In this piece
Book a wedding band as one of the first things, straight after the venue. The band adapts to your venue, so the place comes first and the music second. Below is the order, with the choices you make along the way.
Why booking early pays off
According to CBS, the Dutch statistics office, most couples in 2023 married in June (15 percent), September (14 percent) and May (12 percent). All those couples are looking for a band on the same weekends. Booking agencies in England and Australia advise booking 9 to 12 months ahead, and 12 to 18 months for a popular band in high season.
A Dutch detail: Friday is the most popular wedding day here, with 29 percent of all marriages in 2023 (CBS). If you marry on a Friday, ask as early as you would for a Saturday.
The timeline
| When | What you do |
|---|---|
| 12 to 9 months before | Fix the venue and date. Ask the venue about a sound limiter, the end time and power near the dance floor. Look for bands and go and see a few live. |
| 9 to 6 months before | Choose the band and put the agreement in writing: date, times, playing time, fee, cancellation. |
| 3 months before | Choose the setlist: the songs that must be in and the songs that are off limits. Fix the first dance. |
| 1 month before | Send the band the running order: arrival, speeches, cake, end time. Name a contact for the day itself. |
| The day itself | The band sets up before the guests arrive and plays to the running order. |
The choices you make
How many sets?
A party night is often three sets of about 40 minutes, with breaks you plan into the programme: around the cake, the speeches or the opening dance. Bands take a break between sets. Six hours at the venue does not mean six hours of music.
Live during dinner, or only afterwards?
During dinner, guests want to talk. If you still want live music while people eat, ask for a quiet first set. American wedding singer Jordan Kahn told Fortune that he lets the tempo build over the night, and brings it down when the room has not warmed up yet. More on that in our archive piece on the dance floor.
Add a DJ?
A DJ fills the breaks and keeps playing after the last set. How to combine the two is in live band or DJ?.
The first dance
Ask the band well in advance whether they can play your song. A band that does not have it in its repertoire has to learn it. With De Peppers you pick a Red Hot Chili Peppers song, such as Under the Bridge or Scar Tissue. See the repertoire.
See the band live first
In 2015, cover band Cherry and the Sugarstuds told NOS, the Dutch public broadcaster, that they hold viewing rehearsals for couples: an hour of playing, so the couple can see what the band brings. Not every band does that, but almost every band plays in public somewhere. Go and watch before you sign. We explain why in our column.
Live: De Peppers
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De Peppers at your party
Wedding, company party, festival or bar: ask about a date, no strings attached.
Book De PeppersWhat to agree with the venue
Ask your wedding venue about its rules on sound and end time. In what a band needs at the venue you find, point by point, what to ask and why. What sets the price is on what a cover band costs. Want De Peppers at your wedding? Our weddings page explains how we work.
Sources
- CBS — Valentijnsdag populaire trouwdag in februari,
- Fantasia Music — How Far In Advance Should I Book A Wedding Band?,
- Easy Weddings — How quickly do we need to book in a band or DJ for our wedding?,
- NOS op 3 — Coverbandjes in mineur door goedkopere dj's,
- Fortune — How This Wedding Singer Earns $1.5 Million a Year,
De Peppers editorial team
Written by the editors at De Peppers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band from Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. Every fact is sourced at the bottom of the piece. Spotted a mistake? Email info@mia-automation.com and we will check it.
