The members of Fun DMC consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have been able to make the transition into making weddings our primary focus as a band.  While we love the opportunities to play at clubs, festivals, special events, private parties, and more, getting to be a part of a couple’s wedding day festivities is a privilege we don’t take for granted.  It’s a unique feeling to be able to spread happiness through a crowd who is ready to dance and have a good time and it makes it hard for us to ever complain about our job!

With that, not all wedding bands  are the same.  We’ve taken inspiration from and have gotten to personally know some fantastic bands in this industry, some of whom are focused on wedding entertainment exclusively, and some who only do them on special occasion.  Regardless of whom you decide to go with, it’s best to be thorough when going through the vetting and ultimately, hiring process for your chosen wedding band.

7 More Tips for Hiring a Wedding Band

1. Get recommendations from friends, family, or even other vendors.  They have likely seen their fair share of bands in action, should know your tastes, and can be trusted to give you a good idea of bands that might be a good fit.  Many of our best clients have come from referrals from happy brides.
2. Interview an actual member of the wedding band, not just their manager or agent.  Whether it is on the phone or in person, you need to be confident in the actual performers who will be at your reception, not just their spokesperson.  Fun DMC likes to set up a meeting before a contract is signed to discuss what you had in mind, talk about what we do, and make sure you don’t have any questions or hesitations about hiring us.
3. Ask for and then check their references or testimonials.  Most bands will happily provide a list of contact information for happy clients and vendors they’ve worked with who would love to recommend them.
4. Make sure you’re asking detailed questions.  We’ve written a few articles about good questions to ask a band in the past, but some highlights include:  “are you familiar with our venue?”, “Can we see a video of you playing a wedding?”, and “What do you normally wear to a wedding?”. These questions can be useful for not only getting a feel for how much experience the band has, but also gives you an idea of how passionate they are about what they do.
5. If you’re set on a band over a DJ, be sure you budget enough to cover the cost.  In Springfield IL, wedding bands can run anywhere between $1,500 to $3,000, whereas in larger markets like Chicago, you can end up spending up to $5,000 to $10,000 for a decent band and much more that for some of the premium acts.
6. Review the contract and make sure you are aware of all of the components of it before you move forward.  Don’t EVER feel pressured to sign it unless you and your spouse-to-be are completely comfortable with all of the details.  This should certainly include the total fee agreed upon, the deposit amount, the performance times, the venue information, a description of what is being provided, and any information regarding cancellations.  Fun DMC happily provides a copy of our contract very early on in the conversation so that you have plenty of time to review it and see that we are very transparent in what we offer and how we facilitate it.
7. Finally, go with your gut. If you’re confident with the information on their website, reviews, followed up with references, and have met with members of the band, you should move quickly to get your date on their calendar.  Most bands book well in advance.

Good luck planning your wedding!  Hiring a wedding band should be a smooth and exciting process! If you’ve done your homework and are working with a professional, experienced group, you’ll be able to cut loose at your wedding while being confident that they’re going to have all the details covered.