Wedding Bands: set lengths and playing times

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GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
Odd question:  How long are your sets for weddings?  How many sets do you do?

We do a lot of pub gigs but not so many weddings.  Got an enquiry on the go at the moment (marquee on village green at end of summer, about 100 guests mixed family and friends) and just wanted to have these details ready to hand.



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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    We're a non wedding band that's done weddings. Basically what they want you to do ( weddings demote you from rock star to hired help...) and in practice for us that's been about an hour. Possibly different if you are a wedding band covering a wider range of stuff but Little Bitch and Ghost Town ( both chosen by couples) not for everyone.
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • We normally say we will be set up by 7pm and provide 2 x 45 minute sets starting around 9pm-9:30pm with pre-determined disco playlists before, after and inbetween sets (usually chosen by the Bride and Groom)
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    I've given them an approximate "50 mins and 60mins" for our sets with a bit of wiggle room and they've been okay about it and they'll have a laptop playlist between sets and to close.
    They've suggested we start about 8pm though and I'm thinking that's a touch too early.
    Still, it's their call I guess.
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  • We have done a few weddings and similar. We tend to do an "eating, mingling" set (maybe outside on the lawn) and then a raucous later-on set when they are all pissed up. Each one probably 45-60 minutes. Basically we'll do whatever they want up to about two hours of playing.

    Make sure they understand about your parking, load-in and sound-check requirements!
    I'm just a Maserati in a world of Kias.
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  • The standard gig contract is 2 x 45 mins, but expect to be asked for 2 x 60 mins (easier to advertise it from the start). Typically weddings will require you to be there early to set up and sound check without disturbing the proceedings. Quite often you will be asked to learn the first dance song too.
    Most bands charge more for weddings to take this kind of thing into account. You can be a stickler if you have a contract, but sometimes it's better to make sure their big day is the best it can be within reason (playing is the fun bit anyway). If you're the type of person who gets pleasure from knowing you've done a great job, seeing the reviews on your social media afterwards is rewarding.
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    Practical question:  we'll take a deposit now but when is "normal" for the balance?
    On the night?  A month before?
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  • We normally take a £100 deposit at the time of the booking and request the balance to be paid 2 weeks before the event.
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  • On the night normally.
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  • simonksimonk Frets: 1467
    I normally ask for the balance on the night before playing. Can be a bit of a lottery getting it out of someone at the end when everyone's hammered.
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  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    Deposit at booking, then option for cash on the night or week prior. 
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357

    We normally do 3 x 40 mins, generally between 8 and 11:00 ... some venues have to kill live music by 11 and DJ by 12, sometimes later. Generally weddings always run late so you go on later than planned anyway. We did one at a vineyard once, £2200 and the whole thing overrun so late we only played one set :)

    Deposit wise we take £500 non refundable when the bookings agreed then the balance in cash on the day before we play. That's important because you don't want to chasing a pissed up best man at midnight for payment. 

    All the wedding venues we do have the band in the same room the meal takes place. That means we generally load in during the morning, soundcheck and then bugger off and return at 7: 30 already suited up and ready to play. That's partly the reason it cost a lot, it can take up a lot of time


    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    Danny has it down.

    Set quantity and length is determined by the event (some are horrendously long by bad design). Typically 2 or 3 x 45 Mins but be flexible if they want 2x60. We have done 4x45 but have a 'soft n' slow' set for the first because in practice granny can't hear little johny telling her about his rabbit.
    Deposit on confirmation and the balance when you're set up but before you play a note.
    You will need to consider the 'first dance' as a special request.
    Expect to be set up before the masses arrive and sit around for hours - charge for this time.
    Timetables are just a suggestion at most weddings, be ready when you are expected but expect to be held waiting a long time.
    You can win a lot of brownie points if a waltz pops up for 'the dancers', Golden Brown saves some of your credibilty there but have one or two in the bag ready.
    The reason weddings pay well is that you are providing a professional service, do well and many more come your way.
    Take a good book.

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  • rsvmarkrsvmark Frets: 1373
    45 mins then 1h 15 to 1h30 depending on how well we go down. If the punters are partying and we are playing well, we are hp to carry on until we run out of songs or the venue tells us to stop.
    An official Foo liked guitarist since 2024
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  • We do 2 x 1 hour as standard, but of course can do it as 3 x 40 if they prefer.
    Interesting that Danny says he does 3 x 40 as standard. I find with 40 mins that by the time we build up momentum, we have to stop again and then build it up from scratch again next set, but there are also big pluses too (shorter time between )
    Additional sets are at an extra cost.

    Bottom line is: what do the bride and groom want?


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  • Gave up the wedding band but a few years ago but used to play as outlined above - 2 no 1 hour ish sets.. crucial thing is to just have 2 hours plus of tunes in your locker as weddings always seem to be subject to time alterations and unexpected events... e.g. Uncle Ron is leaving at 9:45 to go back to Australia and we wants to give a speech then , or the buffet is coming out early/late so can you break early/late, etc

    the big arse ache is the "first dance song". You sometimes have to learn an horrendous tune that you will (hopefully) never need to play again.  


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  • gubblegubble Frets: 1737

    Always worth while to check with the venue a few weeks before playing as well.

    They may have sound levels you have to adhere to, may require to see your public liability before you set foot through the door etc.

    As well as the guests the venue can throw unexpected spanners into the works that the bride and groom may not have informed you of or they didn't even know themselves. For example the couple may want you to play till midnight but the venue doesn't allow live music after 11pm.

    Casing point - we played my own wedding last year and the venue insisted that all equipment including amps and speakers must be on the floor - nothing on stands and no sound check was allowed. Their reasons were pathetic but we had to comply with them and only found out the morning of the wedding. You'd had thought they would have told us this beforehand.

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  • StageStruckStageStruck Frets: 102
    edited February 2017
    My last band played a few weddings, but we generally worked it they way we done our pub sets which was usually 3x40-45 minute sets with a 15-20 minute break between sets. Start and finish times were worked out well in advance of the day, especially the finish time so not to over-run and so we could always work in the final few songs.

    +1 for a dislike of working out first dance songs. I had to learn a few that just didn't lend themselves to a guitar based band, songs with lots of brass parts or tricky keyboard parts were the worst of that ilk.

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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    One more thing.

    Stairs. Some wedding venues are up steps or a flight of stairs. Figure that in to your costing, by the time you've lugged an AC30 and a trace Elliot stack plus a big PA/lights/monitors you will have earned some extra cash. It all has to go down again at the end of the night when you are tired and apt to be careless.
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  • At every single wedding:


    "Sorry, guys, we're running a bit late with speeches and so on...We'll let you know as soon as you can start loading in..."




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  • ESBlonde said:
    One more thing.

    Stairs. Some wedding venues are up steps or a flight of stairs. Figure that in to your costing, by the time you've lugged an AC30 and a trace Elliot stack plus a big PA/lights/monitors you will have earned some extra cash. It all has to go down again at the end of the night when you are tired and apt to be careless.
    This.

    Some venues just have no sense of how awkward their load in restrictions are. We played a wedding in the summer where the distance from where we had to load in to where we were performing put an extra half an hour onto the set-up time and seriously threatened our chances of being set up in time. All it would have taken would have been a quick word in advance "Lads, it's quite a long way to the performance area, you might want to add a bit of time onto your day to allow for it".

    And also the old "How much room do you guys need?" *points to area The Borrowers would struggle to stand in* "..Is this going to be enough...?"

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