Alright. You are about to hire your first live wedding band. Any idea what to look for? Sure, you can ask around for recommendations and may even be able to locate some useful information on the internet. However, you still have a great deal of homework ahead of you if your plan is to hire the most incredible wedding music band for your event. Ah, but that’s okay. We’ve got you covered with a checklist of things to look for when you are on the hunt for that live band that will turn your celebration or party into an event worth being at instead of the show that should never have gone on.

1 – Match Your Event To The Style of Music Desired

Before you start looking around at wedding bands, you should already have an idea of the kind of music you want to have during the event. If polka is your style, then don’t book a punk band. However, the more versatile the band, the more bases you can cover. It also means you could end up with that age-old musical segue of Bryan Adams to The Chicken Dance and on to a slow song many will remember was recorded by Elton John early in his career.

2 – Set A Budget But Be Flexible

Once you’ve decided on the style of music for your event, put together an approximate budget. Remember, just because you decide to have a large budget does not mean you will automatically be able to book the best wedding live band out there – although it will get you pretty close. Your budget should include all incidentals required and that may include equipment rentals or other such details. And if the band is not local to you, there will undoubtedly be travel and hotel costs. Be prepared to see your budget increase at least twice before you sign an agreement.

3 – The Look

Once you start your search for a live band you’ll want to take a hard look at their visual image. This can include still photos, concert photos and videos. Once you get a look at these, ask yourself if this is the kind of band you want to have associated with your event. If there is an obvious match, you will be slightly ahead of the game. If there isn’t, ask if the image you see is the overall look of the band or was it just a stage the band was going through. Wedding live bands have a way of reinventing themselves over time to keep them relevant. Maybe a re-brand has taken place and the band you have been looking at now fits your event much better.

4 – The Sound

You will definitely not want to skip this step. You need to actually hear what the band sounds like. This can be done with an audition tape/audio clip, videos, recordings and any other method where the band has been captured live and performing. If you are watching videos, pay attention to how the band interacts with the audience and how the audience responds. Does that band look as if they are working together as a team? Does the music sound rehearsed or does the band sound as if they have never played together before this? All of these questions will require answers that can tell you a lot more about how the sound is defined by the band. Plus, does the sound make you think that everyone is enjoying it or pained by it? The band you hire should be tight, sound like professionals and appear like professionals. There is no room for almost or just about.

5 – The Legalities

Does the band you intend to hire for your wedding have a contract or some form of paperwork that forms an agreement? Sure, a lot of deals are still struck over coffee and solidified with a handshake. However, hiring a live wedding band is serious business. You’ll want to have a business agreement that not only outlines what the band will be doing for your event, it should cover costs, indicate insurance coverage’s and all that other sticky stuff lawyers love to noodle around with when there are some holes in it. In other words, your band must be one that follows these kinds of paperwork details so that both sides of the agreement are understood and followed.

6 – The Connection

Even if you want to book a band for a wedding that is somewhere in the future, you know, like Star Date Whatever within the next handful of years when the fiancé finally gets around to setting a date for the big day and can do it without passing out or vomiting uncontrollably, you’ll want to be in contact with the band. Well, that is unless the band has a manager or booking agent. The contact is important as it ensures that you don’t have to make a last minute change and kidnap the trio playing downtown at the Elks Club because your band had split up a month before. So, the band you want to have at your event should be one you can have regular communication with to touch up on finer details as the Big Date gets closer.

7 – The Tech Stuff

If you have never hired a live party band before, be prepared for a lot of electrical equipment beyond guitars and drums and keyboards. There’s going to be microphones, miles of cords, speakers, monitors and still more cords. And that’s only the beginning. Don’t even think about looking briefly in the direction of the sound mixing board. Unless you or the Groom’s nephew is a technical sound engineer, you best stay away from any of that gear. However, it is gear that your live band won’t be able to function without. Typically, the best bands for hire have a dedicated sound engineer who can handle that stuff. This is the kind of band you’ll want to hire. Plus, you’ll need to know in advance what kind of power service is required in order to be properly prepared as the van with all the do-dads and plug in things rolls into your venue.

8 – The Other Stuff

Okay, now you have the basics but you still need to make sure the wedding music band you hire for your reception has attire that fits your event, shows up on time, behaves as you would hope they would and otherwise gives your guests the time of their lives. It really isn’t all that hard to find a live wedding band that fits all of your requirements. There are many out there to choose from and several good ones have booking agencies they work through. These agencies can be a valuable resource in the screening process you will want to use to narrow down your choices.