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If you need to cancel your live wedding band time is of the essence so contact them or their representatives and let them know ASAP. Hopefully, it will be as simple as that but sometimes you may need to pay part or all of the final fee due to the band so check your contract and any extra terms and conditions as soon as possible so you aren’t left in a difficult or potentially costly situation.
In most instances, just like when cancelling a whole wedding there can be some fallout, and cancelling your live wedding band is no different. Today I will take you through all the different scenarios you may encounter and what you can do to protect yourself, your wedding band and make sure everything concludes amicably.
We have loads of other guides on our site that help you find a fantastic, reliable new band or just help you get clued up on everything wedding entertainment and more. We are here to help if you need it.
The first 48 hours after hiring a wedding band are usually crucial if you decide you need to cancel the booking and want to avoid penalty fees. That’s why the first thing I suggest you do is to check the contract you have with your live band.
When reading over your booking contract, it should give a good indication of where you stand and how and when you need to sort the cancellation. Below you can see what our contracts stipulate. Our booking contracts use industry standards so good examples of what to expect. You can always live chat or contact us if you want any more clarification and you may wish to check out our covid cover for extra guidance too.
5.1 The Client shall have the right to terminate this Contract only in the case of a Force Majeure Event (as defined by clause 18) provided that the Client informs the Agent as soon as reasonably practicable on becoming aware of the Force Majeure Event.
5.2 The Agent shall notify the Artist of the cancellation as soon as reasonably practicable after being informed by the Client.
5.3 If the Client does not cancel the Contract in accordance with clause 5.1 or for any reason other than a Force Majeure Event the Client shall be liable to pay a cancellation fee, in addition to the loss of the Deposit, calculated as follows:
5.3.1
CANCELLATION PERIOD CANCELLATION FEE
Less than 48 hours after Confirmation nil
Up to 90 days before Event 50% of Balance
Up to 61 days before Event 75% of Balance
60 days before Event 100% of Balance
5.3.2 Where the Artist has secured an alternative booking, the Fee from which the cancellation fee is calculated shall be reduced by the amount of the fee (being in respect of the performance only) from the new booking.
I know life isn’t always this simple (especially after recent events!) but unless you can prove a Force Majeure Event, the time at which you cancel is really important if you want to avoid losing your deposit and paying part or all of the balance due to your live wedding band. The contact details above explain as much so if you stick to the industry standard 48-hour rule you should be fine.
I can’t confirm this is the same for all wedding bands and wedding entertainment agencies out there but clause 5.3.2 above is something we always try very hard to implement if we have a couple cancelling a booking. Usually, we manage to find alternate shows for our wedding bands so couples don’t have to pay any of the remaining balance. Everyone at Seventh Second knows that most of the time couples are canceling because of unfortunate circumstances so we don’t want to add insult to injury if we can help it! I’d suggest you try to help your wedding band book another gig in any way you can so you can help them and help yourself.
If for some reason you don’t have a contract with your wedding band or can’t find it, go and check theirs or their representative’s T&C and FAQ sections. Here you should be able to find all the advice you need. You are then ready for the next step…
Once clued up about your rights, it’s time to talk to your wedding band and/or their representatives. If they do have representation, I’d suggest you start with them and hopefully, you can quickly and easily sort the situation. Again, time is of the essence for all parties involved so don’t delay.
If you are in this situation, I really wish you’d seen our guide on wedding bands to avoid in 2023 because it sounds like you may have hired a band that should have been avoided. If you don’t have a contract with the wedding band and/or they have no professional representation and offer no information on cancellation procedures you really only have two options.
Hopefully, you can simply talk out the situation with your live wedding band and come to a resolution that works for all of you. Good luck!
If you are struggling to see eye to eye with your wedding music band you may have to check your consumer rights. Hopefully, it won’t come to this but small claims court could be the only way to go if the band owes you money or they choose to take things further. This GOV.UK link is a good place to start your consumer rights search.
Which? also wrote a great post on what to do if you need to cancel any other part of your wedding.
One of the best ways to cancel your wedding band if you are past the 48-hour curfew is to not cancel them! Can you possibly hire them for a later date? If you can I strongly advise it as it will save you a lot of money. We’d say that at least 60% of the couples that cancel wedding bands with us manage to rebook them for a later date which saves them a lot of time, hassle, and money.
Maybe you are cancelling your current wedding band because you’ve seen and hired a better or more suitable one. In that case, try and stick to the 48-hour rule I’ve already mentioned. However, if you canceled for reasons out of your control and later down the line suddenly find yourself in need of a last-minute wedding band there is help for you.
Come and speak to us as our wedding music experts can design a great wedding band like Electric Jukebox (above) but if time is of the essence, our last-minute musicians page is the place to go. Bands here are primed and ready to deliver wedding party fun at a moment’s notice. They won’t let you down meaning you can get that wedding firmly back on track. You may also want to have a look at the guides listed at the beginning of the guide which list some amazing bands for hire.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you today. Canceling a wedding band isn’t always an easy or pleasant situation to be in but I hope this information has helped. I wish you good luck! If you have any comments, questions or just need to chat through your situation, we are here 7 days a week, 10 am to 10 pm and if you liked what you read or feel it may be useful to others, please consider sharing it.
Thanks,
Matt and the Seventh Second Team
