Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Band at Your Birmingham Alabama Wedding

Outdoor wedding reception with wedding party dancing to live band in Birmingham Alabama

Congratulations on your engagement!! You must be overjoyed with excitement and ready for your next steps to start planning your wedding! Here at The Stables at Cypress Creek, wedding venue in Tuscaloosa Alabama we know that choosing the perfect live band for your wedding reception can be a game changer for your special day! What type of energy/mood do you prefer to celebrate with your friends and family? To help you get started with planning your wedding this article will tell you everything you need to know about hiring a band at your Birmingham Alabama wedding.

What is Your Ideal Budget

Choosing the right budget for your live band at your wedding reception is a huge decision your wedding planning process. The costs of hiring a wedding band can vary which is dependant on several factors. Key factors include the number of musicians in the band, how far they have to travel to get to your venue, how many hours will they be performing on site and what is their level of experience.

Live band playing at an outdoor wedding venue during the reception in the fall in Birmingham Alabama

Be sure to ask the Band

How much do they charge per hour.
Do you want the band to perform during the wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, wedding reception.
Is their added cost for a longer distance for the band to travel to your wedding venue destination.
Is their any additonal cost for lighting or sound equipment or for a dj for the after party.
What requirements do you have on the day.
Will the singer from your videos be the singer at my wedding.
How long is each set typically.

As a general rule, for a professional wedding band, you should expect to pay between $400 to $500 per musician. That means an acoustic duo would charge in the region of $800 to $1,000 a three-piece band charges approximately $1,300 to $1,500 and a four-piece wedding band in the UK would cost about $1,800 to $2,000 to hire for your special day.

At the top of the scale, there are other large show-bands that charge anywhere between $5,000 - $20,000 for luxury weddings in Alabama. These groups are usually made up of highly in-demand session musicians and singers who have toured with popular mainstream bands.

So once you’ve decided how much to spend on your wedding band, the next thing you’ll want to do is start getting a few prices from bands that are available on your date.

Live band playing at an intimate wedding venue in Birmingham Alabama

Learn the Rules and Regulations of Your Venue

Noise Level

It's important to know if a venue has certain sound restrictions that could impact the performance of a live band. If the venue is located in the city limits there maybe noise restrictions (certain DB) that the band may not exceed. Most professional bands can cope with sound limiters which allow for the sound to be kept within the venues's sound regulations.

Curfew on Live Music

Most wedding venues require bands to stop playing by 11-12pm.

Intimate wedding reception at an outdoor wedding venue near Birmingham Alabama

Research Local Wedding Bands in Alabama

Once you have decided on the style of music you prefer and the budget, its time to researching local bands that perform at weddings in Alabama. Wedding Planners are a great resource to help you narrow down your search results. They are fully aware of how bands performed for previous clients and also can give you a most recent price point for the specific band they are recommending. Be sure to check availability for the band on the day of your wedding before you do hours of research.

Now that you’ve decided on the style of band and your budget range, you’ll want to start seeing which groups are available on your wedding date.

Look for recent video posts from the band you are intrested in hiring. This should give you an idea of how they sound live and what type of energy they bring to your wedding. Check and see if the band has any reviews and how recent are the reviews. More than likely you can ask a friend or recent bride as to their thoughts on how well the band sounded.

Local Birmingham Alabama band playing at an outdoor wedding venue in Birmingham Alabama

Schedule a Meeting with the Band

Whether it's in person or virtual make sure you have a discussion with the band about what your expectations are for them.

If your day timeline is laid out clearly you will know if the band can work with your timeline to make sure your day goes as planned. How much time will the band need to set up and do a sound check. Most bands will take between 60 - 90 minutes to get set up and sound checked. The sound check is an essential part of the band's preparation and ensures they will sound as good as they can once they start performing. The soundcheck can sometimes be a little bit noisy - so if you are having your wedding breakfast or dinner in the same room as the band, you might want the band to arrive earlier in the day to carry out the soundcheck.
Review the bands previous set lists and any song request you may have to see if they are able to accommodate you. What song would you like for your first dance or father-daughter dance? Be sure to ask about the sound equipment and lighting that the band will bring, and if the venue can accommodate their needs.
Discuss the details of the contract. Now that you have finally decided on a band make sure you have a written contract that outlines all the details- performance times, song request, hourly rate, how much per hour if you exceed the agreed upon time, payment terms, cancellation policies, deposit fee and any other special request you may have discussed.

Southern Rustic Chic Outdoor Wedding ceremony in the spring near Birmingham Alabama

Booking Your Wedding Venue

Booking your wedding venue should be at the top of the list as you embark on your wedding planning journey. When choosing a venue, be sure the venue has plenty of space for your guests, a bridal suite and grooms room, and fits your overall wedding vibe. Fall weddings are very popular in Tuscaloosa, with many dates filling up 9-12 months in advance. If you are planning a fall wedding near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, we encourage you to reach out to us and schedule a tour of our venue! Once you tour our venue, we are sure you will fall in love with our outdoor ceremony locations, the bridal and grooms suite, and the location of our venue being next to hotels and restaurants right in the city of Tuscaloosa. If you are wanting to see our venue in person schedule a tour today!