Recession-proof wedding bands

aunt pol

I'm just wondering if anybody's had a reasonable quote for a wedding band & dj.
I've just been quoted 1800 for the combo, for 5 hours.
Now that seems to me like 4 men=450 each. =>90 per hour.
More, even, seeing as 3 of them prob bugger off home while one stays on to dj!
Am I naive or is this a ferocious amount of money?
I thought prices were supposed to be coming down!??

Victor

Shop around then.

Aren't you forgetting the time taken to travel, plus the cost of equipment + van?

judas101

Thats a pretty standard price if not on the cheaper side.

The band makes or breaks a wedding.

You get what you pay for. A good reputation is worth paying for.

aunt pol

I understand there are travel expenses in some situations: however, I was given that particular quote by a band who all live within ten miles of the hotel.
Many of my friends have gone the ipod route. If my guest list was different I'd do the same. Money's hard found for weddings this year, and I for one deeply resent being asked to pay this much money for 5 hours entertainment.

Victor

aunt pol wrote: »

deeply resent

Interesting words. So the sense of entitlement thing works both ways?

FewFew

A wedding DJ alone would likely cost you €500.

Inquire about the price of renting out a full backline and PA suitable for the venue... that'll give you another inclination of what is thrown in on top.

Add to that at least an hour to set everything up and soundcheck... usually before the wedding party even gets there, then add the playing time and the time it takes to take everything down. You've also got unsociable hours etc.

Then you have to realise that if you want a good band then they're going to be talented musicians who have spent hours and hours practicing to get it right, plus they're not playing originals so they're playing for money.

Having said all that, if I was doing it I wouldn't be able to bring myself to charge €1800 for a nights work, but if I was in the position where wedding bands etc was my bread and butter, well, who knows.

smellslikeshoes

The actual play time of the band is only a fraction of the time involved. If you added up all the practice time to keep a set of a few hours tight you would probably be looking at lower than minimum wage sort of area.

aunt pol

Well the reason I posted this thread was to find out if these were reasonable prices or not. Thanks for all the replies.

We have musicians in the family, all talented, who will be guests at the wedding, and they also think the prices are too high.

Victor, I'm not getting your comment about entitlement, but it seems unnecessary.

seamus

aunt pol wrote: »

We have musicians in the family, all talented, who will be guests at the wedding, and they also think the prices are too high.

Yes, but do they travel around 2 or 3 times a week performing gigs with all of their own equipment?

These are the kinds of prices that you get into with wedding bands because you're effectively requiring them to travel to your venue with a full stage setup (Amps, Mics, PAs etc etc etc) and play seamlessly to a private party for 2 hours. If they only had to turn up with a few guitars, a bodhran and a tin whistle and start jamming, I can see your point. But most wedding bands take a lot more effort than that.

When it comes to music, there are talented amateurs who will do it cheaply and will be a bit of craic or there are professionals who will come and blow you away.

It really depends on yourselves. I couldn't imagine going to wedding that didn't have a five piece band complete with electric guitars and headbanging on the dancefloor.

It just wouldn't feel right.

Victor

seamus wrote: »

It really depends on yourselves. I couldn't imagine going to wedding that didn't have a five piece band complete with electric guitars and headbanging on the dancefloor.

It just wouldn't feel right.

But there is a recession on, people can't afford things, but still insist on the big wedding. Hence my comment on sense of entitlement. They demand a recession for everyone else, but demand to be immune from it themselves.

aunt pol

I am in no way immune from the recession... we're skint, and just trying to have the best wedding we can on a threadbare shoestring. I really wouldn't have thought that 1800 was breadline for a band for a night!

Thanks again for all the replies.

Blackhorse Slim

1800 is about average for a wedding band, maybe a little below avaerage. If you are unwilling to pay that much, talk to some of the talented musicians in your family and see what they can do. If they are talented and accomplished amateurs they could probably do a good job - if they are professional musicians, they should be aware of the fees and expenses of a wedding band.

DanGlee

OP, myself and my missus are also in your shoes, we are in the throws of organising a wedding and to be honest I am 100% in agreement with you. THIS IS BULL****! I REFUSE!!!! to pay more than €500 for a band (awaits comments.. :rolleyes: )

I have paid for a band to play a gig in a bar, which included driving, setting up, playing from about 9 till 12, tidying up, buying them a few late drinks and was told €400, but since it was the company paying (and didn't like the company) I gave them €500. Music = Excellent. Band Members= Friendly. Overall night= Complete Success!

Where the f*** do these bands get off charging that amount of money for 2 hours of playing and probably getting free drink! And chances are, they have their own set list and wont play any of the songs I like anyway!

Then for a joke (cos I laughed) that is you want them to play longer, its like another thousand or more... haha!!! I'd want Oasis / Take That / Robbie Williams / AC/DC etc for that amount of money.

Also, while on it, €500 for a DJ? That taking the piss too? I got a DJ for a 21st for €200, whats the difference from what he does for a 21st and for a wedding???

This is really annoying me, I already told me missus and mother that I'd happily plug in the iPod and be done with, spend the money elsewhere, e.g. honeymoon!

/Rant Over (For Now!!!)

DG.

aunt pol

Jeez Dan they're gonna tear you a new one!!

You've articulated most of my points far better than I could have. I feel like the feckin golden goose getting the battery farm treatment - just because we mentioned the word 'wedding' prices shoot up.

Slim, I can't get the family musicians to play... they're proper close family (his da and sis) and I want them to enjoy their day. They are aware of the prices charged by bands playing professionally - they just happen to think a fair bit could be knocked off it without taking the bread out of the musician's kid's mouths.

-Chris-

It's easy Aunt Pol - Get DanGlee to send you the contact details for hte excellent band he booked for €500. Go and see them play and see if they're good enough to play your wedding. If so, approach them, if not then approach them anyway.

At the very least you can go back to your desired band with a quote for €500 and use this to beat their pricing down.

DanGlee

I haven't approached this band for our wedding yet, dunno if they are going to say €500 or more. I'm hoping not because the search will resume if they say €1500 or something retarded like that!

I'd happily give anybody the details of a €500 band if/when I find one!

aunt pol

Good thinkin, Chris.

Dan, fess up! PM me the details of this wonderfully cheap band (that you hired for the work do) till we see are they suitable stuff!!

hitlersson666

my bff bands would do it prob is that it would be there first wedding????? pm me if you want there contact details

Mister Tickle

if you think a band are gona play for anything less than 1500 you're dreaming. people do this for a living. its a full time job...they dont do 4 weddings a week. its seasonal..summer months mostly. i cant wait till you try book the photographer!

FewFew

I was at a wedding recently where many of the guests were musicians. The groom gave them a few months notice and between them they put on a show better than any wedding band I've seen and all for free.

It's hard to compare like with like when it comes to pub bands and wedding bands. There are so many bands that do it as a hobby and would gladly play a pub for a bit of craic and some cash. Then there are the pub bands that know they're good and know they have name recognition and will cost you a grand easily.

Then there's the PA... did the pub band have to supply their own or was it in-house? There's also the difference between venues... generally a crowded pub will get away with a small enough PA and amps, but wedding venues tend to be large halls and function rooms and require a much larger PA.

Weddings are never really fun for the performers, it's a job you do just for the cash, quite different for the craic in a pub on a Saturday night.

There is quite a large discrepancy between original bands and covers bands. You could easily get one of the bigger bands in the country to do a gig for €1800 in a venue, but that's because they're effectively selling their music to the audience. Covers bands have no such long term goals and so don't consider the hundred odd people at your wedding as a boon.

MarkN

If you get a DJ to do a wedding for 200 quid I just hope you don't rely on the music he plays to round off your day in a positive manner.

alank09

Hi Guys,

The old saying "if you pay peanuts you get monkeys" comes to mind here. A neighbour down the road may do a job for you for a fraction of the cost of calling in a professional - and thats the difference - wedding bands are professional. Ok €1800 for a band and dj may seem excessive to you but as people have said it depends on how far they have to travel and how many people are involved. The average Wedding band will play for around 3 hours with a short break and a pub gig is usually 2 hours tops. Most bands wouldnt play for longer than that in pub. And I wish I could get a grand for every extra hour I have played at a gig!!!!
If you would let to let me know where your venue is and the date I can check if we are free and give you a quote. Unfortunately, it wont be €500!!! but it will be reasonable

the_syco

aunt pol wrote: »

We have musicians in the family, all talented, who will be guests at the wedding, and they also think the prices are too high.

Are any of them in a band? Playing solo, and playing for a few hours with others is a whole different ball game.

DanGlee wrote: »

This is really annoying me, I already told me missus and mother that I'd happily plug in the iPod and be done with, spend the money elsewhere, e.g. honeymoon!

Hope you have a license for that, otherwise you could get a hefty fine. Most DJ's have a music license they pay. Some of the cheap ones don't pay the license, and get away with it.

DanGlee wrote: »

I have paid for a band to play a gig in a bar, which included driving, setting up, playing from about 9 till 12, tidying up, buying them a few late drinks and was told €400

How many were in the band? Four? A hundred each. Minus petrol money. Also, if you can get someone cheaper, do. When starting off, bands don't assume they'll get much. When they get good, they won't play for peanuts. Why? Because it's not worth their while. Most of them have full time jobs, with the wedding as a nixer. You want a tight band, rolling all the hits off smoothly, be prepared to pay. Want music, with cords missed, a singer who can't sing, and some f**k-ups along the way? Get a cheap band, and hope your "special day" isn't f**ked up by them not turning up.

Fewcifur wrote: »

I was at a wedding recently where many of the guests were musicians. The groom gave them a few months notice and between them they put on a show better than any wedding band I've seen and all for free.

If they weren't guests, and were asked by someone else to play at their wedding, I doubt it'd be "free"...

DrumSteve

I have to say from playing in bands myself that 1800 for them plus a dj is quite reasonable. The day doesn't start when the gig starts. it starts when they load the first amp into the truck at about 4.from djing gigs like this myself I have never finished completely before 1 in the morning. so really i would get to most venues by six.

in reality for your band it's 300 quid each. simple arimethic= 300/8 or so hours= 37.5 euro's per hour. plus there was the hours of practice. also the completely unsociable hours. or just as an aside if you play one wrong song you have ***** coming up to you claiming you've ruined their day...:rolleyes:

some people wants everything for nothing. if you want it cheap get some kid to hook up their iPod to a radio and blast the place with ****e music. If you want an evening you'll remember provided by professionals who know what they are doing you should hire the band.

odonopenmic

DanGlee wrote: »

I REFUSE!!!! to pay more than €500 for a band (awaits comments.. :rolleyes: )

Wait no longer! You're stone mad if you think you would get a full band to do a wedding for €500. And if you did, I can only imagine the 'quality'. At this point, I'm thinking your 'band' consists of two lads with a laptop full of cheesey backing tracks. If you want an actual band, 4-5 piece who are actually entertaining, then pay for it and stop moaning about the cost.

To both of you, 1,800 for a good band is on the cheaper side. You can get all hot and bothered and say 'ooooh, it's a wedding so I'm being taken for a ride' but the truth is, you're not. I'm a musician. I play orignals, I play covers, I've done weddings, bar mitzvahs you name it (all for comparable rates depending on gig and set up length, distance travelled etc.) For the amount of time practising, equipment expenses, time spent on site (as in, it's not just two hours - it's nearly a whole bloody day depending on where the wedding is, what the schedule is like re when you can load in, sound check etc. etc.), I can guarantee you, we earn our money. :mad:

Incidentally, I'm sure you'd save a few bob if you had the reception in Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Savman

odonopenmic wrote: »

Incidentally, I'm sure you'd save a few bob if you had the reception in Kentucky Fried Chicken.

ROFL

I can imagine the Colonel at the altar:
"Do you take him? Do you take her? Good, let's eat!"

:pac:

Guy:Incognito

You could save money everywhere so. Why rent a room in a hotel when you could rent the local 5 a side hall for much less. A couple of deep fat fryers and a few punds of sausages and you have a meal.

There are cheap ways to do everything, it wont be the same though.

EDIT odonopenmic kind of got there first

NinjaTruncs

We paid 3,000 for our wedding band, at the time i thought we were mad, it was the wifes wish. But after they played i was happy what we got and what we paid. The dance floor was packed for the 2 hours they played and once the DJ came on the floor remained full. Every guest must have told us how much they enjoyed the night. 3 or 4 of our guest even tried to book the band for their own weddings. I was at weddings with almost the same guests and the floor was empty as no-one liked the music the band was playing.

It's all up to you, some people will want to pay 5K on a dress, or have 5 bridesmaids. we didn't and put our money into having a great party. At the start of the planning we laid out a budget and stuck to it, some of the nonsence my wife wanted was dropped so she could get the band.

The important thing isn't that you spend huge money on a band it's that you research the band, go see them play and then make up your mind if they are worth it.

DanGlee

I think its beyond a joke at this stage, its just assumed because its a "wedding" the price of everything should go up and lets all be dicks and spend €20k on a wedding! its bad enough I have to feed people I don't know or maybe even like (due to extended family / friends partners) but now I have to folk out stupid money just to get people to dance. No matter who I get, I'm fecked. The young friends will say its all **** waltz crap if I get a traditional band. The auld wans will complain about the "racket & noise" if I get a band I like who plays covers of songs I like! ARGH!!!!!

It seems like we are just expected to sit back and accept that €2k to €5k is the "norm" for a band to play for 2 hours. (Please don't write in the usual, but they have to come to you, bring their equipment, practice, blah blah blah... I've read it a and heard it a million times!

Its a recession and I'm a statistic of it, so I can't spend my €196.00 on a €5k band! And if I had a job that paid €100k, I'd still have an issue with it!

Guy:Incognito

DanGlee wrote: »

It seems like we are just expected to sit back and accept that €2k to €5k is the "norm" for a band to play for 2 hours.

But your not paying anywhere near that that. You've been quoted €1800 for 5 hours.

aunt pol wrote: »

I've just been quoted 1800 for the combo, for 5 hours.

EDIT, woops, just saw your not the OP. Maybe get the band/dj the OP got the quote for?

odonopenmic

DanGlee wrote: »

I think its beyond a joke at this stage, its just assumed because its a "wedding" the price of everything should go up and lets all be dicks and spend €20k on a wedding! its bad enough I have to feed people I don't know or maybe even like (due to extended family / friends partners) but now I have to folk out stupid money just to get people to dance. QUOTE]

As I said before, the band that I'm with don't put up the money because it's a wedding. The rate is the rate whether it's a 21st, an anniversary, whatever. Agree that there are some people though that may push the price. As has been suggested to you by another poster, do your research.

Second of all, sounds like you'd have a much better day if you didn't invite anyone and spent the whole day in penance, solitude and silence! Seriously.

I can't understand why you'd invite random strangers and then complain about spending the going rate on entertainment but if it's going to upset you as much as it appears it will, better to get the iPod, be in a good mood and stop moaning about it.