Choosing wedding entertainment is never easy. Not only is it hard to decide whether to book a professional act or instead give the limelight to a musician friend or some friends of friends or the act the venue seems intent on pushing on you, but knowing where to look for the right act can also be a challenge in itself.
Once upon a time, high quality wedding acts were few and far between, and those that were of a high standard would be both extremely expensive and booked out months or years in advance. In turn, finding the right act at the right price was very hard indeed. Today, the opposite problem is more common, and the market seems to be flooded with many very similar acts, all of whom have very slick and very professional promotion.
The reason for this shift is simple – the internet and the potential offered by home recording software has allowed those that might once have failed to get noticed to instead shine out, and it is no longer just the best and most popular acts that can afford to record demos and successfully promote themselves. As such, taking the time to find the right act is more important than ever to ensure you do not end up with entertainers who are far from the slick outfit their promotion would have you believe.
WHERE TO LOOK
There are many ways of hunting down quality acts, from online agencies specialising in everything from singing waiters to huge 14-piece acts, right through to wedding fayres that will often feature performances from a selection of local artists. This latter approach can be a great way of finding acts that are close to home and for you to see the quality of any act before you book them. However, such an approach also limits you to a very small number of potential artists.
Online agencies can also be fraught with problems. Not only might they have far too many acts for you to easily find the right one for you, but they may also be tied to certain acts or management companies and in turn may well be obliged to push certain groups over other despite the fact that they may not be the best ones.
As such, the first step is to actually decide on the type of act you want. Some will want acoustic acts, whilst others will be looking for Rat Pack tribute groups and others still will want a string quartet followed by a metal band. Before making a choice, be sure to look at all the available options and choose which will make sense for you as well as your guests.
SINGING WAITERS
One increasingly popular option sure to please guests and the any couple alike is to choose singing waiters. These performers offer a much more personalised and intimate brand of entertainment, singing to your guests during your reception rather than being confined to stage at the end of the night. Such performers will be able to interact far more comfortably and effectively with your guests and in turn give you a show that feels more like wedding day entertainment than a band simply singing up on stage. Add to this a competent and talented DJ for the evening and you could quickly have the whole package.
Finding the type of entertainment that is right for you is the most important step. Once you know what you want, be sure to read reviews of different acts and be sure to look in the right places, viewing genuine videos of live performances, before making your ultimate decision.
About the Author – Adam Howes is a freelance writer, blogger and singer. He regularly writes articles about wedding planning and entertainment, using websites such as www.singing-waiters.co.uk to stay up to date with all the latest industry news and developments.
