Wedding band cost

din090782

Hello. Looking to book a band next year for a wedding. I like a couple of bands but they cost 2800 for a band and dj (5/6 piece band). From people's experience, is this crazy?

noanoa

The band I love is the same, €2800. It is on the more expensive side.
Other bands and DJ are about €1600 - €2000. Went to see loads of bands but kept coming back to our first choice, in the end we went with them - Better start saving now!

fits

Im paying under 2k for band and dj. But its mates rates and they wouldn't be very well known as a wedding band.

din090782

Thanks Noa. I'm in the same boat as yourself! Looks like I may not be the only one saving for a band!

Uriel.

circa €2k for me also but got a bit of deal also

Mayo Miss

Some are mad prices. I have no intention of going over the 2 grand for band and dj together. I ain't made of money!

I have priced one band with dj coming in at €1800, hoping to check them out this weekend. And if I can talk them down in price I will.

din090782

Thanks Noa. I'm in the same boat as yourself! Looks like I may not be the only one saving for a band!

din090782

Thanks Noa. I'm in the same boat as yourself! Looks like I may not be the only one saving for a band!

BOND747

A lot depends on your wedding date, bank holiday weekends and around Xmas / new year bands and most suppliers charge a premium rate

Liam McPoyle

Band & DJ are costing us €2100.

Faith

That's a normal rate for a top band with 5+ members. We're paying around that for a 5-piece with brass (including travel expenses from Dublin to Cork). Music is one of the core features of a wedding, and sets a tone for the whole night. We were happy to pay top dollar for that particular supplier. We saved in other areas that we didn't feel were as important.

Milly33

It all depends where you looking!! If you are going down the route of going to agents then expect to pay this much.. If you go to gigs etc and get in contact with the band yourself you might be surprised. I get all the who ha saying but were a professional wedding band but I still do not understand why they charge so much it is madness..

We have a 5 piece band and ill tell you they aren't that price

Callanutd

we are in the middle of planning ours and the two things we said we wouldnt skimp on were the Food and the music. The band we ended up going with are covering the church music, drinks reception, main band and DJ for 2800. We think its a great deal for all that. The main thing is that we went to see quite a few bands live and our band were pretty much the only ones that sounded just as good live as their youtube clips.

emzolita

that's about right OP. I don't think it's mad money for what you're getting. If it's a quality band you'll have your dancefloor full for the night, and that will make a great night for everyone.

For anyone who thinks bands are way too overpriced,
The 5/6 members of the band are highly skilled in their field, and have each put time into learning our first dances, or other songs we have requested, as well as a 30+ setlist.
Then they have traveled from all corners of the country to our weddings, with PAs and equipment in their car, to arrive at "8sharp" just incase the dinner is finished on time. (which it never is) so they have to sit in a bar till 10.30-11 paying for teas and coffees out of their fee.
The agent will have to take a booking fee, and there is vat to be paid too from that fee. So at the end of the gig, there's not a huge fee to be split between 5/6 people.

lol, sorry spheel over, I always feel sorry for Cake Makers and bands. I think they get a hard deal when people think of the work they do. "ah sure they're only playing for 2hours" etc, or "it's only a cake" .

Inspector Coptoor

Get a professional dj for the whole thing.
We paid €550 for a DJ, no band.
It was brilliant.
We heard all our songs by the original artists, not being mutilated by a mediocre band.

Andrew at funky functions is fantastic

RMC10

Snap with inspector Cooper.

I paid 550 for a really good dj to play the whole night.

I wasn't prepared to pay the money required for a good band and myself or my other half wouldn't be ones to go to live gigs anyway.

Definitely something worth considering!

clint_silver

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

Get a professional dj for the whole thing.
We paid €550 for a DJ, no band.
It was brilliant.
We heard all our songs by the original artists, not being mutilated by a mediocre band.

Andrew at funky functions is fantastic

And what if the band was fantastic and didn't mutilate any songs?

Inspector Coptoor

clint_silver wrote: »

And what if the band was fantastic and didn't mutilate any songs?

Well then you have to weigh up the cost:value ratio of the good band.

Our wedding cost close to €29k.
The band we were looking at were €4k for the time of year.
Something had to go & for us, it was the band.

heldel00

Just be careful that when your DJ is supplied by the band, that it is not just a lad with an iPad/iPhone pressing play while he helps the rest of the lads pack up the van!!!

clint_silver

heldel00 wrote: »

Just be careful that when your DJ is supplied by the band, that it is not just a lad with an iPad/iPhone pressing play while he helps the rest of the lads pack up the van!!!

Age old argument that will go on long into the night. Good and bad DJs everywhere, with bands, without bands. From hire companies, from agencies, from hotel playlists. Good and bad everywhere. View the DJ like the band. always. or you can have no complaints.

clint_silver

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

Well then you have to weigh up the cost:value ratio of the good band.

Our wedding cost close to €29k.
The band we were looking at were €4k for the time of year.
Something had to go & for us, it was the band.

Are they the only band you looked at, lots of great bands around the 2-2.5k mark or less with a bit of digging.

Not for one second to say there aren't some great DJs out there who can carry the whole night and make it great. 1 or 2 round here somewhere.

Inspector Coptoor

No, we looked at a few, they were all originally in the price bracket you mentioned, then when they heard the wedding was NYE, raised the price to €4k which is extortionate.

clint_silver

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

No, we looked at a few, they were all originally in the price bracket you mentioned, then when they heard the wedding was NYE, raised the price to €4k which is extortionate.

Fair point.

heldel00

clint_silver wrote: »

Age old argument that will go on long into the night. Good and bad DJs everywhere, with bands, without bands. From hire companies, from agencies, from hotel playlists. Good and bad everywhere. View the DJ like the band. always. or you can have no complaints.

This didn't happen to us. We didn't spend all that time, money and effort on our wedding to make a rooky mistake like that.

Just giving people a heads up.