After doing enough bridal shows and talking to brides about their wedding reception plans on an almost daily basis, we’ve compiled 10 important and frequently asked questions to ask your wedding band.

1. Do You Perform For The Entire Reception?

You’re unlikely to find a band versatile enough to cover everything from background dinner music, special moment music (first dances, cake cutting, etc), and dance music, not to mention it’s a lot of time for a band to cover with little break.

Most groups will run the reception “DJ style” for part of it – entrances, announcements, dinner music, and so on.  This will keep things from being distracting and give your guests a chance to focus on the events at hand.  From there, unless something is arranged with the band to do specialty dances, the band performance is typically around 3 hours, with the before and after sections sandwiched with upbeat DJ music.  Personally, this is our favorite time for us to throw on crowd favorites like The Cupid Shuffle and YMCA so we can put down the instruments and teach you guys some moves.

2. What Genres Of Music Can You Play Live?

3. Can We See You Perform Live?

Make sure you ask if you can see your band perform before booking them. This will give you a good idea of how engaging they are and what the entertainment will really feel like during your reception.  Many bands (including Fun DMC) will fill their off-nights from weddings and private events with dates at local clubs, bars, or fests.  If you do go see a band live, make sure you catch them on break and introduce yourself.  We personally love meeting new people and want to get to know you more personally so we can truly make your wedding reception something special.

4. Do You Take Requests?

A good wedding band will gladly be open to suggestions for tracks that you do and do not want played, particularly with the DJ portion of the reception.  This is your wedding and they want to make sure your tastes and favorites are represented.  You should also have final say over what songs don’t make it on their set list that night.

However, most wedding bands who have been doing this for awhile know what songs will get people moving and what will and won’t go over well.  We’ve experienced a number of situations where the bride and groom have assured us that they don’t want any “cliche wedding songs like the Electric Slide or Footloose played”, in favor of some of their favorite, more obscure songs.  It almost always takes two songs before they’re immediately begging us to quickly play dance music and we always, always have these queued up and ready to go.

We also always keep our pulse to the crowd and people dancing and are always ready to adapt to what they are responding to.  If they’re digging an 80’s tune, we might switch around our set to put more 80s music up next.  If it’s a more country-engaging crowd, we might do a longer stretch of country music.  It all depends on the audience and the mood of the room, so give the band the freedom to adapt to the situation and everyone will have a great time.

5. How Much Time Do You Need To Set Up?

Work with your musicians to play for a time for them to arrive, load in, set up, and most-important – allow them enough time for sound checks so it doesn’t cut into the beginning of the reception.  Every room is different in how it handles sound, so the band will need some time to get everything sounding even and get volumes adjusted to a reasonable volume.  Additionally, they will need to test out lighting, microphone distance (you don’t want them cutting out during toasts!), and the DJ set up.  You don’t want your minister or caterers working on the fly and the same goes for your entertainment.

Check back on Monday for 5 More Important Questions!