Guide To Wedding Band Prices
Live Wedding Band Prices Scotland
So how much does a wedding band cost? As a rule of thumb you'll need to budget at least £250 per band member with the average price of hiring a live wedding band in Scotland coming in at about £1200. This cost is variable however depending on a number of factors.
When you’re planning a wedding, the first question you want to be answered is “how much will my wedding day cost?” This will help you budget and identify the compromises you have to make and which elements of the day are non-negotiable. You’ll want to know the prices for the venue, the caterers – everything – and how these will affect the look and feel of your wedding day.
One of the most frequent questions a bride or a groom ask is “how much does a live wedding band cost?” You may wonder why it’s so difficult to find out the price for a wedding band online and why music agencies and entertainers alike don’t display their costs on their websites. So we thought we’d lift the lid on all the secrecy and give you an honest idea of how much a live wedding band will likely set you back.
how much will my wedding band cost?
Whilst live wedding bands can cost between £600 and £1500 the main reason that you can’t find a more accurate answer to your Google search is the sheer number of variables involved in hiring wedding entertainment. The cost will depend on (but not be limited to):
The Band:
The band’s experience
The band’s size
The type of band you want
Whether they are insured or not
• Your Wedding
The location of the wedding (in relation to where the band is based)
The date of your wedding
The time of your wedding
The length of time you would like the band to play for
Whether the band needs overnight accommodation
Travel expenses
So with all this in mind, we thought we’d give you a brief breakdown of these dependencies and what effect they’ll have on the overall cost of your wedding entertainment.
The Band
At Music For Scotland our bands are all highly experienced and professional so, no matter who you choose, you can rest assured that you’ll be getting the highest possible quality of musicians.
The standard prices for our bands range from £1050 to £1350 for weddings taking place within an hour of Edinburgh and Glasgow. These prices are all-inclusive of VAT , insurance, and all of the other elements required to get your chosen band rocking your wedding reception - you won’t be hit with any hidden costs. The total fees are usually dependent on the size of the band but generally, our groups have between 4 and 6 musicians. For your buck, our bands will play between 20:00 – 00:00 with a break for the buffet. If you’d like to keep the party going longer, you can add additional hours and this generally costs between £75 -£100 per hour.
If you’d like to go for more than one style of entertainment (a string quartet / harpist for the ceremony or a DJ for the after-party in addition to the live band) then we can negotiate packages to find the right combination for your big day.
When you’ve decided on your wedding band and made a booking, we’ll usually ask for a £250 deposit with the balance being paid to the band themselves on the night. Arrangements can be made with the band to pay in advance of the wedding to avoid having to carry around cash on the night.
The Wedding
A lot of the costs for live entertainment, will depend on your big day itself. The usual factors apply – high / low season, weekend / mid-week ceremony- and others need to be considered alongside these.
If you’re getting married in or around the area your wedding band is from, the costs will naturally be lower. If your venue is further away and requires additional transport to get to it (planes, trains, ferries and such like) the additional extra costs and extended travel time would need to be taken into consideration as well.
In addition, if the wedding venue is located further than a 2 and a half hour drive away, accommodation will need to be considered for health and safety reasons (our musicians are very enthusiastic and are fully committed to making sure everyone is having the maximum amount of fun during your big day and no one wants the band falling asleep at the wheel on their way home!) Usually, this costs no more than £140 for the whole band and could be cheaper depending on the size of band and the accommodation. These costs can either be added to the overall fee or the client can pay for it separately if that’s more convenient.
It's Worth It!
So there you go – we hope this guide has given you a better idea of how much a wedding band costs and what’s behind the price tag. It may seem like the prices for live bands are high however if you take into consideration the amount of planning and preparation that goes into entertaining guests at a wedding as well as the fun live entertainment adds to the big day we hope you’ll think a live band is worth it!
Please feel free to browse our fantastic bands and, if you would like to find out any more information, just give us a shout and we’ll be happy to give you any further information or advice based on your specific requirements.