Would/does your band do WEDDINGS? Are they that bad?

[JW56789]

I was in a club band, and turns out a guy that was a regular was a serious deep-pockets oil man. Big money.

We played a few parties for him, and then he announced his daughter was getting married, would we play the reception ? Sure. This guy was really a friend to us, and even better, money was NO problem.

So we show up at a very expensive Houston country club on the appointed day, get all set up, and it looks like something out of TOWN AND COUNTRY, exceptionally nice design and execution of the space. We' re hanging out waiting on word the wedding's done, and they're on the way. However . . . . .

At the very last minute, the bride found out some VERY unfortunate news about her intended's behavior at his bachelor party (musta been epic ! ! ) and a few other indiscreet adventures with some of her very own BFF's, and she pulled the plug at the church ! I bet THAT was a scene . . . .

So he calls the BL and tells us it's off, we'll still get paid anyway, etc. My BL commiserated it was a huge shame to waste all the food and drink we're looking at, and he says, 'hey, take whatever you want, much as you want, SOMEBODY oughta do some good out of this'.

I made prime rib sandwiches for a week, brought home a case of Michelob (the old good one in the brown bottle with gold foil) for my Dad, and more, just made out like a bandit.

Somehow I never played another wedding, though I actually still haven't actually.

 

[GoofusInsanius]

6) In Wisconsin, you get yet another chance to witness The Chicken Dance. I have no idea if this translates to the rest of the world.

The Chicken Dance was a #1 hit in the '80s here in the Netherlands. It was THE dance craze until the Macarena. It's probably still played at weddings ;-)
On national TV:

Sorry for going offtopic...

 

[delta7fred]

The chicken Dance is known as the Birdie Song in the UK and was played regularly by discos at weddings and parties. I'm not sure if it is still as popular today, I don't get out much.

I've never played it myself (and never intend to).

 

[Jebberz]

The chicken Dance is known as the Birdie Song in the UK and was played regularly by discos at weddings and parties. I'm not sure if it is still as popular today, I don't get out much.

I've never played it myself (and never intend to).

Was popular also in Quebec as "La danse des canards" in the '80s, but I've never been asked to including on weddings at 1 exception, all tables had to do a "lame dance" in order to get the right to have desert. That was one of the dances, along WMCA, la Macarena, etc...

 

[buldog5151bass]

When you do them, it's important to meet with the bride and groom (and whoever else is planning/paying for the wedding) to see what they really want to hear.

When I got married, I wanted a band that not only could play the "wedding standards" that older guests would want, but music for everyone - we had lots of musicians in the wedding party and guests. The last set, my brother in law, who played trumpet, sat in with band for a Tower of Power medley, and my band from college were allowed to borrow instruments and play a song that people liked. I knew the BL, and asked him what music he thought would be good for the audience we had. Taking extra steps can make the day more memorable for the couple, and more fun for you as well, since you might be surprised about what music they want.

 

[Lagado]

One wedding I remember I didn't even play, we heard about it later. An associate that I've worked with many times, imbibed way too much alcohol at the event. He fell into the wedding cake, then he was found crawling around underneath the top table between the guests legs, then he drove the band van over the golf course for a bit.

It cost him £5000 to put all that right. Way out of line and also out of character. He lost it for a bit there. Stuff happens.

 

[Splash7]

I am glad that I never handled business end of the wedding gigs except for a duo situation a couple times. There was a comment above about dealing with wedding planners.

Just imagine the wedding photographer whose work and drama to deal with does not end on the wedding and reception day. My wife use to do that and I was her go-fer and light guy and it was too much stress, plus cell phone cameras "got better" and they always argued how their cell photos are better (until they have to print large prints). We do not do it now.

As a retired wedding photographer I saw the same frustrations and good experiences that weddings bands had. In order to do well in the "wedding business" you have to be really good.

The exceptions, as a photographer that I had, was that I only considered myself as a contract employee. And I do mean "Contract!" My contract was pretty specific and clearly stated that I was working for the person that paid me. As a high end wedding photographer that usually meant the bride's parents, since they wrote the check. I had a set procedure that I used at weddings and nobody told me to adjust my procedure except the person that was paying me. Wedding planers and the like knew this up front and appreciated the fact that I was a professional.

I didn't have to deal with guests that brought their cameras to the wedding because I didn't let them interfere with my work. My contract specifically stated that I was the only photographer at the wedding. Any guest that didn't understand that was so informed by the person that paid me. My contract said it was me or them and if the person that paid me didn't make that clear to them, then I had the option of packing up and leaving, with full pay. That was one of of the reasons that I had no stress at photographing weddings. I tried very hard to make every wedding I photographed unique and personal from every other wedding I photographed, which is one of the reasons that I did so well. Each bride got photographs that no other bride got.

I photographed weddings that used bands or DJ's. And the weddings with the bands were the "Best"! I always appreciated real musicians. The guests seem to enjoy the bands the most. Not to put DJ's down, but I had certain fun photos that I took at the reception that required me to announce to the guests for the set up. The band leaders never had a problem with letting me take the microphone to explain the set up. However, most DJ's didn't want to give up any attention to allow me to do the same, usually insisting on my telling them what I needed to announce for them to relay. And they always screwed it up! It was more than what I said, it was how I said it, that added to the fun. One photo was to have the guy that caught to garter place it on the leg of the gal that caught the bouquet. DJ's always made it sound nasty. In those days, I felt that DJ's were wannabe musicians that never could.

I worked hard to become a high end photographer and that meant I was working weddings that primarily used "Bands"!

 

[India_Sierra]

I clicked the wrong answer in the poll. I should have clicked 'yes' as in, we don't do them currently but I would do them if they were offered.

I've probably seen more wedding bands than most people here, as I worked for four years in the conference and banqueting at an upmarket hotel (well, it was upmarket then...). I saw countless wedding bands, some good and most bad. The wedding band scene in the UK is filled with some absolute rubbish. It's not just another gig, it's really something that needs to be approached with a level of professionalism and competence that was missing from many of the bands I saw. Some customers weren't bothered and just wanted some live music to fill the room and for them, any squad of pub-bangers playing any old rubbish would suffice. Some others were very demanding and it was usually my boss who was met with the complaints about the band, despite the fact that the hotel was almost never responsible for booking the band.

If you're going to play for someone on that 'special day' and appear in countless wedding videos, you need to be on your A-game. That includes everything from rehearsal and performance, to having a great live sound in the room that can be scaled up or down for the mood, to being able to load in and out in a discreet fashion. If you treat it like just turning up in a pub to play for some drunks, you'll be in trouble.

It's a very competitive scene here, as I imagine it is in America, though the competition was not really based on the quality of the setlist or the performance - that's really only something the customer sees on the night. Instead, it was more about profile and marketing for the bands that played at our hotel. Flashy websites, gushing testimonial and endless advertising was the order of the day. Most of the bands that played weren't as good as their flashy marketing would suggest but that was what it took to get to the top of the pile for bookings.

The banqueting manager kept a book of a very select few bands who were good and could be relied upon to get the job done but we left it to the customer to sort the booking out. Our soundman was pretty good, but issues with instruments and PA will happen no matter how good you are and my boss didn't want to bear the brunt of an angry customer for issues with the band's sound, equipment or performance. As a young bassist (I worked there between ages of 16 and 20) I enjoyed the job as I got to see a lot of bassists and bands working up close and I even got to try out a Pedulla Pentabuzz on one occasion!

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

Thoughts - did not review the previous 9 pages.....

1) setup/logistics suck. Often they want you setup by noon. Play at 7-8. 2+hours from home, central Wisconsin - farms only for days. What do you do for 4-5+ hrs????
2) money is good. Hours, not terrible...
3) everyone is drunk. You are the Best Band In The World
4) a brother in law of.... someone.... is a GREAT singer. Let him sit in on Tennessee Whiskey? OMG. Where's my pocketknife? Ima cut my throat. He's godawful. Every. Single. Time. It's a three note song that lasts even longer than usual...
5) you learn a stack of mostly horrible new songs per the bride's request. This is good in that you are learning new material. Your cover/transcription skills increase. It's bad in that... well.. it's probably something by someone named Cassadee Pope.
6) In Wisconsin, you get yet another chance to witness The Chicken Dance. I have no idea if this translates to the rest of the world.
7) The money is good?

my main band won't play weddings anymore unless it's a close friend of at least one band member. Just too much work to play crap for a lot of REALLY drunk people.

my other band - well... that one has never been recruited to that quality of gig

So Anyway, if I was in Wisconsin and needed a band, it'd be Copper Box.
And we'd serve Leinenkugel.
2021 resolution is to make it a Wisconsin Oktoberfest.

 

[richntiff]

So Anyway, if I was in Wisconsin and needed a band, it'd be Copper Box.
And we'd serve Leinenkugel.
2021 resolution is to make it a Wisconsin Oktoberfest.

Copper Box is amazing, if one can afford them. Love that band!

 

[causeBASS]

we have done a few weddings over the years..everyone was for friends who were tuned into the Grateful Dead vibe...and they know if they hire us, we aren't playing the chicken dance or freebird, although we also won't do a 20 minute drum/space. And if there is a requested tune that fits with our tastes, we will learn it.

 

[electracoyote]

The Chicken Dance was a #1 hit in the '80s here in the Netherlands. It was THE dance craze until the Macarena. It's probably still played at weddings ;-)
On national TV:

Sorry for going offtopic...

IME, the spectrum of bride/groom needs for "their big day" runs the gamut. I've DJ'd and done live band wedding entertainment all over Ohio and Colorado, so it's not as regional as it might seem. I've had brides who want Chicken Dance, Hokie Pokie, Electric Slide, Beer Barrel Polka, and all the novelty songs for their family and guests, and brides who would rather die before they would let those songs play at their reception, and all points in between. It's important for wedding entertainers to have a wide variety master playlist and let the client help shape the playlist for their event. "DO NOT PLAY" lists are ultra-important.

 

[electracoyote]

I was in a club band, and turns out a guy that was a regular was a serious deep-pockets oil man. Big money.

We played a few parties for him, and then he announced his daughter was getting married, would we play the reception ? Sure. This guy was really a friend to us, and even better, money was NO problem.

So we show up at a very expensive Houston country club on the appointed day, get all set up, and it looks like something out of TOWN AND COUNTRY, exceptionally nice design and execution of the space. We' re hanging out waiting on word the wedding's done, and they're on the way. However . . . . .

At the very last minute, the bride found out some VERY unfortunate news about her intended's behavior at his bachelor party (musta been epic ! ! ) and a few other indiscreet adventures with some of her very own BFF's, and she pulled the plug at the church ! I bet THAT was a scene . . . .

So he calls the BL and tells us it's off, we'll still get paid anyway, etc. My BL commiserated it was a huge shame to waste all the food and drink we're looking at, and he says, 'hey, take whatever you want, much as you want, SOMEBODY oughta do some good out of this'.

I made prime rib sandwiches for a week, brought home a case of Michelob (the old good one in the brown bottle with gold foil) for my Dad, and more, just made out like a bandit.

Somehow I never played another wedding, though I actually still haven't actually.

Cool story. I used to pray for days like that (although normally fun and challenging, the biz can be a little stressful sometimes). Unfortunately, it never happened to me in over a couple of decades. Congrats on your luck!