Tips For Planning Music For Your Wedding
These pages contain some information that you should read while deciding on how to organise your night with the Bentley Boys. Please feel free to call us at any point – we love this stuff and we are more than happy to chat! The following questions are answered:
1. How long should I have the band play for?
2. What happens during the breaks between band sets?
3. How do I choose what music will be played by the band over the course of the night?
4. What further steps are involved in the band booking / organization process?
5. Should I have the band play the music for the Bridal Waltz/First Dance, or is a CD better?
6. What do I do if the Bentley Boys are so incredibly good that my guests are overwhelmed?
1. How long should I have the band play for?
Usually, we quote for a 2.5 hour function – this is the “industry standard” length – but it can be lengthened with little cost. Naturally, the band cannot physically play continuously for this entire 5 hour period, and so you’ll need to schedule the band to play at the most effective times. We recommend 2 x 1 hour sets, with a 20 minute break, followed by our DJ service. Also note that we are always very flexible to your needs, and anything can be customized to your plan – this is all just a “recommendation”. Talk to us about your ideas and dreams! He’ll do his best to accommodate (within reason!!)…
2. What happens during the break between the band sets?
As we generally also organise the DJ after the meal, we are all set up to provide light background music during the break, free of charge, just to keep the room buzzing. If you like, you can bring your own CD or iPod for this break, or just leave it up to us if you prefer – we always carry a selection of appropriate background and “dance floor” music. If you are looking for particular music to be played at these times, we strongly recommend bringing a CD or iPod, which we will happily operate for you, free of charge. Alternatively, just leave it up to us.
3. How do I choose what music will be played by the band over the course of the night?
This can be tricky! You must find a balance between 2 things:
Good lead singers pride themselves on knowing what songs to play and when. They have years of hands-on experience, and they will adapt their set every minute to make the best of the night. Sometimes this will include giving your guests a break from the high-energy stuff, and giving the couples or your older guests a chance to join them on the dance floor. And sometimes, the moment will be right just to rock it hard! It is an art that lead singers devote a lot of thought to.
On the other hand, it is YOUR party!! We’d hate to find ourselves playing a song that you have a “pet hate” for, or playing music that is inappropriate for the atmosphere you are aiming to create. So, here is what we recommend – a compromise. Give the lead singer plenty of room to decide what is right for that moment. But give us a good indication of the kind of music that you love and hate. A great way to do this is to look at our songlist on the website.
Tell us 5 songs that you love, and 5 that you hate, will you want a waltz set or not. This will enable the lead singer to customize the night for your personal tastes. Alternatively, just tell us a few sentences about your musical tastes – for example:
“I love Swing, 50s/60s Rock n’ Roll and funk. I hate Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. I love the 80s classics. I love Jamiroquai. I don’t mind a little bit of heavy Rock, for the boys, but not until the last hour of the night, when people have loosened up a bit! I love anything by Frank Sinatra, but nothing too slow. Whatever you do, do not play anything by Bryan Adams.”
We’ll try our best to accommodate specific song requests wherever possible, but a more general description like this is usually the best way to help the boys tailor the music for your night.
4. What steps are involved in the band booking / organization process?
Here are the usual steps involved in booking a band for a private function:
1. Decide on a band.
Decide on the band you want – professional bands will always have demo CDs and showcases. Never book a band that does not – it is a risky thing!! Good professional bands will not be playing in pubs either as they will be too busy on the private events circuit.
2. Quote
Give as much detail about your event as you can at this point, so that we can give you an accurate quote. Maybe your plans are still at an early stage, but that’s OK – just do your best. We pride ourselves on NEVER throwing in hidden extras, and we regard our quote as a promise to not change the price. Of course, if there are very large changes to your plan after your quote, it may involve an extra cost to you.
3. Deposit
Once you are happy with the quote, you can pay a €500 deposit to reserve that night for you – this is usually done via bank transfer, or direct deposit. We will send you bank details. Remember to include a clear reference which is written on your booking form. Also, send us a short e-mail to let us know you made the deposit.
4. Details & Schedule
Now that you have paid a deposit, we are all yours! We pride ourselves on our service, and we are available to chat during business hours, whenever you have an idea or concern. From this stage we’ll start gathering some more details about your function, and this is often done via our internet form.
5. Music Selection
Try to have your song selection ideas finalised by 2 weeks beforehand also. See the earlier section of this page for more information about how to select the music.
6. Confirmation of all details
We will give you a call, usually 4-7 days before the date to confirm all of the details with you. If you have already locked in all of your details solidly before this date, feel free to call us to do this step earlier. We love it when people are really organised and get this stuff done earlier!
7. On the day
The band will usually arrive at your venue 30-90mins before the start time you give us. The band arrival time will depend on the size of band you require for the night. Please check to make sure that your venue is OK with the band arriving before your event starts.
8. On the night
During the function, the band will continuously liaise with your function coordinator (for weddings usually best man or bridesmaid) to ensure that the night runs smoothly. The schedule will usually stray somewhat over the night, and your function manager will keep us up to date. We do our best to help it run tight, but in general, the band takes orders from the function manager, and we rely on their judgement when they tell us to start or stop playing. When they tell us to do something, we usually assume that it is OK with you too. Wedding function managers are usually extremely good at their jobs, and we do not argue with ‘em!
9. Payment
Payment needs to be finalised on the night, in cash. This means that we can then pay the rest of the band right then and there – keeps the boys happy! We recommend giving the cash to a trusted friend/family member earlier in the day – you’ll be way too busy to be talking to the band!! We won’t take it personally if you don’t have time to talk to us on the night :-(
5. Should I have the band play the music for the First Dance, or is a CD better?
Most people prefer to have a CD, since this is the “exact version” of their special song. However, in some cases we can play the song for you. If you prefer, talk to us about how to select a goodsong for this part of the evening. It is important to get it right – it’ll probably be the song that kicks off the dance floor, and your bridal party and parents may also join you after a minute or two, so it’ll need to be appropriate. If you have a choreographed dance, then we HIGHLY recommend using a CD, since this way you can be assured of the speed and form – it will be exactly the same as you have rehearsed. If you provide us with a recording, we prefer an iPod, but a CD is also fine. If using a CD, remember to test the CD on an old CD player first – listen the WHOLE way through the song. You should also write the track order on a separate sheet of paper. If possible, give the CD to a trusted family member earlier in the day.
6. What do I do if the Bentley Boys are so incredibly good that my guests are overwhelmed on the dance floor?
Don't Panic. This is a problem that we struggle with all too often. We suggest that you remind any of your guests with medical conditions to keep their medication on hand. Also remind your venue manager to keep a first aid kit handy, and have a qualified engineer ensure the structural integrity of the dance floor.