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Question regarding wedding payment

shrimpchowmein

shrimpchowmein

Dec 8, 2007
647
76
42
Blaine, WA
#1
hey all.. a friend of a friend asked my wife and i to perform as an acoustic duo at their wedding in october. it would be an hour of music while dinner is served. they're giving us a list of requests we'll presumably have to learn, because we generally do originals. we've never done a wedding or a gig like this, as we mostly play local coffee shops and bars.

they asked what we charge, and i have no clue where to start. i understand the range of payment must vary greatly.

but what would you typically charge for an hour of music at a wedding?

thanks in advance!
mordechai
 
#5
RustyAxe said:
Wedding gigs ALWAYS pay better than bar/cafe gigs. I'd be looking for $500-750 at least. You will have to learn those 15 (or so) songs, and that takes time and energy.
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Ask this much, and you may price yourself right out of the gig. This is an hour, not an entire evening's worth of music.

I run a mobile entertainment company. Weddings and corporate events are my specialty and comprise 90% of my business. I also perform live at ceremonies and receptions.

Wedding couples are becoming more and more frugal. Gone are the days of unlimited budgets and daddy's deep pockets.

Somewhere in the range of $200-$300 would be fair and appropriate to these troubled times. Tack on a little more if you have to travel more than 45 minutes one way and/or set up a P.A.

A couple just booked me to play an hour's worth of ukulele music at their wedding ceremony. I am charging $200.00, and there is a long drive and some learning/rehearsal time involved. They also wanted me to DJ the reception, but they said their total entertainment budget is only $700.00, and they are sticking to it come hell or high water. I don't work that cheap, so I had to pass on the reception, but this illustrates how a lot of couples think these days. We may realize our value as entertainers, but most planners undervalue us and only carve out a small percentage of their total budget for entertainment. Most planners I have worked with will keep calling until they find someone cheaper or severely pare back their entertainment needs before they expand that budget percentage.
 
#7
It depends a bit on how far you have to travel, if you have to rent a PA, and how many songs you have to learn. For an hour, 15 songs sound about right so I would say around $300-$350. If they ask why it`s so expensive just for a duo, give them the reasons stated above. Personally, I`d always factor in cost of travel, PA, rehearsal time, setup and breakdown time, etc... because by the end of this you`re looking at investing more like 4-5 hours into this.
 
#9
Whenever my band is asked to learn special songs for an event and they are songs that we will probably never play again anyway, we always charge more for the work it takes outside the gig to learn the songs, which can take many hours of additional work. $300 + would be more than fair but find out what their budget is.

P.S. If they request a speial song that there is no way you can replicate as an acoustic duo, make sure you have a copy of the original song on CD and a player. We have had that happen and do it and it makes big bonus points with the bride and groom if you can accomodate them with their special music for their day in every way possible.
 
#10
Here's what's even more important than the amount you charge per se:

#1 - Get a non-refundable CASH deposit before the date goes on your calendar. How much depends on who you talk to but it can be anywhere between 20 and 50% of the total.

#2 - Make sure the client knows the balance will be due on-site, in cash, BEFORE you start playing. Actually before you even set up if you can swing it. And stick to it. Ask any veteran on this board how it feels to do a wedding job where the "money man" skates in mid-gig and no one can track him down when it's time to pay-up, and you wind up getting stiffed. I mean it, when it comes to weddings you need to make sure every dollar for that gig is in your pocket before you play a note.

#3 - Agree in advance on what the band is entitled to for food and beverage. In general, the wedding jobs I've played the band gets the same perks as the guests (e.g., meal and open or cash bar depending)... but it's good to be clear on this point with the client on this to avoid any awkwardness at the event.

That all being said, I do agree with others not to go totally nuts in what you charge. If your market is like mine, if you go too much higher than the best local DJ you are likely to lose the gig altogether. Especially for just two people and a short gig, they're not going to be expecting to pay full band rates.
 
#11
jaywa said:
Here's what's even more important than the amount you charge per se:

#1 - Get a non-refundable CASH deposit before the date goes on your calendar. How much depends on who you talk to but it can be anywhere between 20 and 50% of the total.

#2 - Make sure the client knows the balance will be due on-site, in cash, BEFORE you start playing. Actually before you even set up if you can swing it. And stick to it. Ask any veteran on this board how it feels to do a wedding job where the "money man" skates in mid-gig and no one can track him down when it's time to pay-up, and you wind up getting stiffed. I mean it, when it comes to weddings you need to make sure every dollar for that gig is in your pocket before you play a note.

#3 - Agree in advance on what the band is entitled to for food and beverage. In general, the wedding jobs I've played the band gets the same perks as the guests (e.g., meal and open or cash bar depending)... but it's good to be clear on this point with the client on this to avoid any awkwardness at the event.

That all being said, I do agree with others not to go totally nuts in what you charge. If your market is like mine, if you go too much higher than the best local DJ you are likely to lose the gig altogether. Especially for just two people and a short gig, they're not going to be expecting to pay full band rates.
Click to expand...

All good advice.

In fact, my contract now states I prefer the balance to be paid in full before the day of the event. It's in black and white, there is no chance of me backing out and being sued, and every other wedding vendor (photographer, venue, caterer) is expecting to be paid in advance, so it should apply to the entertainment as well. I explain to my clients that doing business on your wedding day is tacky and awkward, and getting everything settled in advance makes one less thing you have to remember or worry about.

And yes, it is good manners and proper etiquette for the newlyweds to feed everyone on their wedding day, including the hired professionals. After all, they are guests too. (That one is in my contract as well).
 
#12
Even if you don't get paid BEFORE the gig... just make sure everything is in contract with a due date, dates and signatures. Even if you play for your best friend.

Also... do NOT go over that 1 hour by even 3 minutes. People will keep asking you to play more, you end up doing 1/2hr overtime that was not authorized by the wedding and will not get compensated for it.



$300. It's a friend of a friend. Get them to spread the word that you charge a lot (make some crazy # up) and are worth every dollar.
 
#13
Richland123 said:
P.S. If they request a speial song that there is no way you can replicate as an acoustic duo, make sure you have a copy of the original song on CD and a player. We have had that happen and do it and it makes big bonus points with the bride and groom if you can accomodate them with their special music for their day in every way possible.
Click to expand...

That's a GREAT idea :hyper:
 
#14
If this is something you want to cultivate into more gigs, and you don't have a reputation yet, I think $200 is about right. As its acoustic, you'll have very little set up/tear down, and isn't that where we REALLY earn our $$? :)

$200 seems reasonable for an hour of acoustic. Anything higher than that, you'll price yourself out IMO. Unless you want to just do it this once, take the crapshoot and aim higher. But I wouldn't recommend it.
 
#16
Good advice from all posts above, but I have some concern with charging too much to learn the tunes. If they're just asking for 15 'wedding standards' which you don't know because you usually play originals, it's going to be a tough sell to charge much for learning the tunes. On the other hand, if they're asking you to learn something no wedding band would ever have in its repertoire, that's an entirely different story. My opinion as an old wedding band guy, of course.

Blooz :bassist:
 
#17
BloozBass said:
Good advice from all posts above, but I have some concern with charging too much to learn the tunes. If they're just asking for 15 'wedding standards' which you don't know because you usually play originals, it's going to be a tough sell to charge much for learning the tunes. On the other hand, if they're asking you to learn something no wedding band would ever have in its repertoire, that's an entirely different story. My opinion as an old wedding band guy, of course.

Blooz :bassist:
Click to expand...

+1

When you bill yourself as a wedding professional with experience, people assume you have a firm knowledge of the material they are wanting you to play. Over-charging to rehearse material they assumed you are at least familiar with doesn't sit well with most clients.

In the case of an all-originals act that suddenly wants to do covers and standards, the client probably expects the entertainment to be prepared before they accept the job. You should act like you are familiar with the material and charge accordingly. You're getting paid for the learning experience, which is still a good thing.
 

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