Wedding entertainment costs, from bands to event entertainment for a corporate party

What suppliers publish, and what they do not

How to buy entertainment without overbuying

1. Map the day into slots. Ceremony, drinks reception, dinner, evening. Each slot wants a different thing and some of them want nothing at all.
2. Price each slot separately. A trio for ninety minutes and a band for three hours are separately priced jobs. Quoting them together hides which one you are paying for.
3. Ask about setup, breaks and space. Live acts need a load-in, a sound check and breaks. A band that plays two sets needs recorded music between them, which is either included or is another supplier.
4. Check the venue's sound limit first. A limiter changes what is possible. Ask the venue for the figure and give it to every act you approach.

Where the money actually goes

Headcount drives live music pricing more than fame does. A five piece costs roughly what five musicians cost, plus a sound engineer if the room needs one, plus travel for all of them. That is why a solo act for the drinks reception and a larger band for the evening is such a common shape: it puts the expensive people only in the slot where everyone is listening.

Corporate event entertainment is priced differently again, usually by the hour with a minimum, because the organiser is buying a fixed slot in a fixed room rather than a whole day. That shape is worth asking for explicitly, since a supplier quoting a wedding day rate for a two hour company party is quoting the wrong product, and the difference is not small.

The questions that separate two similar quotes

Ask what the price includes in equipment. A band that brings its own PA and lighting has absorbed a real cost that a cheaper quote may push back to you as a hire line. Ask what happens if a member is ill, because established acts carry deputies and solo performers cannot.

Ask how long they need on site before they play and whether that time is charged. A three hour booking that requires two hours of setup inside your reception is a different proposition from one that sets up during the meal, and venues with tight turnaround windows care about this more than couples expect.

Questions organisers ask before they book

How much of the budget should entertainment take?

There is no correct share, and any figure quoted as one is somebody's average rather than your wedding. Price the slots you actually want filled, and if the total is uncomfortable, cut a slot rather than cutting the quality of the one that matters most to you.

Do I need music during the ceremony and the meal?

Both work perfectly well with a playlist through the venue's system, and plenty of couples put their live money into the evening instead. Ask the venue whether its system can take a phone or a laptop before you assume it can.

How far ahead do bands book?

Popular bands take peak Saturdays a year or more out, the same as photographers. Midweek and winter dates stay open far longer.

What is a sound limiter and why does it matter?

It is a device that cuts power to the stage when the volume passes a set level, fitted at venues with noise conditions. A band that has not been told about one can be cut off mid-set, so tell every act the venue's figure before you book.

What this costs where you are marrying

• What a wedding costs in the UK, from published supplier prices