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Key advice for function bands to enhance their bookings

It is quite simple really, but a lot of the obvious things that result in an increase in bookings are too often overlooked. Making it easy for any couple to book you is in both parties interest. That means, a single visit to your site may be all you need to get a booking. That does depend on the quality of your site, demo material and of course your response when you eventually get an enquiry. To make the most of each visit you get to your website please see our advice page for function bands. Here you will find a little more detail on how you can enhance your gig diary and end each performance with a happy couple delighted with your service.

Recently we have put in place even more upgrades to Top UK Wedding Bands.

The most exciting change is that we have moved our web site into the “cloud”. This basically means that if one of our server computers has a technical problem the web site should seamlessly keep running by switching over to use another server automatically. As you would expect, this should dramatically increase the stability of Top UK Wedding Bands – we are quietly confident that our web site will now have a 100% uptime!

There have been more behind the scenes changes to help everything run better. For instance, the comments section has been completely overhauled since the last WordPress update caused us some problems and as a result is now much more user friendly. You may also notice our funky new featured graphic!

Lots more updates planned for the near future. If you have a comment or suggestion on how we can further improve Top UK Wedding Bands then we would love to hear from you – please get in touch!

If you decide to book a live band through an agent it is important to make sure that you use a trustworthy company.  Function Junction, for example, have a very good reputation for providing excellent bands and excellent service.  We were very pleased to receive some of their stats with a impressively high satisfaction rate. As well as advising you about choosing a band, their booking terms are easy to find on their website and are written in plain English.  They also have a user-friendly online event coordination form which helps you and the band communicate about all the on-the-day details, so both parties know what has been agreed and what to expect.  If you book with an agent then this is the sort of level of service that you should expect, so stay clear of agencies who are vague about what they do for their money.

Occasionally you come across a wedding that actually runs to the planned schedule but more often than not there are unforeseen delays. Your wedding day running to time depends very much on the people running each individual role efficiently. If something is delayed earlier in the day then this will often have a knock on effect to the later events. Wedding staff will be doing there best to get things back on track without rushing people on so it feels like a natural progression. Stay relaxed and try not not get involved with hurrying things up. Enjoy your day and try where possible to show appreciation. You’ll get a better service with people bending over backwards to please you.

Live bands in every county across the UK

It really doesn’t matter what county or region your are looking for wedding bands in, North West, South East or Central England, this website lists party bands who perform all over the UK. Whereas some of the live bands travel only locally others travel UK wide and even further afield to international weddings. Simply look through the acts and make contact requesting a quote mentioning the location of your wedding. Even where some bands do not normally perform outside a specific region, coving their travel and a nice meal may just sway them to perform at your wedding.

If you are look at this site and based in another European country you’ll be pleased to know that many bands will travel internationally because of the availability of cheaper and cheaper flights. This means it is still worth making contact with the band that you like the sound of. for those people looking from outside Europe, be aware that musicians may require Visas and other documents to be able to perform at your event.

Should I book a wedding band or a function band? More advice before making a booking

It may seem a trivial question but for most people who are searching for bands for hire at their wedding, they may not know the difference, or even if there is one! Generally speaking there is no real difference. However, if you hire a band who advertise themselves as a dedicated ‘wedding band for hire’ then you are likely booking a covers band who are more experienced in the wedding market and therefore understand the needs and concerns of couples booking. These bands will likely have perfected their show to keep all your guests young and old happy and dancing through the night.

That said, if you have found yourself a band who have marketed themselves specifically as a function band then don’t be put off as nearly all working bands will perform at any event. Make it clear what you expect to any of the function bands that you are making enquiries to as they may be happy to make small or even big changes to their set in order to get the booking. It is possible, that you may find that a dedicated function band has a more specific format to their show while a wedding band may have a larger set list dating back through all ages.

Is there a price difference between a wedding band and a function band?

Don’t think that in the case of a wedding band that you are being charged more because they specialise in weddings. The reality is, the all bands for hire consist of multiple members, they carry their own expensive and vulnerable equipment and they will be paying for transport and insurance just to carry out their job. This means that if you are expecting a quality live wedding band at less than £200 per person in the band then it’s probably too good to be true.

The best wedding bands for hire

So you are searching for the best live wedding band but live outside the capital? There are a plethora of bands for hire scattered all over the UK so you should not have a problem finding one in your area or within a reasonable travel distance for them. Most bands for hire will travel around 100 miles to a performance and sometimes even further.  If you are not too worried about the price, then expand your search to ‘wedding bands in London’ as the capital city is full of working bands available for performances right across the country.  Expect quotes to be higher but, if you really like a specific wedding band then you should be willing to pay for them.

Where to go to hire a band

If you don’t want to pay agent fees and you want to hire a trusted function bands then this website allows you to do such a thing. We list only who we feel are the very best wedding bands of the moment. Granted, bands to pay a fee to be listed here which maintains the running of the site but they are only accepted under very strict criteria. We check each submission, so you can be confident you are booking a class act.

So which wedding band do I choose

Look through the bands for hire on this site, make contact with only the ones you like the sound of. Please do not send blanket emails to lots of function bands to get the cheapest price. You are looking for a great band that you will enjoy so start with the demos you like

When should you book a band for hire

Right away! If you delay, then the band will likely be booked before too long.

Welcome to Top UK Wedding Bands, home to the very best selection of bands available for weddings in the UK today.

For Wedding Couples

Couples can browse bands directly from the home page or click through to the specific categories (wedding bands, tribute bands, solo performers or DJs). The more details buttons lead to information about the act – photos, biog, audio, videos etc. and links through to the web site for more info and booking.

For Wedding Bands / Musicians

Musicians and bands can add themselves to Top UK Wedding Bands from here: https://www.topukweddingbands.co.uk/add-listing/

Types of listing

The first step to getting added to Top UK Wedding Bands is to choose a type of listing from the four options:

• Bronze Listing (£5/mnth)
• Silver Listing (£15/mnth)
• Gold Listing (£20/mnth)
• Platinum Listing (£70/mnth)

There are also various listing enhancements which you can choose from. Payments are quick and easy via Paypal and there is no obligation to subscribe for any particular time period. You can create or delete an automatic payment profile using Paypal at any time.

What are the differences between the different types of listing?

Bronze – the entry level listing that includes basic details like biog, photos, vidoes and a link to your web site.

Silver – upgrade to appear above all the bronze listings near the top of your category.

Gold – this listing type is highlighted in the search results and will show up above silver and bronze listings.

Platinum – the best possible listing, always shows at the top of the home page (on rotation with other platinum listings) and includes all listing enhancements.

OK, if your searching the web in India, the USA, Mexico, China or anywhere else in the world looking for a British band to fly out and entertain you at your wedding read on…

You are probably on this website because your looking for the best band possible for your international wedding (that is away from the UK). On our homepage listings you’ll see a number of bands available that are willing to travel worldwide including the top band ‘The Venue’. Visit their page and get directly in contact with them but it is important to be realistic of what to expect. In the case of hiring a UK band to perform outside of the UK you will need to think about the travel and accommodation issues as well as visas in some cases. Always check with the band that all members are legally able to travel to the destination. They may require a little time to check for that particular destination with the relevant authorities.

It is probably best for you to arrange all the flights and accommodation needs of the band such that you can manage the costs yourself. However, bands are often willing to manage this themselves but do expect in these cases to have to stump up a deposit that covers all of these costs as well as up to 25% of the bands fee for the performance.

Always work with a trusted band that can provide strong real testimonials and that can provide references. Booking through an agent may set your mind to rest in some ways but remember you are unlikely to get the very best band available and it will be at a substantially higher cost.

When you have been to all that trouble to plan your Yorkshire wedding carefully by booking a great band, arranging splendid catering and taken care of all those tens of other things you have had to do by your big day, it is reassuring to know you can re-live the moments years later watching your own DVD, enjoying the music again, listening to the speeches, soaking in the atmosphere and reminding yourself of how special your day was.

Yorkshire’s Dunelm Video enjoys a sense of occasion, recording and editing your perfect day in a narrative style.  Packages start at only £595 including 3 HDVideo DVDs and music recording licences. Dunelm are a trusted resource, friendly and experienced videographers.

Tel: 01325 718 188

www.dunelmvideo.com

You may have already read our advice on booking a live band from the homepage menu. The page has been quite a success and we’ve been told several times of how useful this has been to those couples planning their live music. If you haven’t read it then please do so as it will certainly enlighten you with respect to entertainment musts on your wedding day.

So given that we have already given you advice on the live band front and highlighted our recommendations then perhaps you may want to consider a few other great touches to add to your wedding day. Often they cost very little and can make a big difference.

Wedding Fireworks

Surprisingly very few people choose to have fireworks on their wedding day but for every couple that do, they end up giving the wedding an extra unexpected and generally welcomed spectacle. Fireworks, done well and safely are a wonderful addition to consider and should cost you upwards of £400 for a good display.

Chinese lanterns after the wedding reception

Every family attending can be offered Chinese lanterns to let off together to create a marvellous spectacle that lights up the night sky. As they travel ever further into the distance and gain height the effect is that of mesmerised guests that each try to follow their own lantern. Much cheaper than fireworks, and actually giving the guests something to take part in is quite magical. Lanterns can cost as little as £1.50 each. Do try to make sure that they are used responsibly and not set off in areas that may be at risk.

Penny sweets for all your guests

Many weddings leave out a selection of penny sweets that range from Granddads favourite old time liquorice based boiled sweets to flying saucers and cherry drops. Great for nostalgia and perfectly harmless fun for the kids. Dedicate a table to providing a nice display that people can pick on after  dinner. For under £100 you can’t go wrong.

Hire a magician at your wedding

Why not hire a quality magician to move between tables during coffees after the dinner. It’s the perfect time to give 30-40 minutes light entertainment while dinner settles. Guests will be grateful for the time out before you rock their socks off with a live band. A good Magician can cost as little as £250 for an hours entertainment and is well worth thinking about.

Children’s wedding entertainer

For the young children who may or may not be eating with you, you may consider having a separate games room where the young are entertained by a qualified and certified children’s entertainer. If there are many young ones attending, the for a the sake of a few hundred pounds you’ll likely never regret booking an entertainer for a few hours.