7 easy steps to booking a wedding band

Published: 02 Jul 2019   |   Written by: Mike Paul-Smith

Choosing and booking your wedding band is a relatively straightforward process, especially when you are hiring a professional group of musicians such as Down for the Count. Here’s how to book our band for your wedding.

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Photos courtesy of Tim Stephenson and Marius Bukis

1. Check our availability

The first step is to check our availability - you can fill out our booking form, email us, call band manager Mike on 07855 488 462, or if we're online you can click on the little green button at the bottom of the page.

We respond to 90% of enquiries received during working hours within 4 hours, and 98% of enquiries within 24 hours - clients very rarely have to wait longer than that to receive a quote from us.

At the same time that you enquire, you might like choose a date to come and see us perform live or suggest a time we can meet for coffee to discuss your event - however most clients book without doing any of these three things.

2. Decide which line-up(s) to go for

Once you've received our quote, you can decide which line-ups to go for.

Our most popular wedding band line-up is the The Get Downs; but you might like to consider adding music for your wedding ceremony, or background jazz music for your drinks reception to make a totally bespoke entertainment package for your wedding day.

3. Read the articles on our website

Before you confirm a booking with us or any other wedding band, we recommend you read our three articles on noise limiters, venue considerations and our party planning tips to make the most of our extensive experience performing at weddings.

This is also a good time to make sure you can provide what we need for a performance. When you enquire, we'll let you know about our requirements (which vary slightly for our different line-ups). To give you an idea, our party bands require:

• sufficient space to perform - at least 7m by 4m
• a safe power supply (particularly important when performing in marquees)
• a changing room we can use whenever not performing - we politely ask that it has seating for each performer and crew member, a table, power sockets, heating and lighting
• soft drinks - at least four per musician or crew member
• a hot meal for each musician and crew member

The requirements alter slightly for smaller background music line-ups so just get in touch for more details.

4. Secure the booking

When you've decided you would like to book, we will issue a contract within 24 hours and raise an invoice for the 40% retainer fee. This paperwork needs to be signed, and the retainer fee paid, within 7 days to secure the date and confirm your booking.

5. Before the day: keep planning!

Once you've booked your wedding band, we are always just a phone call away - and are happy to answer any questions you may have.

You might like our help when planning your first dance or making some song requests - or you can ask us any questions you may have about the band's performance at your wedding. We pride ourselves on great customer service and attention to detail, and want to make sure the entertainment is absolutely perfect for your special day.

We also ask you to settle the final balance 10 days before the event.

6. On the day: relax and enjoy your wedding!

We've performed at hundreds of weddings over the past 15 years, and know how to make sure everything goes smoothly on the day.

When we arrive at your venue, the band co-ordinator will introduce themselves to the venue staff (and you, when it's an appropriate moment to do so). We'll check everyone is happy with the arrangements and then quietly proceed with the set up and soundcheck, causing the least disruption possible.

All you need to do is relax, enjoy your wedding, and leave it to us to deliver top-class entertainment that your guests will remember for years.

7. After the day: keep in touch

We love hearing from clients after our wedding - whether you have feedback, or want to share your wedding photos with us. We also love catching up with previous clients at our live events, and they often end up hiring us again and again.

Why you can book Down for the Count with confidence

We know that booking a live band for your wedding is a big investment and you want to make sure you are making the right choice.

Here are just five reasons you can book Down for the Count with confidence for your special day.

1. Excellent customer service - we put your requests at the centre of everything we do, to make sure you get the perfect entertainment for your special day.
2. Attention to detail - we go out of our way to make sure every aspect of our service and the band's performance on the day is perfect.
3. Repeat clients - we are proud that over two thirds of our bookings are from repeat clients (or people who have seen us perform at other events). Clients are happy to book us again and again because of the top quality service we provide.
4. Regular public performances - we regularly perform at public events, meaning you can listen to us and meet us before confirming a booking.
5. Our great reputation - we have performed at nearly 1000 events in the past 15 years and have never missed a single booking. As one of the longest-established swing and function bands on the scene today, you can be rest assured that you're in safe hands when you book Down for the Count. If you still need reassurance, take a look at our reviews and let us know if you want to speak to any previous clients directly - many are only too happy to talk to potential future clients about our service!

Any questions?

If there's anything else you'd like to know about booking a wedding band, you can email us or call band manager Mike on 07855 488 462. We'd love to hear from you!

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