The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Hiring A Wedding Band or DJ

Hi

I'm Lisa Cotton, the joint founder and Managing Director of Hireaband. I'm going to cut to the chase and list for you the 5 Biggest Mistakes people make when hiring a wedding band or DJ.

Booking a friend or a friend of a friend. This leads to more last minute emergencies than anything else. Almost every week we’ll be asked to find a band or DJ for someone who has been let down by a friend doing them a favour. Even though you may have agreed to pay a hefty fee, this casual approach is fraught with danger – double bookings – unreliable performers or simply bad diary management. The most common excuse we hear is “They just forgot about our booking!”

Not getting everything in writing. Most bands and DJ’s will now provide you with a written agreement or contract – if they don’t, run a mile. Even if they do, make sure you read it carefully and that all the details are included. Get them to be specific especially about times and fees. By hiring your band or DJ through a company like Hireaband you’ll have all of this done for you by experienced people who know how to write a legal contract. If in doubt, ask your chosen agency if they are members of The Agents Association of Great Britain – if they’re not, run another mile!

Choosing a band based on your specific tastes. Just because you love Soul or Rock or Jazz doesn’t mean that your guests will. Hire a band that can play as wide a variety of music as possible. Your guests will be of all ages and tastes – it’s a pretty sure bet that they won’t want to dance to House Music all night (whatever that is?)

Trying to dictate every song you want the band or DJ to play. This is very common and a massive mistake. Why? Because you’ll be preventing the performers from doing their job properly. An experienced band or DJ doesn’t just know what songs to play – they’re also experts at when specific songs should be played. For instance a song like “500 Miles” has a massively different (and better) reaction when played towards the end of the night than at the beginning. Let the pros do what you’re paying them to do. You’ll be so busy on the night that you’ll never be able to keep track of what is being played anyway. The goal of your band or DJ should be a busy dance floor – don’t make it hard for them to achieve this.

Hiring your band at the last minute. The entertainment for your wedding will make up a massive part of your big day. Survey’s show that the entertainment is one of the three things that make the greatest impression on your guests – along with your dress and your venue. A good, reliable band can save an otherwise disastrous day. Imagine there’s terrible weather, your cars are late, a pigeon scores a direct hit on your dad’s suit and your bridesmaid has had a new tattoo somewhere conspicuous. A great party will put all of that in to perspective – the last impression your guests will have is of a fabulous fun night out.

On the other hand, imagine everything has gone like clockwork and you’re sitting waiting for the band to appear – and they don’t!  Or if they do they’re unrehearsed, rude, take long unplanned breaks and sound terrible – what do you think people are going to remember about your wedding?

The most popular bands can book out two years in advance – so don’t hesitate. Once you find the band for you, hire them straight away. if you’ve booked them through a reputable agency like Hireaband, you can relax knowing that even though your wedding is perhaps months away, all the details, checks and reminders will be taken care of.

Getting the entertainment right for your big day is massively important.  As a thank you for reading this article and for having the good sense to plan ahead, I'd like to offer you a free one on one consultation with me, Lisa Cotton, or with one of my highly experienced team of experts.  Email me Lisa@hireaband.co.uk or call free 0800 612 3320 to book your telephone consultation appointment for a time convenient to you and we'll be in touch.

Thanks for reading this.
Lisa