do not hesitate to consult review websites about the desired band. Although some comments should be taken lightly, these reviews usually allow you to get an idea of ​​the average level of satisfaction of their previous clients. Also, the responses (or lack of response!) of the band to the most negative comments about them are also a good indicator of how much they focus on the satisfaction of the service provided, even after having provided the service.

Additional services

As for the additional services of the desired music group, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Can the desired music group provide background music during the wedding ceremony?

It is essential that the music group present during your wedding celebrations provide quality background music, even when they are not performing! The moments of breaks, conversation (toasts!) and meals are just as important to host as the evening of celebration where the group will perform live. This more sober backdrop will certainly contribute to creating a warm atmosphere that will accompany all the highlights of your evening.

Background music that is too loud or presents music that is not suited to these moments could, on the contrary, be distracting and disturbing. In short, a band that provides quality musical ambiance when needed takes a load off your hands during this evening and contributes to the experience of you and your guests during this very important evening.

Can the coveted band perform the songs live selected for the wedding ceremony (bride's entrance, first dance, father-daughter dance, etc.)?

It is crucial for us that the band hired for any wedding can have the flexibility and dedication necessary to perform the songs chosen and requested by the bride and groom on the evening of the celebration. These songs selected in advance may sometimes reflect their history or sometimes their personal preferences, but it goes without saying that the appreciation of the bride and groom and their guests for this concern on the part of the band will be at its peak.

Experienced musicians will all say that such requests, especially in a specific context such as a wedding celebration, are not mere whims, but rather a duty as a service provider to adapt to the tastes of the bride and groom in order to guarantee a festive atmosphere that suits them, an atmosphere that will contribute to the magic of the event.

Professionalism

With regard to the professionalism of the desired music group, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Does the desired music group have a plan to replace the members of the group in the event that one of them cannot attend the wedding date?

Your wedding is taking place on a specific date. Everything is aligned, from all stakeholders, so that your event goes smoothly. However, unforeseen events can occur on the part of the hired music group (as with all other service providers) that would cause one of the members of the group not to be able to attend, for example in the event of illness that evening.

A professional group knows how to prepare for this type of situation by planning for the worst: by ensuring that musicians, often contract musicians, can participate "at short notice" in your evening, to replace the person presenting an unforeseen event. This foresight thus guarantees the continuity of the intended service, even in the event of a last-minute glitch!

Without such a backup plan, the risk of such a last-minute failure could affect the atmosphere and cause unnecessary stress both during the preparation and during the evening of the event, which could disappoint the bride and groom and their guests.

Budgetary considerations

With regard to the budgetary considerations of the coveted music group, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Is the coveted music group asked for various inclusions to be included in the engagement contract?

In addition to the travel expenses incurred by an artist coming from outside your region discussed in the point “Logistical Considerations” above, some music groups may request that certain items be already in their dressing room, or at least at their disposal, when they arrive at your event.

We are normally talking here about inclusions regarding meals, drinks (alcoholic or not), snacks (hello FouKi!), etc. However, some artists may take certain liberties, sometimes even unusual, on this list of inclusions. All these items included in their contract with you will be at your expense. Therefore, these are additional costs for you to pay in addition to the fee that you will pay to the selected music group. It goes without saying that you should take all of these variables into consideration when calculating the final cost of the desired music group for your wedding celebration evening.

Is the desired music group asked for a reasonable fee for a performance at your wedding celebration evening?

Organizing a wedding and its celebration evening involves quite significant costs. If you respect a budget limit, each expense must be well planned so that the event complies with these indicated limitations: including the selection of the artist who will be present at your event. It is important to understand that your ambitions in terms of fee can certainly be achieved, but compromises on key elements will have to be made to get there.

It is not uncommon for music groups accustomed to hosting wedding celebration evenings to offer different formulas: full band, trio, duo or even alone ("chansonnier"). This reality is not without reason: the number of people present in the music group is the factor that most influences the fee requested from them. Knowing that the presence of a single musician requires at least $400 to $500, a group offering a "full band" formula, say 5 musicians, can hardly ask for less than $2,500. To this, the music group must improve this floor price of extras according to the realities and logistical needs of your event (sound, lighting, distance, date, etc.).

The more a music group is known, or simply in high demand, the more its fee will increase according to its ambitions based on the premise that it is betting that it could have its asking price elsewhere, from another client, for the same coveted date.

Shopping around is the key here: don't stop at the least expensive artist. Validate all the points discussed above with him and, subsequently, make your own analysis to know if the latter seems to you to be a good guarantee of success for your evening. Often, it is not in the lowest bidder that we obtain the best "quality - price" ratio. You are the only ones who can ensure, to the best of your knowledge, that the bride and groom will experience a successful musical celebration, with the assurance of having made a judicious choice, without sacrificing quality or pleasure.

Flexibility

As for the flexibility of the desired music band, we advise you to answer these questions below.

Does the desired music group see themselves as listening to your needs expressed for your wedding celebration evening?

The selected music group must understand that this unique event must reflect the wishes of the bride and groom, notwithstanding whether these wishes evolve until the big day. To make your life easier in this heavy planning task that this day requires, make sure that the music group has a sufficient level of listening and flexibility in relation to their service offered and your expectations of them, and this, in order to ensure that the bride and groom will always feel listened to and supported.

Evolution of your needs over time

Let's not hide it, the organization of a wedding evolves over time, and sometimes until the very last minute. As for the band for your evening, we are talking here, for example, about adjustments to the setlist or, again, readjusting the schedule of performances to better adapt to the course of the day.

An adaptability on the part of the coveted band will be beneficial in order to considerably reduce the stress of the organizers knowing that "nothing is ever acquired" in the wake of planning notable events such as a wedding. Knowing that the selected band is ready to adjust and find creative solutions to meet your new requests or changes to the initial requests is a know-how that is usually found almost exclusively among the most experienced bands.

Indeed, few newer bands are ready to face the slightest change because their maturity simply does not allow them: the simple fact of having to grant the service, in its simplest expression, is potentially a stressful enough element for them.

Does the desired music group share specifications regarding the cancellation or postponement of your wedding?

A contract between the applicants, the bride and groom, and the music group is necessary in order to protect both parties in this adventure that can extend over several months, sometimes even a few years. One of the most important clauses for the bride and groom is certainly the cancellation clause of the music group for any reason. Whether it is due to the cancellation of the wedding itself or for the cancellation of the performance of the music group itself (due to a lack of conflict along the way), the cancellation clause will be the one that will dictate whether the bride and groom can cancel the initial agreement with the least possible costs and negative impacts.

Usually, a non-refundable deposit is granted to the selected music group upon signing the contract. To our knowledge, anything below 50% of the total fee is possible and respectable depending on the variables discussed and written under the engagement contract formalizing this partnership between the bride and groom and the selected music group.

This deposit is in place to guarantee compensation for the time already granted as well as for the reservation of the targeted date. However, should you need more flexibility for potentially anticipated or uncontrollable or more specific reasons, such as postponing the wedding itself (with supporting evidence), some music groups could lower their expectation regarding the non-refundable deposit in order to offer you more flexibility.

Example: A Quebec music singer hired for a wedding, all expenses paid by the bride and groom, in Cancun was not asked for any deposit of his fee in his engagement contract knowing that all other expenses were already covered by the bride and groom. Since the trip had the potential to be cancelled due to uncontrollable reasons (such as a storm or black ice preventing the plane ride), he did not want to put any more financial burden on the bride and groom, and accepted his share of the risk on his side.

Conclusion

We would like to point out that the last three points are more than important to consider in your selection. Even if the sound quality is not up to par, even if the musicians are not worthy of the greatest artists, they are certainly irritants, but they are irritants that you can tolerate and still have good memories of your wedding celebration evening. However, you must avoid having the slightest doubt regarding professionalism (punctuality, availability, etc.), budgetary considerations (compliance with the established budget, penalties, additional costs, etc.) as well as the flexibility offered by your contract (modification, cancellation, etc.) in order to prevent your wedding planning from turning into a nightmare before your long-awaited evening!