cameltoe Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hi Guys, Wanted to know roughly how much you guys charge for weddings? We usually go out and do pub gigs for £250- £280 (£300 on occasion). For weddings we charge £500. Now, we've been offered weddings at short notice in the past from other bands and they are [i]always [/i]better paid than we charge. At least £750 and sometimes £1000. However, when we mention £500 as our standard fee, it usually sends bridezilla into a sideways spin, and takes a few days for her to recover, catch her breath, and confirm. I like to think we're good at what we do- we're definitely well rehearsed and it's good sh*t-kicking folk rock, which always goes down a storm, so we more than justify the £500 in my mind- but should we charge a bit more? On a personal note, weddings are some of the worst gigs I've ever played. We've had some corkers, enough drink to keep everyone happy, a nice small room or marquee so it feels really busy, lots of energy coming back, everyone going mental, etc. Unfortunately at least half the weddings i've played have been terrible. Booked in a room big enough to comfortably seat the entire population of Luxembourg- but they've only invited 65. They laid on some cheap wine over reception so the bar isn't free- the buffet (which they abruptly accosted your mic to introduce during the beginning of the second set) consists of tuna sandwiches, dry sponge cake, and miniature cornish pasties, and the expensive hotel they've chosen is charging £4 a pint. And the band are not even given a free round. Trying to play upbeat folk rock to these crowds is like trying to enjoy ironing your face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 My experience is that people with the money to pay £1000 for a band generally want/expect the standard wedding 'cheesy' stuff and a ten minute version of Tam Lin might not hit the mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBob09 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hike your fee. We go out for £1,200. Hike your fee. We play pop/rock repertoire but more the pop side of rock. When people book a band, they should know exactly what you do and exactly what they want. If they want YOUR band, they'll pay £1,000 for it. Trust me. When people book things for weddings, they generally expect everything to cost around £1,000 I'd say. Hike your fee. And yeah, we only do pubs for £200. We can't find pubs that'll give us any more than that. We're so damn booked up with weddings these days that we have no time for pub gigs but try to do it once every few months just so people can come hear us for wedding bookings. Hike your fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBob09 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I should add, I know 4 piece bands that go out for £1,600. I even know a band that aren't far off £2,000 - A 9 piece but wow! £2,000! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Yeah, i agree, hike your fee. Standard agencies cost at least £1000 and so do we, and we have no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 The problem I usually find is that the wedding 'party' do not have the slightest clue what having wedding entertainment entails and why it costs the amount it does. (OK, so i have seen the odd band take the pee too) but, lets take an average 5 piece band as an example. Personally as a professional musician, I set a base-line hourly rate. This takes in to account industry rates and that I am self-employed. (I don't get holiday pay, have to pay NI, tax etc etc etc). Next up, there's the costs involved, be it PA, lights, fuel, sustenance and all the other stuff that needs covering like insurance and travel. The wedding party are expecting a quality experience, so lets not forget outfits too. It sounds silly, but it is still a cost. The really stickler for many a pro musician is when the wedding party ask you to arrive at 10am to set up, sound check and disappear until 8pm - ANd provide entertainment until the last drunkards leave at midnight. If I ask my plumber, electrician, gas man to set up his gear in the morning then come back later, i'd expect to get charged for it. It would stop them from doing any other work. Musicians apparently have nothing else to do with their life lol. Finally, once you have taken that in to account for each member, times the figure by 5 members and you have a rough cost. Any band doing a wedding gig for a few hundred quid is nuts - and to be honest, any wedding party expecting a band to play for 300 quid deserves the level of service that such a low price would deliver. There's more to it than that of course, but this should certainly be a starting point to costing out the entertainment for the couple's special day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I agree....you are under pricing yourself for the wedding gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 You need people to ask you to play their weddings,. Anyone wanting to pay £500 for the band is unlikely to be the sort of wedding you'll want to do.,.. but bands are only worth what the market will bear.... You could try a few wedding showcases to see it your show gets the interest.... but weddings need a good fee as you aren't likely to be able to roll up at 7pm.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1372190938' post='2122753'] However, when we mention £500 as our standard fee, it usually sends bridezilla into a sideways spin, and takes a few days for her to recover, catch her breath, and confirm. [/quote] Tell them to phone the plumbers union and ask them how much it would cost to get four plumbers for five hours each on a Saturday night. If your band is good you should be charging more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1372196652' post='2122856'] You need people to ask you to play their weddings,. Anyone wanting to pay £500 for the band is unlikely to be the sort of wedding you'll want to do.,.. but bands are only worth what the market will bear.... You could try a few wedding showcases to see it your show gets the interest.... but weddings need a good fee as you aren't likely to be able to roll up at 7pm.. [/quote] People do ask for us. Specifically. And we still ask £500. No wonder we've done so many weddings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 We`ve only done one wedding, and seeing as it was a mates, we just charged the same as we do for regular pub gigs. And to be honest, it wasn`t any different to any other pub gig anyway, same gear, same set, same time I left my flat to go to the gig, same time I got home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Ask yourself what happens when your singer comes down with flu the day before the gig. 18hours to find a dep singer for a wedding for £125? Or the guitarist realises his wife booked their summer holiday and he won't be around that weekend that you booked 18months ago after all. Or any other of 1000s of other things. Pub gigs are turn up and play, cancel on the day if you want. Wedding gigs you're going to need insurance, pat testing, and a commitment from all the band several months in advance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I've had so many strange things happen at weddings it would fill a book. Usually the Bride or Mother of the Bride try to micro manage everything. Usually they have no idea how long things will take and have completely unrealistic expectations of how everything should slot together seamlessly. Although it's not the band's job, after you've done a few weddings you find yourself steering them in the right direction. Things happen at weddings in a certain order for a reason. Every wedding I've done where they've wanted it done differently has ended in confusion. Mainly from the other guests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1372190938' post='2122753'] On a personal note, weddings are some of the worst gigs I've ever played. [/quote] That is because most people at a Wedding are there because they feel obliged to accept the invite, not because they "want" to be there. You are seriously undercharging yourselves though. either one of our bands is £1000 and upwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Yeah, a grand (and rising) for my five piece. Early starts/late finishes extra. There's a higher bar set for reliability, efficiency and professionalism at a wedding as everything (not just the band) has probably cost a fortune, is tightly scheduled and at the end of the day its one of the most significant events in the life of your client, not just another party. We're out Friday and Saturday nearly every weekend over summer, so the work is out there, you're selling yourself short at £500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Wedding gigs can be some of the most disheartening experiences. I have played at a few really good ones - but could probably count them on one hand. The worst one was when our trio nearly outnumbered the guests - which included the bride & groom! The majority of weddings involve a lot of old people who haven't seen each other for decades wanting to chat all night. We're not really a wedding band, so don't do that many any more. However the word 'wedding' nearly always adds a zero to any cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassintheface Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 location dependent obviously........ locally from £1500, rising to include extra for early set up, adding travel as we go - London is around £2500. Based on 6pm arrival, playing no later than midnight. Inc full decent PA, eng, DJ and good lights. 2 x 60 sets. We're always busy. Abroad depends - we've got something in Middle East for £5k, went to Turkey for £3k. depends on where it is, how busy we are and how much we want the gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Definitely hike the price. Everything else has been said above. I have yet to play a "bad " wedding. I've been soundman at one for another band (who aren't that impressive) but otherwise, no bad weddings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 We don't take then generally, so only for friends or friends of friends really and local and they MUST have seen us before as we play what we play... Since they are friends, we might throw in Sex on Fire or Brown eyed girl if specifically asked for.. but other than that, we don't do requests. Last time we did BEG, if was the 1st dance.. If the price puts them off..then money is THE issue and so we want to steer clear anyway. We've found, amongst the local guys who do these sort of things, that £1600 plus for a wedding are the bookings that have dropped off these last few years. As long as the band is more than half decent, then £1000 is easiy achievable for little more than an early set-up. That is why we want to be local.. so we set up, go home and come back. You learn to cost all of these things in after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1372251174' post='2123361'] We don't take then generally, so only for friends or friends of friends really and local and they MUST have seen us before as we play what we play... Since they are friends, we might throw in Sex on Fire or Brown eyed girl if specifically asked for.. but other than that, we don't do requests. Last time we did BEG, if was the 1st dance.. If the price puts them off..then money is THE issue and so we want to steer clear anyway. We've found, amongst the local guys who do these sort of things, that £1600 plus for a wedding are the bookings that have dropped off these last few years. As long as the band is more than half decent, then £1000 is easiy achievable for little more than an early set-up. That is why we want to be local.. so we set up, go home and come back. You learn to cost all of these things in after a while. [/quote] Ha! Yeah what is it about brides and grooms that make them request weird songs, that you would never normally do? They've seen us play, they really like what we do, but they still request we learn The Final Countdown... Actually that was one of the ones that worked out ok! Cheers guys, looks like we've been selling ourselves well short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dropzone Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Make sure you take a spare of everything. Long story and one of the most painful gigs in my music career, that after a few hours of massive pain and embarresment ended with the guitardist saying "oh one of those, I have one in the van"!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMG456 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Hard work ,weddings and things don't always go to plan... My favourite, a good few years ago now happened about November time. The venue was a country house hotel just north of Glasgow. We were a four piece band - vox, keys, guitar, bass using programmed drums. Setting up the gear we got the usual comments from the management - "Far too many speakers", etc. etc. and then during the soundcheck, the power went off. We were getting the blame for it - too much current being used etc. - till someone arrived at the hotel saying that the power was off for miles around. Some electricity sub station had gone down and no one could say when it would be fixed. All we had which would actually make a noise was one acoustic guitar! The evening was due to commence and the bride and groom came through to see us - the video guy had about 15 minutes worth left in his batteries - is there anything we could do to let them have their first dance on the wedding video? Well, as has been said, it's one of the biggest days for many folks, we had to try and do something so we said yes, we'll do three songs in some shape or form. What to do? Sing your part! Stamp your feet, clap your hands, join in with harmonies. make it up as you go! We went on, the hotel had decked the stone walled room out with loads of candles around the window ledges and it was looking great. We did their requested 1st song and two others. It was hilarious and it went down a storm. So much so that they came back to see us and begged us to go back on as everyone had enjoyed it so much! We worked out two 45 minute sets - some songs we did normally. many we didn't and it turned out to be a great night for all concerned. Highlight of the night? That little gap in the Commodores "Easy" just before the whole room, to a man it seemed, joined in with a perfect full on rendition of the guitar solo! Best wedding I ever played. Cheers Ed Oh, and the power didn't come on again till the next day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 That's a beautiful story mate. Shows what can be achieved with some drive, enthusiasm and a bit of creativity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haysy Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 [i][b]What is the best route into playing the wedding circuit?[/b][/i] We play pubs for £200-250. We are a 5 piece pop/rock covers outfit p[size=4]laying [/size][size=4]from 60s to present day tunes with female lead vocals plus sax and keys. I think we are petty versatile so should be able to fit in with the wedding scene but have now idea how to get into it? Any advice please?[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Play more pubs, travel away from your home town a bit. If you're good, word will get round and you'll be asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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