How much is too much?

homemadecider

We are planning a fairly small (60 ish) wedding in the next year or two. I'm really keen on Spring Break as a wedding band but am aware they charge €2900 (for a weekend night). Is this a crazy amount of money or is it worth it for one amazing brilliant night?

Have no idea what the going rate for a band is but I reckon it must be closer to the 1k mark. Any thoughts? Anyone seen Spring Break at a wedding before?

melekalikimaka

homemadecider wrote: »

We are planning a fairly small (60 ish) wedding in the next year or two. I'm really keen on Spring Break as a wedding band but am aware they charge €2900 (for a weekend night). Is this a crazy amount of money or is it worth it for one amazing brilliant night?

Have no idea what the going rate for a band is but I reckon it must be closer to the 1k mark. Any thoughts? Anyone seen Spring Break at a wedding before?

i have seen them and they are good, check out smash hits, very similar style and maybe a bit cheaper.

and the price doesnt seem high for a band that sells out shows regualry

lazygal

We paid about 1700 for our band, worth every penny, but two grand was our limit. I think you'll get a good band for less than 2900. Seems an awful lot for me.

seosamh1980

Our band are €1700 including substantial travel distance and accommodation. €2900 is a lot IMO.

OU812

I assume you have a per head budget for the wedding. At 60 guests, €2900 works out at €48.33 per head. Add that amount to your food & drinks per head budget, if it's over, then it's too much.

You've got to be unemotional where money is concerned.

goose06

Spring Break (& Smash Hits)are awesome so go for it you'll have a fantastic night

pooch90

We're getting our band for drinks reception, evening reception and DJ for €2200.
No way would I pay €2900 for band only, that's crazy money. You could buy a car for that!

clint_silver

if you could have your wedding twice over.

first time you got spring break and the wedding was graded afterwards as 86/100 on score out of a 100 scale I just made up..

For second wedding if you got another great band for 2000e, (lots available) and afterwards the wedding was graded as 85/100.

would the extra money be worth it for spring break?

Now if you have the budget, and want to eke every last bit of greatness out of the day then sure, but if you're tight for budget, is the extra 1% worth it?

melekalikimaka

i dont think people understand that this band is exceptional.


will make a wedding something amazing and very memorable

pooch90

There's plenty of bands who don't charge €3K that will make a wedding very memorable.

clint_silver

pooch90 wrote: »

There's plenty of bands who don't charge €3K that will make a wedding very memorable.

This.

angeldelight

We got married last year and while we didn't have Spring Break, we did have another of the "premium" for want of a better expression, wedding bands. They were 2650 when we booked them in 2010 and I was really unsure were they worth the extra 800/900. They 100% were - I haven't been to a wedding were the band could have even touched them for performance, and 10 months on the guests are still raving about the band/ getting their number off me for their own weddings/parties etc.

Depends on your priorities - for me it was hotel service & food then band as, for us, these were the things that would make sure our day was as amazing and memorable as possible. If your priorities are similar I'd book them, and ASAP if you really want them as the better known bands sell out weekend dates years in advance

BizzyC

We're paying less than that for The Firm + a DJ to travel to Leitrim for a 150 person wedding.

€2900 is too much for a band alone imo.

Gatica

We were quoted around 2500 for similarly popular wedding bands. It's worth it if you have the budget and it's high on your priorities, but you can still have a great night with a cheaper band.

We went to two weddings where they played and they are great craic. However, on the down side, they refused to stop playing for a 10-15 mins evening food break because they play straight through their alotted time without stopping. This was awkward as the hotel was also non-accommodating and insisted on putting a table in the middle of the dance floor and serving all the sandwiches, tea and coffee on it. It was madness - old aunties trying to get past dancers with their cup of tea... I know that's not the band's fault, but just be sure your location and band compliment each other on the night and not conflict.

Ash.J.Williams

BizzyC wrote: »

We're paying less than that for The Firm + a DJ to travel to Leitrim for a 150 person wedding.

€2900 is too much for a band alone imo.

star trekin?

BizzyC

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

star trekin?

No idea what you mean by that....

JanaMay

Oooh I'd love to see them play at a wedding. If you can afford it...do it!

But, since there will only be about 60 at your wedding, bear in mind the age of your guests. Are they mostly your friends, who would enjoy this type of music and dance their socks off? Or elderly aunts etc who might not get up and dance? It really is a lot of money, but IMHO it's the music and the party atmosphere that makes a wedding great. If it were my wedding, I'd try to cut down expenses on things like flowers, photographer, even on the dress but splash out on entertainment. (I don't know if I could stretch to 3K for the band but would love to!)

When my brother got married there was a band they really wanted but couldn't afford so family and close friends paid for it as their present. They said it was the best present ever because it really made their day.

Tigger

Spring break are great performers
I saw them at a friends wedding and they really put on a good show
I asked the groom how much they cost and nearly choked
But they were great

Rosy Posy

I went to a wedding recently where the band and dj were awful- they promised to play a list of requests and instead played shyte. The bride afterwards said she wished she had forked out for spring break or else just made her own playlist. IMO there's no point paying mor money for a mor band - either splash out or save the cash entirely. We were lucky for our wedding all the music came from the guests- we got a good few gifts of performances!

clint_silver

BizzyC wrote: »

No idea what you mean by that....

its worse then that, he's dead jim!

melekalikimaka

clint_silver wrote: »

its worse then that, he's dead jim!

we come in peace....

pooch90

So, what we're saying is that unless a band is over 2.5K we can assume they're probably shyte?
A bit of research and you can find a very good band for an acceptable amount.

Throwing money at a wedding won't guarantee it'll be good.
For 60 guests, no way would I spend 3K on a band for 3 hours.
I'd want written guarantees that every guest will dance for an extra €50 a head!

Ash.J.Williams

I've seen Spring break at work and although there are bands for half the price, they have something extra, and that's what you are paying for. It's the first time i've seen their price and to be fair it's not bad for one of the leaders in their category, for example they were the house band at the taste of dublin one year and it was a stand out year because of them.

From my own experience of attending weddings, something to take into account, you shouldn't have all the old aunties and uncles sitting as far away as possible from the band with their fingers in their ears too!!!

homemadecider

Thanks for all the replies. It's a tough one as we're on a budget, but I definitely do prioritise entertainment and I know that all our guests would love this band. I should have said there won't be any old grannies or aunties at the wedding as it'll be immediate family and close friends only (hence the small size). 3k is a lot of money but I have to say at every wedding I've been to I thought the band was ****e, they all play the same cheesy stuff and I hate it. If we don't book Spring Break then I think we'll just go the DJ and ipod route. Still trying to figure out if I'm mad even thinking about paying this much!

lazygal

I posted how much we paid. Our band were great, with no sticking to a set list or crappy banter. I still think if you do your research you'll get a band for less money. You need to be careful (I've seen two weddings die a death with a poor choice of band, not necessarily cheap but not suitable for the crowd) but most bands put on a good show and aren't as expensive as the one in the OP.

Book them. They are worth every cent, if music is a priority for you. Spring Break made our wedding. Most definitely a cut above other wedding bands, and I say that confidently having attended at least 30 weddings.
Music, food and drink were our priorities and we splashed out on those things.

A_Sober_Paddy

€3k for a band...Seriously that is stupid money, that could fund a serious honeymoon

grahambol

homemadecider wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. It's a tough one as we're on a budget, but I definitely do prioritise entertainment and I know that all our guests would love this band. I should have said there won't be any old grannies or aunties at the wedding as it'll be immediate family and close friends only (hence the small size). 3k is a lot of money but I have to say at every wedding I've been to I thought the band was ****e, they all play the same cheesy stuff and I hate it. If we don't book Spring Break then I think we'll just go the DJ and ipod route. Still trying to figure out if I'm mad even thinking about paying this much!

I always believe the band (or any entertainment) is very important but just as important is the crowd. I have seen the best of bands end up with an empty floor just because the crowd just won't dance.:(

I was at a wedding recently where the couple hated "the usual cheesy wedding stuff" and booked a cool band from Dublin that played the music they were into. I thought they were quite good but unfortunately the dance floor was almost empty all night. The DJ came on afterwards and played Footloose and Grease (ultra-cheesy) but the dancefloor was packed!! As much as people hate the usual old wedding cheese, it seems to work most of the time.....

lazygal

It can depend on the couple and venue too. One of the best bands I saw at a wedding were a rat pack style ensemble with brass section. Amazing sound and repertoire but the bride and groom set up camp in the bar outside the function room and the floor was empty most of the night, unless they were up dancing. Such a waste, they'd have been better off getting a DJ.

Meangadh

Was at a wedding they played at and they were absolutely brilliant, definitely one of the best bands I've seen/heard at a wedding and I've been to a fair few! They do genuinely give an awful lot more, and it's not just the music but the whole experience.

The main reason it worked though was because me and my friends are into them anyway, often going to their gigs when they play so we knew exactly what to expect. I know my parents' generation though probably wouldn't be as impressed with them.

I'd be wary though that 60 people is quite small for a band that are really at their best with a big crowd in front of them, I just don't know if it would be the same so it's a huge risk to spend that money if it doesn't pay off.

pooch90

Was at a wedding at the weekend with a big name and expensive (over 3 and a half thousand) band playing.
Band were good.
Nobody dancing, waste of money!
More people on the floor for the tacky songs played by the DJ at the end of the night.

Even if half of the OP's crowd dance, that's 30 people for 3 grand.

Honey-ec

I'm guessing a lot of the people thinking it's mad money to even consider spending on a band have never seen Spring Break. They are in a completely different class to pretty much every other working band out there. I wouldn't even consider them a wedding band, tbh - they are an extremely successful gigging band who also happen to do weddings.

Having said that: I absolutely think the old adage "know thy audience" applies here. If your 60-people guestlist is made up primarily of people who won't dance, then you're wasting your money, no matter how much you love the band yourself.

For what it's worth, our wedding band cost 3k and while some people clearly think that's a criminal amount of money to spend on a band, the dancefloor was jam-packed all night and loads of people commented on how much they loved the music the next day. To me, that's money well spent.

PhoenixParker

I've seen Springbreak, both at a wedding and at a gig.
They are amazing, completely and totally worth the money if you have a crowd that'll appreciate them, get into the spirt and spend the night up dancing.

However, I kinda doubt that a 60ish person wedding is the venue for them to really shine, or for the bride and groom to get value out of them. Any wedding I've been at that had fewer than 100 people had very few people up dancing, probably because 60-70% of the crowd was composed of relatives rather than friends.

You know your own crowd, how many of the 60 are genuinely likely to dance the night away?

clint_silver

Honey-ec wrote: »

For what it's worth, our wedding band cost 3k and while some people clearly think that's a criminal amount of money to spend on a band, the dancefloor was jam-packed all night and loads of people commented on how much they loved the music the next day.

In my experience, most weddings are like this. You do kind of get more of a guarantee of you get what you pay for with the higher priced bands though.

Northern Monkey

I was at a wedding last week with spring break as the band and they were amazing. I'd never heard of them before and I have been raving about them and the wedding ever since. I don't dance at all, but I never left the dance floor all night!

Viserion

If you have the money to pay for them, get whatever band you like but as someone else said, know the audience.