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Due to their adaptability, versatility, and huge fun and entertainment factor, live wedding bands are one of the most popular forms of live wedding entertainment. You should hire a live wedding band if you are wanting live entertainment at your wedding that can entertain all guests and provide a fantastic night’s entertainment at the same time.
Your wedding plans are in motion, exciting times! Now you want to decide whether you should have a live band at your wedding. You could always have a DJ, run your own playlists or hire alternative entertainment but I will show you all the reasons you should and shouldn’t hire a wedding band so you are left in no doubt as to what you want for your special day. As explained I will go through all the reasons why you should and shouldn’t have a live band at your wedding and you can quickly skip to either of these sections by clicking on the links below.
I’ve also put all today’s information in a handy infographic which you will find at the bottom of this guide. Don’t be tempted to scroll just yet. There are many pearls of wisdom coming up!
Let’s start with why you should pick a wedding band as your live wedding entertainment.
This first point is pretty easy for me to promote as I’m a wedding musician! You simply can’t beat the look, sound, and feel of live music performed and most importantly, performed just for you! Live wedding bands offer an unparalleled musical experience so if you want vibrant, exciting, authentic live musical entertainment at your wedding, hire a live band. It’s that simple.
Wedding music bands come in all sorts of shapes and sizes as you can witness in our guide here. This means you can pick a live band that suits your musical tastes or wedding theme down to a tee.
Authentic acoustic festival folk music?
Wedding bands really do appear in all musical forms and because they can dress accordingly they can always look the part too. Even if you want wedding entertainment that spans all genres, eras, and tastes, Multi-genre wedding bands can do that. There will always be a wedding band out there for you and your guests.
We have a whole host of guides showcasing our finest award-winning live wedding bands so if you do feel you want a live band at your wedding, these are the perfect places to start!
Some wedding entertainment out there demonstrates great crowd interaction skills but nothing quite beats a live bands ability to get your dance floor pumping, that wedding venue or wedding barn bouncing and you and your guests shouting/screaming/singing song lyrics at the top of your voice until late into the night. Just like the best live acts at Glastonbury, live wedding bands know how to get a wedding crowd going wild and enjoying themselves. Does that sound like the kind of wedding party you want?
It goes without saying that with their crowd interaction skills and unique and expertly performed versions of classic and contemporary tunes, wedding bands are hard to beat for getting dance floors busy and keeping them that way. If you want your mum, nan, young ones, and that stuffy uncle of yours strutting their stuff on your wedding dance floor, hire a live band.
DJs can be great entertainment but they aren’t that exclusive generally. They are essentially playing pre-recorded music in a sequence they know works, gig after gig. A live wedding band consists of people who’ve spent years learning an instrument, honing it into a skill, and working hard with other musicians to create a unique wedding band. Now you get to experience it up close and personal! Sure, they may perform every weekend, but trust me when I say that every time we perform, it’s unique and bespoke for us and you. Every wedding is unique, and every wedding performance is a one-off.
Your first dance. Unless you prefer the original song to be played over the PA system, I can’t think of a more romantic, more personalised way to celebrate your marriage and your first dance as a married couple than by having a live band perform it for you. It’s as simple as that really.
Not only can your first dance be performed the way you always dreamt but the band’s whole live performance can usually be tailored to you and your guests’ tastes. A wedding music band performing your ultimate playlist? What’s not too like?? Come and speak to us if this sounds up your street, we offer bespoke services for any couple getting married.
Sure, they may not be quite as compact as a DJ, but wedding bands are adept at fitting into all sorts of odd little spaces at wedding venues. They are experts at it as you can read about here. They can add or remove members to suit the size and scale of your wedding and fit perfectly into your wedding designs and venue. Perfecto!
Live wedding music bands get wedding venues. They perform in differing ones, countrywide every week. That makes them somewhat experts with loading and unloading logistics, acoustics, lighting, and sound limiters. Because they understand weddings and wedding venues it can only make your life easier and your wedding entertainment the best out there!
They may not exclusively be DJs but did you know that some wedding bands offer DJ services or at the very least background music when they aren’t performing? Your wedding entertainment never has to stop and you never have to stop dancing to your favorite tunes either it seems. All our wedding bands offer DJ services free of charge, so come and speak to us about that non-stop, music-fuelled wedding you want!
Speaking from my own wedding experience and from helping couples with their wedding entertainment for almost 10 years I’ve learnt that if anything, weddings can be stressful. So why not bring in some experts who can plan and coordinate all your wedding entertainment needs so you have one less thing to organise and worry about? Like all ours do, wedding bands usually bring everything to your wedding that’s needed to perform to the max. Relax and enjoy your wedding, they know what they are doing. Learn more about why they are the experts here.
Nowadays, wedding bands can morph from full-on live acts into intimate acoustic acts at the drop of a hat. From Folk to Rock in the blink of an eye. This means, that unlike pretty much any other wedding entertainment out there, they can perform for you all day, during any part of your wedding, whether it’s inside or outside. Paper Boats (above) can transform from a fully electric festival folk act to an intimate ambient acoustic act at the drop of a hat. Nothing is stopping you from getting your boogie on all day then now is there??
Likewise, Captain Obvious above can transform into the totally brilliant Acoustic Captain too, what more could you need?
Live bands usually bring a fully stocked PA and light show so if you need to make speeches or even sing your heart out they have the gear for you to use. That’s handy! We’ve been known to duet with couples or their friends and family when they’ve wanted to perform a special, surprise song or first dance. Not only is that truly amazing, but it’s also pretty romantic and memorable and if you want to sing all night, why not look at some of these amazing rockaoke and bandeoke bands?
You wouldn’t have thought there would be so many reasons you should have a live band at your wedding right? Well lastly, unlike most wedding entertainment, wedding bands commonly have loads of booking options. Acoustic sets, live bandeoke, differing lineups, and outfits, the list is almost endless. Below is a screenshot of some of the booking options our live wedding bands offer.
Let me now take you through the reasons you shouldn’t consider a live band for your wedding entertainment. They aren’t the best option for everyone’s wedding after all.
So compared to DJs and some other wedding entertainment, live bands can be more costly but then you are getting a lot for your money. However, they are quite the investment, with our most affordable wedding band The Avengers (below) costing £800 on average which is a good amount.
You can look at wedding band pricing in detail here if you want. It’s pretty eye-opening and may save you a lot of money!
Although live wedding bands can come in compact sizes with The Usual Suspect’s (below) springing to mind, many are designed and sound best in their bigger incarnations like Flair Twelve. Some venues simply can’t accommodate these kinds of acts and quite a few venues nowadays have such stringent sound restrictions that they can’t accommodate any type of live band, let alone a larger act such as Flair Twelve. It’s a sad reality and may prevent you from picking a wedding music band as your wedding entertainment.
You can read more about wedding venue restrictions here.
Below are some performance area/stage sizing guides so you can check if your venue can accommodate any band you are looking at. The more space the better though, these sizing’s are the minimum required.
3-piece wedding band – 3×3 metres needed
4-piece wedding band – 4×3 metres needed
5/6-piece wedding band – 5×3 metres needed
7-piece or bigger wedding band – 6/7×4 metres needed
Wedding bands as mentioned come in all shapes and sizes and every member will need adequate food, drink, changing facilities, a place to rest and relax, and ample space to park their vehicles safely. In this aspect, it can be a lot easier to accommodate a DJ that comes as part of your wedding venue package as their gear is on-site and they are only one mouth to feed while they spin those wedding tunes for you.
Have a read of our post on wedding DJs vs live bands for more on this but if you want an immersive club or DJ atmosphere at your wedding, don’t book a live band.
There are a few exceptions to the rule like DJ Republic above with their unique combination of DJ vibes and live band sound but for the most part, DJ’s exist for a reason other than just affordability!
We need to rest from all that performing! You can’t be a wedding entertainment genius all the time. Haha. Wedding bands do need toilet breaks, food, drink, and downtime between live sets so if you want a non-stop musical party they aren’t always the best choice. Wedding bands like ours do provide, extended live sets, background music, or DJ’ing in-between live sets for free but it might not be quite the same as a DJ creating a 4 hour, wedding rave for you!
It’s sad but true, us wedding musicians don’t know how to play every song ever. It’s frustrating not being able to accommodate requests people make on the spot at weddings because we’ve either never heard of the song or just don’t know how to play it. DJs don’t need to know a song, they just need the internet and fingers to type into Spotify or iTunes so if you want your wedding entertainment to be able to play any song at the drop of a hat or take any request known to man, then a live band may not be for you.
Live wedding bands usually perform 2×1 hour or 3×40 minute live sets over a 6 to 4-hour period finishing at 12 am as that’s what suits 90% of weddings and wedding venues. I did hear rumors of Playback (below) performing for over 4 hours for one of our clients as a special request but live bands don’t usually perform that long.
Live performance is a physical business and vocal cords can’t be overused so if you want relentless music late, late into the night you may need to look past wedding bands. Unless you combine them with a DJ that is…
I did mention that live wedding bands are experts with sound limiters and ours are but if the venue’s sound restrictions or sound limiters are set below 85db it’s going to be very hard for any live band to perform to their best for you, if at all. This is always worth checking and we go into this in more detail here.
Acoustic acts like Rae (above) or Cadence can offer beautiful wedding music at a fraction of the volume so all is not quite lost!
You and your guests’ enjoyment makes a huge difference to the fun factor on your special day, so we always say you should think about what you and your guests would like to hear at your wedding too. Maybe they love DJs and don’t love that indie wedding band you like the look of.
The Meraki Jazz Collective (above) or Anthropology could remedy this for you as they are a little softer sounding but still musically brilliant. It’s something to consider.
I realised I pretty much said what I needed to say in the title there! Quality wedding bands are in high demand, gigging week in, week out and can be hard or just too expensive to hire. You may not be able to hire the one you really want for the date you want or they may just be too pricey. Sometimes this can’t be avoided but the two guides below can help you with this conundrum.
How far in advance should I book a live wedding band
How to book a live wedding band on a budget in 2023
Now that you’ve read my pros and cons for wedding bands, there are a few more things worth reading about before you make your decision…
Perhaps you just want something different from the usual wedding DJs and wedding bands like Knight Riders above perhaps? Well below, I offer you a small selection from our specialist and very unique little roster of wedding entertainment.
We have all of our happy couples reviews here but below are a couple from our Facebook page. I thought they were lovely and show you in a nutshell what a live band can bring to your wedding!
“The League of Gentlemen were amazing on our wedding day. They played a two-piece afternoon set during our reception drinks and then a full evening set, which got everyone up and dancing. They’re so talented and kept up the energy all night. We couldn’t recommend them highly enough.”
Mrs Skeels 26/9/2019
“Cannot rate this company highly enough. We hired the superb and amazing band Flowers through this company for our 40th birthday party. They were more than helpful in the planning and extremely professional throughout. As for the band – AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! The lead vocals were unbelievable and totally made our party.”
Mrs Binns 20/10/2017
Here as promised, is an infographic summing up everything I’ve covered today. I hope it helps.
All of us at Seventh Second and the thousands of happy couples here think you should always try and hire live wedding band entertainment if you can. This study had some pretty interesting results on the social and economic impact of live music on the UK over the last 50 years. Well worth a read if you have the time and inclination.
Unless you desire some very specific wedding entertainment or love what DJs offer, we’d plump for a live band every time. They are so unique in what they offer and will leave you all with huge grins come home time. It’s as simple as that, I promise. Feel free to contact us about anything in today’s guide via email, live chat, the usual socials, text, or phone or if you want a fantastic live band for your wedding. Lastly, we spend a lot of time making our guides the best we can for you so if you liked what you read please consider sharing it with others.
Thanks for taking the time to read my guide today and have a wonderful wedding!
Oana and the girls and boys at Seventh Second
