Members rim Posted September 14, 2006 Members Share Posted September 14, 2006 Seems like my cover band is about to hit another new experience for us. We just got an interest in booking us for a wedding in May 2007. It's definitely not a done deal but since we've never done one before, I would like any tip or suggestions from you all. You were all very helpful for our first corporate gig, Help! Corporate gig? , so I definitely want to pick your brains again. I did do some searching (since we actually have time to prep this time) and found some useful wedding gig info here on these threads: About choosing songs for a wedding About contracts and having a backup plan I'd appreciate more info especially from those who have done it. We were also asked to provide a DVD. My bassist thought it was a weird request but to me it wasn't. We don't have videos of ourselves except from one gig. It was an ok gig and will do if it has to. If we don't provide a DVD but just a CD and some pictures, do you think it would hurt our chances of getting the gig? Rim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maxnew40 Posted September 14, 2006 Members Share Posted September 14, 2006 I avoid the wedding gigs because I am not a human Jukebox. If do weddings you need to be able to play standards like the Tenesee Waltz on request and you need to be able to take direction from the person or persons running the wedding. SOngs like Celebration are a must. If you can't do requests be prepared for grumbling wedding guests. There is good money for those wedding gigs but I think it is pay for all the BS and having to know about 200 or more songs. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 14, 2006 Moderators Share Posted September 14, 2006 I used to side in a pro wedding band as a fill-in. I have also done an occassional reception with my old band ... and after doing one pick-up gig for a friend that he forgot to tell me was a wedding reception...and none of the guys knew any schmaltzy stuff: You'll need fake books... My best advice in general: 1) go over the song list with the bride and groom well ahead of time 2) any special songs they want: learn them inside out. You are creating memories for them, don't try to go the 'good enough' route. 3) remember that there is a higher authority (whoever is footing the bill, usually the bride's parents) and you need to clear with them any special requests they have. 4) remember that there will likely be people from 8 to 80 in the audience...watch the stage patter. What you can say at a bar ig may not go over at a reception. 5) dress appropriately...t-shirts and jeans are not wedding gig attire. Best to make sure that the band's dress code is approved in advance as well. 6)do not allow them to use your PA for speeches, etc...trust me on this...bad idea...ever try to clean halitosis stench or puke out of a mic screen? 7) Do not play any requests from the 'floor' without checking with the bride and groom... I was at a reception (as a guest) years ago where the bride's 'ex' was invited, and he requested what used to be 'their' song...totally bad scene... as to the DVD, I would guess they want to see you in action, on stage, and make sure that the band is presentable live....its simpler than an audition. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by daddymack I used to side in a pro wedding band as a fill-in. I have also done an occassional reception with my old band ... and after doing one pick-up gig for a friend that he forgot to tell me was a wedding reception...and none of the guys knew any schmaltzy stuff: You'll need fake books... My best advice in general: 1) go over the song list with the bride and groom well ahead of time 2) any special songs they want: learn them inside out. You are creating memories for them, don't try to go the 'good enough' route. 3) remember that there is a higher authority (whoever is footing the bill, usually the bride's parents) and you need to clear with them any special requests they have. 4) remember that there will likely be people from 8 to 80 in the audience...watch the stage patter. What you can say at a bar ig may not go over at a reception. 5) dress appropriately...t-shirts and jeans are not wedding gig attire. Best to make sure that the band's dress code is approved in advance as well. 6)do not allow them to use your PA for speeches, etc...trust me on this...bad idea...ever try to clean halitosis stench or puke out of a mic screen? 7) Do not play any requests from the 'floor' without checking with the bride and groom... I was at a reception (as a guest) years ago where the bride's 'ex' was invited, and he requested what used to be 'their' song...totally bad scene... as to the DVD, I would guess they want to see you in action, on stage, and make sure that the band is presentable live....its simpler than an audition. good luck Good post ,, but i think you might want to examine the conflicts between rule 6 and rule 3. You might just want to hump along an extra mic rather than tell the father of the bride that he cant use the PA do do his father of the bride reception thing. I completely understand your point of view....and peeps at the reception have no business on stage. But ,, ya pretty well have to hook up daddy wedding bucks with a mic. Give him the shure 585 thats has your 40 year old spit on it lol.... rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members littledog Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 There are wedding gigs and there are wedding gigs. The first kind of wedding is looking for a "classic" wedding band, where you are expected to play everything including ballroom type music (jitterbug, cha-cha's, waltzes, etc.), oldies and classic pop hits (usually from the rock and R&B categories), regional favorites (like if you are in Miami, better be able to play some salsa), a couple of reggae tunes, some disco, and at least a few contemporary things. The other kind of band is hired because the bride or groom heard the band, and wants THAT kind of music (i.e. the music you specialize in) on their gig. It doesn't hurt to be able to cover some of the above bases as well, but if they heard you playing at a country-western bar and hired you, chances are they want to hear a lot of the same at their wedding. So it would be good, at least as a first step, to narrow down which of the two categories your situation falls into. If it is the second, you can get away with being less versatile. When someone yells "Play Brick House!" and you are a classical string quartet, you can just explain that's not what you were hired to do. By the way, in my part of the country at least, EVERY band is expected to supply use of a mic and the PA for speeches by the wedding party. What are they supposed to do, lug in a seperate PA just for the best man's toast? I've never had the father of the bride puke on any of my mics, and I've been doing wedding for 25 years. Maybe that's a regional thang... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluez4u Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 bring a fork Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 By the way, in my part of the country at least, EVERY band is expected to supply use of a mic and the PA for speeches by the wedding party. What are they supposed to do, lug in a seperate PA just for the best man's toast? I've never had the father of the bride puke on any of my mics, and I've been doing wedding for 25 years. Maybe that's a regional thang... Na its not regional its the way pros do weddings no matter what gender of music they play.... see rule number 3. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by littledog There are wedding gigs and there are wedding gigs.The first kind of wedding is looking for a "classic" wedding band, where you are expected to play everything including ballroom type music (jitterbug, cha-cha's, waltzes, etc.), oldies and classic pop hits (usually from the rock and R&B categories), regional favorites (like if you are in Miami, better be able to play some salsa), a couple of reggae tunes, some disco, and at least a few contemporary things.The other kind of band is hired because the bride or groom heard the band, and wants THAT kind of music (i.e. the music you specialize in) on their gig. It doesn't hurt to be able to cover some of the above bases as well, but if they heard you playing at a country-western bar and hired you, chances are they want to hear a lot of the same at their wedding.So it would be good, at least as a first step, to narrow down which of the two categories your situation falls into. If it is the second, you can get away with being less versatile. When someone yells "Play Brick House!" and you are a classical string quartet, you can just explain that's not what you were hired to do.By the way, in my part of the country at least, EVERY band is expected to supply use of a mic and the PA for speeches by the wedding party. What are they supposed to do, lug in a seperate PA just for the best man's toast? I've never had the father of the bride puke on any of my mics, and I've been doing wedding for 25 years. Maybe that's a regional thang... What he said! I've done lots of weddings, and I make it very clear that they're hiring me to do my show for their reception, that I will provide pro sound, I'll set them up to do the speeches and toasts and I'll provide a CD player to play any special songs they might want. I won't play anything not on my setlist and I won't argue about it with anyone, especially the mother of the bride! I actually have had very good experiences doing weddings but it was because either the couple or their parents wanted us to play and they knew what we were about going in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members littledog Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Na its not regional its the way pros do weddings no matter what gender of music they play.... see rule number 3. rat I can't quite figure out what you are saying here... Rule #6 was a mistake?Pros DON'T let their clients use their sound system?Pros DO let their clients use their system, but you don't. Ergo, you're not a pro? Sorry - Not trying to bust your balls. I'm just a little confused by what reads as contradictions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by rhat Ok ,,, rule three says the Dads are paying the bills for the wedding so you need to be aware and meet their needs and requests. Telling the father of the bride or groom or best man or maid of honor , you dont want his bad breath on your mic ,,, isnt real classy. Ya get where i am comming from? The day isnt about you and your band ,, its about the bride , groom and the families. Typically both the father of the bride and the groom have layed down some pretty good jing to thow a nice wedding. Do your best to help make it a great wedding and a day to remember.be a pro the solution....... Pretty well every band has a few older mics laying around.... set one up to be used by the wedding party so they can do their toasts etc. It solves the problem of you stressing about them using your mics that are on stage around your equipment..... I have been on both sides of this deal ,, played receptions and been the father of the bride. Rule 6 seems pretty combative to me ,,,and violates rule 3.Hope this helps to straighten out where i am comming from ,,,, rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihateyouguys Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Always thought the 'wedding speeches' portion was a great place for a cheap nady wireless mic. Hand it to the speaker and let them go nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members littledog Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Sorry rhat - I got mixed up as to who had originally posted the six rules. I thought they were yours, but I see now you were just quoting daddymack. Totally my bad... Anyway, most decent dynamic mics are pretty much bulletproof. All of mine have hit the floor more than once, and still work perfectly. So I don't sweat it too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 15, 2006 Moderators Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by rhat Good post ,, but i think you might want to examine the conflicts between rule 6 and rule 3. You might just want to hump along an extra mic rather than tell the father of the bride that he cant use the PA do do his father of the bride reception thing. I completely understand your point of view....and peeps at the reception have no business on stage. But ,, ya pretty well have to hook up daddy wedding bucks with a mic. Give him the shure 585 thats has your 40 year old spit on it lol.... rat Doh..my bad...I should have said stage mics. When I did the fill in work, they would run a separate mic (and put the stand at the dais or main table) into the board on a channel with no reverb and low gain...wireless would be too At the wedding I did that I didn't know was a reception until I got there, the best man lost it right after his toast, and blew chunks all over the mic, stand, dancefloor, table...it was really bad...a lot of people got up and left immediately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dougb415 Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by daddymack 6)do not allow them to use your PA for speeches, etc...trust me on this...bad idea...ever try to clean halitosis stench or puke out of a mic screen? I disagree on this one - here's the setting: You've played the 1st set, it went over well, now you're taking a nice LONG break while the speeches and toasts are made... are you gonna be the one to tell the parents, etc "Sorry, you can't use our PA, you'll just have to yell loud enough for all to hear"? Uh-uh. We had a spare mic set up just for that purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted September 15, 2006 Moderators Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by dougb415 I disagree on this one - here's the setting: You've played the 1st set, it went over well, now you're taking a nice LONG break while the speeches and toasts are made... are you gonna be the one to tell the parents, etc "Sorry, you can't use our PA, you'll just have to yell loud enough for all to hear"? Uh-uh. We had a spare mic set up just for that purpose. look up one post.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by daddymack look up one post.... Yup you covered your butt quite well ..... wave , lol. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dougb415 Posted September 15, 2006 Members Share Posted September 15, 2006 Originally posted by daddymack look up one post.... Yup... but I was responding to your original post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srsfallriver Posted September 18, 2006 Members Share Posted September 18, 2006 Be accomodating and CYA with a contract! Let them know that you'll do everything you can to make their special day but you're not GOD! Learn a special song or two to sell the gig but tell them you want a hot meal (not a "bandwich"). (tit for tat) Let them know what you intend to take for breaks. Allow your PA and mic for speeches but not for the "cousin that sings in a band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 I guess I have to disagree with a lot of the advice here. We play a lot of weddings because they pay well, are normally shorter gigs and normally are not late night drunk fests. We do our normal sets. I provide a list of all the songs we do, not anywhere near 200 by the way.. and tell them we would be happy to do any of those tunes. Special tunes by request are normally turned into my suggestion that they bring the song they just have to hear on a CD and I'll play it for them. We always provide a mic for anyone to use. It's a $25 Samson S11 and if the groom or best man pukes on it.. I figure we can afford to get it cleaned with the two thousand bucks we are getting paid. We work with the wedding planner, the parents, etc. and take breaks whenever they ask for cake cutting, garter throwing, whatever.. we don't care. I provide a CD player for them too. Oh.. and we don't know "celebration".. Wedding gigs can be great fun, good money, great food and pretty easy on your energy level. If you want to make money making music, why would anyone pass us the opportunity? Geez.. it's only one gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChordGirl Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 We've done 2 wedding gigs since I joined our band. In one case, the bride provided us with a list of songs which were suggestions. The f*cking Safety Dance was on it! As we are all accoustic, we ignored that request. We knew about 10 of the songs already and learned a couple of more for the gig, including the first-dance song--'Let's stay together.' Everything else came from our own set list. It didn't take much effort to incorporate the new songs, and we sometimes use them now. We got a few emails from guests and wedding party telling us how much they enjoyed us, so I guess this approach worked. (The second wedding was unplugged bluegrass during the dinner and toasts. They danced later to a DJ.) My one suggestion is to drink much less than the guests, or not at all. This wedding was the best show we'd ever played, until the last half hour when the band was LOADED. Thank god the guests were drunk, because those last few songs sucked ass. Ahh, the temptations of an open bar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hollow body Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 I agree with GZsound: weddings can be great gigs. The crucial thing is to make sure they know exactly what they're getting. We mostly play for people who've heard us -- who want what we do as opposed to the typical wedding band. If someone is interested who hasn't seen us, we try to get them to gig or a practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 My group plays a lot of weddings, but since we are an acoustic group, we usually get hired to play the cocktail hour before the reception, or the ceremony and the cocktail hour. It usually goes like this: I , or the violinist and I, play the ceremony, then the four piece plays one set before dinner. Then, it's over. A DJ or another bigger band plays the reception. So, the great thing is no requests, no song list, no cd break music, no mike for speeches, just our originals which they usually heard already on our cd-that's why they hired us. These gigs have been paying 1.5 to 2k for 2 hours. Easy money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 Originally posted by ChordGirl We've done 2 wedding gigs since I joined our band. In one case, the bride provided us with a list of songs which were suggestions. The f*cking Safety Dance was on it! As we are all accoustic, we ignored that request. We knew about 10 of the songs already and learned a couple of more for the gig, including the first-dance song--'Let's stay together.' Everything else came from our own set list. It didn't take much effort to incorporate the new songs, and we sometimes use them now. We got a few emails from guests and wedding party telling us how much they enjoyed us, so I guess this approach worked. (The second wedding was unplugged bluegrass during the dinner and toasts. They danced later to a DJ.)My one suggestion is to drink much less than the guests, or not at all. This wedding was the best show we'd ever played, until the last half hour when the band was LOADED. Thank god the guests were drunk, because those last few songs sucked ass. Ahh, the temptations of an open bar... A simple solution to this problem is to play with professionals who understand getting drunk, doing drugs, etc. while playing is totally unnacceptable. Since you were not hired to get drunk and "suck ass", I suggest you have a band meeting and decide if you want to be a professional band or a bunch of drunks.. And do one or the other, but not both. Our band policy is that the band members have six days a week to do whatever they want. When they are hired to play a gig, that is what they do, to the best of their ability. Substance abuse of any kind is not tolerated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 Originally posted by Hollow body I agree with GZsound: weddings can be great gigs. The crucial thing is to make sure they know exactly what they're getting. We mostly play for people who've heard us -- who want what we do as opposed to the typical wedding band. If someone is interested who hasn't seen us, we try to get them to gig or a practice. We played a wedding last year that was great fun. The mothers-in-law were brought to a club gig before the wedding to make sure they approved the band. They sat and made notes throughout the three sets they heard and we were presented with a list of songs "the moms" didn't want us to do at the wedding, which was a very religious group of folks. So it was funny when our lead singer had the brides father up in front of everyone doing a fan dance about half way through the gig.. And I think we had something like eighty people in a conga line at the end of the night. The mothers-in-law forgot all about their list.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted September 19, 2006 Members Share Posted September 19, 2006 We have a standard wedding reception contract mapping everything out.They are usually quick, easy money for us, and this time of year where I live are prime wedding months.We include the cost of learning up to three songs into our fee.Anything more and they start paying an extra $250 per song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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