Looking for a unique wedding twist? Hire an Acoustic Wedding Band!
A lot of thought and a lot of planning goes into planning a wedding.
One of the more fun aspects to plan out is the entertainment for the event.
There are many different options you can consider, and you may even end up with more than one option as you plan the music for the ceremony all the way to the reception, but nothing gives you wedding quite the same energy and excitement as live music.
One of the issues that can come into play with live music, however, is volume.
Everybody wants the excitement and spontaneity of live music, but it sure is nice to be able to have a conversation and not be drowned out by the band. This is wear an acoustic wedding band enters the picture.
A professional, unplugged (or lightly amplified for larger venues) acoustic wedding band can provide fun, live music in pretty much any and all styles and genres of music. Plus, there are many different ways to go with acoustic musicians:
- Music during your ceremony. Nearly all ceremonies will have some type of acoustic performer during the wedding ceremony itself, be it a piano player playing the traditional ‘Here Comes the Bride’ to a solo acoustic guitar player playing the intro music while your guests are being seated. This is a great way to add a unique touch of class to the wedding ceremony itself and everything from a flute to a saxophone can set the tone of your wedding.
- Laid back music for the beginning stages of your reception. Many receptions will start with a ‘coffee house’ kind of setting as the guests are filing in and sitting down for dinner. Something acoustic, laid back, in the corner, can be a nice contrast to just playing recorded music. It can also be laid back enough that your guests can talk to one another and even enjoy their meal at the same time. Your older guests will be especially appreciative of this sort of acoustic wedding music.
- The after dinner reception. Rather than a full on, loud band, an acoustic band can rock at less volume and play all your favorite hits while getting your guests up off their seats and onto the dance floor. Most people think of getting a traditional, full on, live band for this part of the event, but a full on acoustic cover band can achieve the same effect without blowing out your eardrums.
Acoustic wedding bands can be used to simply make any part of your wedding or event more intimate.
You can put an acoustic group in a corner and have them play background music, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that sort of vibe.
Most acoustic bands will amplify their sound using various speakers etc and while that adds some volume for larger venues and settings, it still maintains the more intimate feel that acoustic music brings to the table. So in effect, you get an ‘unplugged’ performance, but in actuality, the band is still plugged in to achieve the desired amount of volume for the your needs in that particular situation.
Plus, you can hire anything from a solo performer to a full band that may be 6-8 instruments.
It’s always a good idea to listen to any acoustic band before you hire them for your event, unless of course you have a good reference on them from something else that they played.
In this day and age, any performer that is worth hiring has audio clips and most of the time video clips of their performances.
Make sure they are a good fit for you and what you want at your wedding. If you need them to vary what they do, don’t be afraid to ask. You may find that the same acoustic wedding band who can rock your reception, can also provide one member of the group to play light background music prior to the ceremony as your guests walk in.
Once you have seen and heard them play, it is also fine to get references from other gigs that they have done.
Just because they look good in the YouTube video doesn’t mean that they did a great job at their last actual wedding!
You should also make sure you have a contract.
Many professional bands will require some kind of deposit so that they have the date secured and they won’t pass up other work only to find the date of your event change and they are out of work that weekend.
That’s fine, but you need to have a contract to protect you as well; you want to make sure that they show up on the right date and the right time, and having it all written down and signed goes a long way to making all parties feel committed and safe about the decision.
You don’t want to get to the big day of your wedding and find out that the band was double booked and can’t make it to your event.
Spell out any special requirements you may have very clearly and you won’t have any issues.
Most of the time weddings will require that the band learn certain songs to be played at certain times during the event and there is nothing wrong with having these listed out in the contract.
It is much better to be safe than sorry and having it in writing is much more reliable than simple word of mouth.
It’s your big day, so try not to leave anything to chance.
You wouldn’t take a chance with the caterer or the venue itself, and you shouldn’t do so with the music.
Many pro acoustic wedding bands will use professional booking agencies.
Just because they don’t doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them, but going through a booking agency is certainly an option, especially if you live in a large city where there are many options available.
Booking agencies will usually list their ‘stable’ of bands on their website and you can choose the band and style that best fits your musical tastes. Using an agency also gives you an emergency backup if something should go wrong.
It shouldn’t be a deal breaker if a band does not use an agency (remember, the agency gets a cut of the band’s money so some bands will try not to use one) but it provides an additional layer of comfort if you book through one.
Josephine Sunrise would be an awesome choice as the Acoustic Group for Your Montana Wedding! We can fully accommodate all of the moments listed above and give your special day that Montana flare!
Get in touch by calling (406) 206-8000 or requesting a acoustic wedding quote!