People are cutting back in 2009, they’re cutting back on household goods, they’re cutting back on big ticket items, they’re cutting back on almost everything but they’re not cutting back on booking Wedding bands and DJ’s in Essex! You would expect them to ask their mate who knows 3 chords on a guitar and 2 Oasis songs to serenade them at the reception and then choose a play-list on their MP3 player and pop down to the nearest electrical store and find some cheap disco lights and then hope no one notices that they haven’t really bothered with evening entertainment.
You would think that this would be the order of the day but surprisingly there has been a huge rise in the number of enquiries, and ultimately bookings for wedding bands and DJs in the Essex area. The question is why?
The first reason seems to be that couples are finally taking wedding entertainment seriously. This is a huge relief for those working in the entertainment industry, we’ve know for decades that when guests leave weddings the first thing they talk about isn’t the food, venue, the brides dress or presentation, it’s the entertainment!
It actually seems that couples are instead choosing to cut back on other services especially presentation. Why pay an extra £3 per chair cover when the chairs are actually lovely themselves!
Choosing a Wedding Band or DJ can be a difficult and lengthy task so here are a few pointers to help you along your way.
Choosing a Wedding DJ in the Essex area
• Try and get a recommendation from a friend or from the venue you have chosen, if the Wedding DJ is a preferred supplier of your venue they will have won this contract for a reason and normally it’s because they’re great!
• Find out about the Wedding DJ’s equipment and lights, this sounds a bit scary but as long as the DJ seems to know what they’re talking about you don’t have to worry. As a guide if they say they have a 1k rig and over 6 lights this is good news!
• Ask for references. You wouldn’t hire someone for a job without asking for a reference would you? So do the same with your Wedding DJ. Make sure you get telephone numbers or e-mail addresses as if they give you references without these on then they’ve probably made this up!
• You get what you pay for. If they’re really cheap they’re probably less experienced so you’ll have to take a gamble. Saying that if someone is charged over the £500 mark make sure they’ve got the best gear and they’re really helpful otherwise they might be overcharging.
Choosing a Wedding Band in the Essex Area
• Try to see them live, the singer and guitarist from most professional bands will also play on week nights at bars or hotels. Even if you only get to see the singer live it’ll be a really good indication of what the full band will be like so it’s worth doing. If the band don’t do any public gigs then see if they have any live recordings or any video.
• Make sure they’re professional. If all they do is play music they are going to work much harder for their money and they’ll have time during the day to learn any songs you want.
• Check for hidden costs. Some bands give you a price e.g. £800 and then add on travel £200, accommodation £200, food £50, learning the first dance £50 etc and before you know it the price has gone up by £500. Try and get one price for everything.
Good luck I hope this article has helped. Remember the most important thing when choosing your Wedding band or DJ is to go with your gut, if you like them and trust them do it, if you have any doubts, however small, don’t!
Simon Baum runs a successful, entertainment agency providing entertainment for both wedding and corporate clients.
If you need any help with your wedding entertainment or corporate entertainment he’d be happy to advise you.
Contact him on 0845 890 8525
e-mail YES Entertainment!
Visit the website
Wedding Bands and DJs in Essex
