You’ll do well by simply starting off with a list of all the things your hoping to get through on your wedding day. Begin with the ceremony through to the pre-dinner drinks, the reception and dinner, speeches and cutting of the cake before you hit the dance floor with your first dance. Perhaps you are not planning for all these things and want something a little more simple. Maybe you’re going to plan every detail including your exit and farewell drive to your hotel room or honeymoon destination.
Regardless of the complexity of your wedding your list of events is really important. Writing them down in order, starting with the final event is a good idea. You can then work backwards such that everything fits in time. You are better off leaving reasonable gaps between the ceremony, reception and evening party rather than cramming everything in as early as possible. This means you wont have your guests waiting around for long periods getting tired and a little restless.
With the hundreds of weddings I’ve been to you can bet your bottom dollar that things will run late. Usually this is a function of the best man (and other speeches) running on and on. Weddings that do stick exactly to the planned schedule are often rigid and the bride and groom are more conscious of timings than the fact they have just got married.
The more flexible you are with timings on your big day rather than being rigid to your proposed and contracted timings, the better your wedding will be. Stay relaxed and enjoy your day.
Very often you’ll have a very tight schedule and you will want things to run smoothly and to time. Up to the point where the best man takes the microphone it normally does. One hour later people have been known to be falling asleep round the fringes of the room with the best man continuing to enjoy his moment of glory as if it was a substitute for not making it into the Manchester United football team earlier in his life and scoring the winning goal at a final in Wembley. You feel powerless and have the sit there for the duration while he inflicts wounds to your memories of the evening.
OK it is not always like that. More often than not the best man makes a good speech and doesn’t humiliate anyone too much. Here are a few guidelines for your best man to keep him on track. Feel free to point him to this page for a read and he as well as your guests will appreciate it.
Guidelines for the best mans speech
– Keep it under 15 minutes if possible
– Introduce yourself ( not everyone will know you )
– Try not to be too funny but humour is good
– Be sincere
– Do not bring up past relationships
– Keep a positive sentiment
– Share a few good memories
– Give some attention in the speech to the bride and not just your mate who she has just tied the knot with
– Speak loudly and clearly
–Make large notes if you are not a good speaker
(also have a back up copy handy)
–Do not read an essay
–Write the speech notes yourself
–Wish the couple a happy future together
–End the speech by asking all to raise their glasses
–Perhaps offer to shake the hand of the groom and offer the bride a kiss on the cheek.
All these things may sound obvious but the times I have heard speeches that have ended up a disaster. Good luck and remember you only get one chance at this…
So you’ve said your vows, exchanged rings, filled up on food and now comes the long awaited first dance. Ah, that ever memorable dance, the perfect photo opportunity and the moment all your wedding guests stand and watch as you awkwardly sway together. What could go wrong?
If you have already picked the perfect first dance song you should have no problem at all. But when it comes to actually choosing a song – it can be tricky. Most couples will decide on a tune that means something to them both. Some quirky couples may pick something more alternative and a little out of the ordinary.
If you haven’t decided yet then you need to be careful with your song choice and really have a think about it. A love song you think is beautiful and romantic may actually be about a break up and have really inappropriate lyrics. Not exactly what you want to mark your long future together. These are the first dance songs you really want to avoid. And so, the list of first dance songs to avoid begins.
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
This is top of our list purely because it will be a strong choice for a lot of people. It’s slow, it’s beautiful and it’s about love. So what’s wrong with this one?
Well, this song is actually about a break up. If you delve into the lyrics and look beyond the main line ‘I will always love you’ you will actually see that Whitney is singing goodbye:
‘So good-bye Please don’t cry We both know I’m not what you, you need’
This is really not appropriate for your first dance as husband and wife. Pick another.
Marry You – Bruno Mars
So this seems like a really easy choice for some of you. Bruno Mars is pretty awesome and this song is about getting married. It’s not too upbeat and something you can dance to. What’s the harm?
Yes, this song is about getting married and clearly Bruno wants to marry this girl. Again it’s a song with very inappropriate lyrics:
Cause it’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you
Essentially he is saying that getting married is a pretty stupid and dumb thing to do, so YOLO right? Wrong. Actually looking into the lyrics further, it may be about getting married on a whim whilst drunk:
Who cares if we’re trashed Got a pocket full of cash we can blow
Getting drunk then married just because you have nothing better to do isn’t exactly the best choice to make, so just avoid this song.
A Whole New World – Disney
For the couple who are obsessed with Disney (we don’t blame you), there are plenty of other songs to choose from, out of all of them please don’t pick this one.
Yes the lyrics might be cute however, we cannot stress how unbearable this song is. Particularly since Peter Andre and Katie Price (now divorced may we add) killed this song when they performed it together back in 2006. No one needs to hear it again.
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
We can hear the tuts and gasps already as soon as you read the title. What is wrong with this song? Surely there can’t be anything. Well being honest here, yes it is a rather beautiful song – these lyrics will literally melt your heart:
So honey now Take me into your loving arms Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars Place your head on my beating heart
However, having worked in the wedding industry for a while; literally every couple who ever got married in 2014-2015 had this song as their first dance song and it has been totally overplayed. Please, please be a little more original and pick something else.
Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
For most people it might be a little more obvious that this song is definitely not appropriate for your first dance song, but I’m just going to reiterate to those of you that are looking to be original, that this song should really be avoided at all costs.
Yes it is slow – but this is the only positive point about this song. The title speaks for itself. Don’t pick it!
Anything for Love – Meatloaf
Some might argue against this and, if you are die hard Meatloaf fans, don’t let us stop you- but apart from the fact that this song has been overplayed at weddings, the lyrics aren’t all that appropriate for a first dance song. It starts off quite nice:
‘And I would do anything for love I’d run right into hell and back I would do anything for love’
Seeing these lyrics you may question why this song has made the avoid list. Meat Loaf himself has said that this song is about how far you would go for love. The lyric ‘But I won’t do that’, well we’ll let your minds make up what he means by this. But further on in the song he goes onto explain how their love will die out:
‘ I know the territory, I’ve been around It’ll all turn to dust and we’ll all fall down Sooner or later you’ll be screwing around’
Not something you both want to be dancing to!
Macarana – Los Del Rio
If you’re the sort of couple that hate the limelight and would prefer all your guests to be up on the dancefloor with you, please don’t try and be clever with this one. This is a classic disco song and is garunteed to be on your DJ’s playlist for the night. So don’t ruin your first dance with the Macarana.
It’s too cheesey and the lyrics are in fact, about getting someone into bed. Not really what you want.
A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
We don’t care how cute you think this song is, you have to remember that your life isn’t a movie and no you are not starring in a film.
Again, this is another first dance song that has been over-used. Don’t be like everyone else, be different and pick something else!
Irreplaceable – Beyonce
Eveyone loves a bit of Queen B and this is a fantastic song. Looking at the title you may think this song its about a loved one being irreplaceable. However this song is far from it and is in fact a break up song:
‘I can have another you by tomorrow
So don’t you ever for a second get to thinking
You’re irreplaceable’
We don’t care how much you love Beyonce, play it safe and pick another song as this one is definitely not appropriate.
Every Breath You Take – The Police
Probably one of the most misunderstood songs since it’s come out, The Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’ is actually excrusiuatingly creepy. Mistaken for an intense love song, when you really listen to the lyrics, you’ll start to realise how stalkish the song is:
Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I’ll be watching you
Unless you’re okay with your partner being this weird, perhaps you should avoid this for your first dance at all cost. Not to mention it also appears on on one of the top creepiest songs of all time.
There are plenty more music choices that just aren’t right for your first dance, but we’ll leave those for you to decide. Whichever song you pick, make sure it’s awesome and above all, special to you both. Enjoy that moment being in each others arms!
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.
Tribute bands available to hire As part of our International Live Music Agency here at TUKWB we are representing a wide variety of tribute bands and artists. Many of these bands come complete with live bands for an authentic and unrivalled experience. We have selected only the very best tribute artists from around the UK and make your booking experience informal and easy. Simply contact topukweddingbands@googlemail.com and let us know which imitation artists you would like to book. Please provide us with as much information as possible about your event, venue, capacity and audience as possible.
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.
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From the start of August 2017 we are pleased to announce we have once again upgraded our hosting. Recently a few members have pointed out problems with uploading large files and occasionally the site speed wasn’t ideal, so we have just completed another server upgrade.
You will probably notice the speed increase straight away as it’s quite noticeable. We have run preliminary tests and it seems like all the issues with uploading large files have now been addressed, although please note there is a limit of 500MB per file. If you are having problems trying to upload a larger file, please use a free compression utility to make the file size smaller, then try again.
If you have any questions or comments about the new hosting or Top UK Wedding Bands in general, please get in touch:
There are many reasons why you may end up a little disappointed with a band that you hire. If you have paid peanuts then expect to be hiring monkeys and for things not to go exactly as planned. However, you do have the right to expect a band to set up at the agreed time and perform at the agreed set times.
If a band is late setting up
Usually bands are very good and arrive in good time but remember that they may be travelling a long way to get to your wedding and are also at the mercy of things like traffic. There may also be other valid reasons why they are late. So you are much better off staying calm and being understanding. The last thing you want to do is confront the band who are already late and put pressure on them. You will just be delaying their set up further and upsetting the very people who are supposed to entertain you. That would never be a good move. You are best off leaving them to set up their gear and if anything simply asking if everything is OK. You’ll soon get a feel for the reasons they are late.
If the music is not up to scratch
If the band is not up to scratch then you should have paid more attention when booking them. They are still doing a job, well that perhaps they shouldn’t be doing, so you’ll have to take some of the blame. Always hire a recommended band such as those you find on this website. That way you will be sure to get a great band.
Badly dressed badly?
OK sadly there are still band that dress up in matching whites or funeral blacks. Make sure you ask what the band will be wearing and insist the they look their best. If you hired through an agent and the band turn up in rags make sure you let the agent know.
Limited set list
Many bands are unable to quickly move out of their standard set list and work an audience. If you notice this the dance floor will go static. Check you bands ability to diversify before you book then.
Always be polite if confronting a band with an issue and if you have booked through an agent and are unsatisfied then make sure you get at least your deposit returned. it is their job to make sure you get what you are looking for. Again, the band on this site have already been vetted so y0u can book directly, cheaper with confidence.
There are a vast range of venues to choose from when deciding on where to have your wedding. You may think about going abroad for a small and intimate event with just a few friends and family or you may decide that you’ll be having your wedding in your own home. However, most people decide on venues like farms, manor houses, town halls or marquees in country pubs.
Location location location
If you don’t want to be too disappointed in the response from your guest list then you may want to think about having your wedding in a place that is located around most of your guests. OK that is unless you are set on having your wedding abroad. You’ll probably find after making your exhaustive list of and family and friends that they cluster around specific areas. You could try to find a nice venue around there as a reasonable starting point.
Out in the country
For some couples it is important to get married in a scenic area. You’ll find many wonderful venues in the Cotswolds including some wonderful pubs with gardens that can house a marquee. Maybe it is not such an obvious advantage of weddings out in the sticks, but the fact is, you will be less likely to encounter strict early deadlines on loud live or recorded music beyond midnight. The disadvantage is the rather costly taxi fares for guests to a suitable place to sleep.
A few things to look out for
– Late music licence
–Late bar licence
–Local places where your guests can stay
–Taxi firms willing to travel a little further
–Friendly experienced staff
–Good online reviews
–Good management
On the last few points, it is those around you who play a big part in making or breaking your wedding day. By that I mean that you should really be conscious of who will be ‘at work’ on your wedding day. You should ask the venue about the staff, their attitude, experience and mention that you expect them to look like they are enjoying working on that day. Far too many weddings have been the workplace of staff who really don’t want to be there.
Presentation of the staff is as important as the venue
Too many wedding venues forget that their staff should not only work hard but that they are representing the couple getting married. I’ve seen weddings in which the manager of the staff has been wearing dirty clothes and look like they have just woken from a deep sleep. It would be a good idea to visit the venue during someone else’s wedding and just popping by to see for yourself the general conduct of the staff.
When you want to hire a live band, you are not only looking for quality music but a number of other qualities that we hope you will find when sourcing a band from our function bands listing pages. Here are just some of the points we think you should look out for.
Excellent customer service from the moment you enquire about availability.
Strong communication skills and timely responses
Customised quote to meet your requirements
Willingness to be flexible on performance timings
Ability to provide quality live music
Excellent presentation on and off the stage
Good quality sound system and basic lighting
Punctuality
Adaptability
Able to advise on the best music to perform at your wedding
Wedding promotion – We are offering some very special opportunities to advertise to the wedding community. To read up on or take us up on an offer read our advertise with us page or send us an email to topukweddingbands@gmail.com.
