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How to Hire Wedding Musicians, What you are Paying for and Contracts

What do you need to know to book a band? Once you've found a band or musician who you want to play at your wedding ceremony, drinks reception or wedding breakfast, there are a number of things you can do to safeguard your money and ensure that the service they provide is what you expected.

These hints and tips apply equally to Rubber Soul or to any other band you choose for your wedding. It should also apply to solo musicians you may hire, such as classical guitarists, organists or vocalists for the actual ceremony.

What to ask your musicians before you book them

Here's a handy list of questions, some obvious, some not:

• How much do you charge and what are your set lengths for that price?
• Do you require a deposit and is it refundable?
• Does this price include VAT and travel expenses including any Congestion Charges?
• Does this price include PA equipment and a lighting rig (if applicable)?
• Do you have an early set-up charge and if so, how much is it and what time does it apply?
• Do you charge for a late finish (playing after midnight for example)?
• How much time do you need for the get-in (setting up) and get-out (packing away)?
• Are you able to supply music when you are not playing or can we use your PA for CDs (or iPod) when you are not playing? Would we need to supply CD player or appropriate connecting cables?
• Can we use your PA for speeches?
• Is your equipment PAT Tested? See our article on PAT Testing and Public Liability Insurance for information on what this is and how it applies to your band.
• Do you have Public Liability Insurance (PLI)?
• Are you able to play if my venue has a sound limiter? See our article on Sound limiters and how it affects live music at your venue.
• Can you send me your demo CD or DVD?
• Do you take requests? Will you play my First Dance?
• How much space do you need?
• What do you need in the way of power? See our article on Generators for Marquees and Playing the great outdoors!
• What is your cancellation policy?
• Do you have any hidden costs?
• Are you able to supply a Contract and Receipt for my deposit?

What you are Paying For

...or, more realistically, how to spot when you're being taken for a ride! From the list above, the following are what we consider to be reasonable factors that affect the price of your quote from any band. Bands or musicians will usually factor in these additional costs to your main quote, but its vital to ask them whether they have done that or not.

What you SHOULD pay for:

• Extra sets (beyond the band's standard set layout)
• Extra band options (for example providing a jazz pianist or quartet for drinks)
• Early Setup (before, for example, your wedding breakfast begins)
• Late finish (usually beyond midnight)
• A mileage rate should be built in to the quote. You can usually expect that if you're hiring a band from the South for a wedding reception in Scotland it will be more expensive than if you had been in the South of England.
• Extra PA equipment if your wedding party is REALLY big (say more than 300 people)
• Parking and Congestion Charge if your venue is in a particularly vehicle-unfriendly place like Central London or Oxford City Centre. But make sure that your musicians find single yellow lines as soon as they become free (i.e. 6.30pm) unless they are playing for you at that time!

What you SHOULD NOT have to pay for

• Extra Musical Arrangments and Rehearsals. For example, you may have asked for a particular song for your first dance. This is part and parcel of being a musican - you have to rehearse and all good bands should be rehearsing regularly ANYWAY. You should not have to subsidise that!
• Food. It always goes down well if you offer to feed the band. You may even get a discount from them if you offer to do so. You should not, however be charged extra for not feeding them!
• Extra for the gig being outside or in a Marquee
• PA, Lighting or Instrument hire - this should all come as standard
• Deps. If one of the band is ill, it is their responsibility to find someone to replace him or her and they will absorb the cost.
• Steps, gravel, inclines, more than 10 metres to the van, snow, ice, trolls under bridges. As long as you're not having your wedding reception somewhere outrageous like at the top of a mountain, don't accept any demands for extra money for slight difficulty getting into and out of the venue.
• Wear and Tear and consumables on Instruments and Equipment. For example guitar strings or par-can bulbs. Should something get broken as a direct result of you or one of your guests however, it would be common courtesy to offer to replace it. The band's insurance, however would also be able to help - that's what it's for.

Wedding Musicians Contracts

There's one simple rule for this section. Get one. All reputable musicians, groups and agencies should provide you with a contract as standard. It should lay out everything we've discussed above and should reflect exactly your wishes.

Make sure that you discuss your needs and that the contract accurately reflects them. Be sure also to read the contract's small print and check that any of the issues discussed above haven't been shoe-horned in there. There shouldn't be pages of it - this isn't a mortgage or car insurance!

Finally, get a receipt for your deposit if you've paid one.

Please read this article in conjunction with our article on How to Hire Musicians via an Agency

For information about Rubber Soul's policies have a look at our Frequently-Asked-Questions sheet which you can also download and print if you wish.

If you have any questions about the topic of this article, why not drop us an email?