How To Choose Your Wedding Entertainment

So you’ve arranged the date, booked the church and/or venue and now you need to hire some wedding entertainment. As you have probably never booked any entertainment before, here are a few tips when making your choice.

Remember that you want all your guests to feel included in your ‘big day’ and so don’t just choose entertainment that you like, but select something that will appeal to the majority of people. A swing singer or swing band, followed by some party music (either from a DJ or from your ipod / laptop through the band’s PA) is always very popular for weddings and if you choose a function band, make sure their repertoire includes numbers from a range of decades and not just the latest chart hits.

Once you have decided on your chosen ‘genre’ of music, you can search for ‘swing singer’, ‘swing band’, ‘function band’ etc on the internet and look at the various options. Ensure that they all have a professional website that give you video clips of a ‘live’ performance rather than just studio-produced demo tracks...you need to know how they look and sound ‘live’ before making a decision. You should also ask for contact details for references, rather than just relying on ‘testimonials’ which could be made up.

Check exactly what the quote you are given includes..ensure that it clearly states the arrival time, length of playing time and finish time that your wedding entertainment is offering you. If you are booking a band with several line-up options (ie a swing band can be anything from a trio up to an 8-piece), then get quotes for all options.

Ensure that your wedding singer or wedding band certificates for  Electrical Safety (PAT) and Public Liability Insurance (PLI) as otherwise your venue may not allow them to perform.

Finally, select your wedding entertainment based on their ability to promptly supply all of the fore-going, rather than just on the cheapest quote that you get. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for and as it’s your big day, go for the best that you can afford, rather than the cheapest that you can find.

Gary Grace is a top swing singer, Sinatra, Wedding Singer, Wedding Band UK, Rat pack and Jazz style big band swing vocalist for weddings, private functions, corporate events and cruise liners.