What Kind of Band Should I Hire for my Wedding?

You’ve decided that you need more than just a DJ for your big day. After all, this is more than just a Saturday night at the club; this is the biggest party of your life. But now you’ve jumped into a potentially scary situation: live musicians playing live music with all the live risks involved with that. What if your band doesn’t show? What if people don’t like their music? What if the singers get really drunk? What kind of music do I want anyway? It seems pretty daunting…

Well first off, if you are using one of our bands, you can put many of your worries to rest. We don’t manage or deal with drunks, skunks, or no-shows. But let’s talk about the 5 steps on how to pick the right band for you:

Groove Merchants Wedding Band with Horn Players

Background Music or Dance Party?

Are you and your guests partiers? Do you want your guests to have a blast on the dance floor? If the answer is yes, then you need a good dance or party band. These types of bands come in many different sizes, shapes, and genres—but they all have several crucial things in common:

1 – They tend to be larger bands: Typically 5 -12 pieces

2 – They will be loud bands: they can often do background music, but the dance party will have lots of volume.

3 – They will require more space, power, and time: they will be using sound systems and lighting that will require some additional set-up.

4 – They will be more expensive: Because of their additional equipment and man-power, these bands will be more expensive than say a simple jazz combo.

If you look at this list and say to yourself “geez, I don’t want to dance that badly,” than perhaps you should consider a more classy option: the background music group. These bands are often acoustic groups with 1-6 musicians. They can save you time, space, and money.

What’s My Theme:

The most popular wedding band is the versatile variety band. These bands specialize in playing a little bit of everything. If you are having a tough time narrowing down your musical selections or if you want a large swatch of musical genres, then these bands are definitely the ones you want. However, if you have a particular vision for your evening (one’s that a little unique or personalized), then there are options for you. One advantage to this approach is they 1.) can be more memorable & 2.) can be less expensive. Here are some unique themes for parties & weddings that would incorporate different kinds of bands:

Country Wedding : A good country or bluegrass band will make your guest give a loud “Yeehaw”

Gatsby Wedding: a 1920’s party needs a Dixieland band to ensure that speak-easy vibe.

Classic Wedding: If you want something that exudes class, consider a string quintet or a classic swing band like the Moonlight Swing Orchestra

Vegas Wedding: A Vegas-style wedding could incorporate a killer party band or (if you’re really needing that Vegas-flair) a Rat-Pack Tribute band. Of course, no Vegas party is complete without the Elvis impersonator

Country Wedding Band

Who Do I Trust?

Once you’ve narrowed that down, it’s now time to pick a band. If you are calling un-managed, individual band leaders, etc. this is where the process gets a little frightening. Definitely check out on-line reviews and ask for references. If they’re experienced and reputable, these should be readily available. Of course, if you don’t want the headache of background-checking all the bands you inquire about, you can give us a call at 801-473-1502 and we’ll discuss some of the best bands with the best reputations around. 

Happy Hunting

This article was written by Stephen Tobian: general manager at DanceBands.com