For a live wedding band cost, you can expect to pay anywhere from $850+ per hour, depending on the quality of the performance and the band’s reputation.
The entertainment part of the wedding ceremony is an interesting moment everyone gets to experience at a wedding ceremony. Entertainment includes games, jokes, love stories, music, and even oral poetry.
Music is the most important. Your wedding music would get your guests into their dancing shoes.
A live band performing at your wedding would take your wedding from just beautiful and colorful to spectacular, and evergreen as the group of musicians playing live would directly liven up the guests and the couple.
Now, you must have been considering hiring a live band to perform at your wedding. In this article, we’ll look at the costs of hiring a live band for your wedding, factors to consider when hiring a live band, and the average and hourly price of a live band for weddings. Read on.
How much are live wedding bands in the US?
The hourly cost of a wedding band starts from $850-$1,000 per hour or $500+ per player in the band.
However, the minimum cost of live wedding bands in the US usually starts at $3,500 per event.
Factors that determine the cost of a live wedding band
Although it’s difficult to guess the actual cost of a live band at a wedding, you should keep in mind that you’ll be spending thousands of dollars depending on the following factors below. Each element determines how high or less expensive the price of a live band would be.
Time of the year
The first thing to factor in when hiring a live band for your wedding is the time or period of the year.
Hiring a live band for a wedding is usually quite expensive in the late spring, summer, and early fall. In this period, your wedding would be competing with other live events like gala nights, weddings, award ceremonies, and movie premieres.
So, you might want to consider fixing a date during the winter. If your wedding date is in the winter, fees for live bands would be less expensive.
Size of the band
There are many factors that determine the cost of a live wedding band in the US. Considering the band size, you might have to spend extra money on the band’s size. An average band size would consist of 4-5 musicians, each playing an instrument and a lead singer doing their thing on the mic. A standard band size would consist of a lead singer, 3-5 backup singers, and instrumentalists.
Many live wedding bands would want to set the stage. So, the band would take care of the technical aesthetics of the performance, including sound gears, stage lights, and stage designs. You’ll have to pay an extra fee for that aesthetic effect too.
The cost of each player and the number of players usually affect the live band price!
Live event bands can often be surprisingly pricey, especially when you consider that they usually cost $500 or more per player. For live bands to cover your wedding event with seven-band players, you need to budget at least $3,500.
Day of the week.
Most weddings would happen during the weekend— Saturday, when everyone is off work, or Sundays, when everyone is at church.
Famous and experienced live bands would usually get pricey these days of the week. They’ll charge from about $5k-$10k and beyond. So, it’s preferable to book on a weekday like Friday when you’ll be charged less, say about $3.5k.
Location of the wedding event.
Location is another factor affecting the cost of hiring a live wedding band in the US.
For example, Manhattan / New York City is less expensive than Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Live bands in high-competitive areas will cost more than those in less competitive areas. The location where your wedding will be happening is another thing you should consider when you’re thinking of hiring a live band for your wedding.
Band experience and popularity.
The experience and popularity of a band also affect the cost of hiring a live band for your wedding event. If you hire a well-known live band for your wedding, you should be ready to spend at least $7.5k and above.
A group of young, talented musicians just starting and are just beginning to be known in town would charge about $3.5k. That’s if they are less experienced, having not performed many times.
A more experienced live band is a group of well-known musicians across the city or country. They have performed at weddings, festivals, theaters, and movie premieres, and they would charge $7.5k and beyond.
Travel and Accommodations
The travel and accommodation fee of the band is summed up to your bill. So, you might want to consider hiring a first-class band near you to reduce that fee.
Set length/ Performance duration
The set length refers to the band’s time on stage. For instance, an average live band performance lasts up to four hours at a wedding reception.
But if you want a longer time of maximum sounds and beats, then you’ll have to pay for extra time. The set length would also include travel time and pre-time, i.e., an hour before the performance to set the stage and get everything lit.
Wedding event trends, 2022
According to the New York Times, 2.5million weddings are expected in 2022; this is the highest number since 1984.
Many rescheduled and canceled wedding events from 2020 to 2021 are the main reason for the spike in the expected number of wedding events in 2022.
A small fraction of the rescheduled wedding events were couples engaged during the pandemic.
The pandemic forced couples to stay back and re-pan for their marriage:
“When people started quarantining, they started prioritizing their relationships more; they had a lot of time to think about, ‘Is this the person I want to be with?‘ The way I would put it is, love has taken precedence in people’s lives,” Elizabeth Overstreet, a relationship and love coach in Raleigh, North Carolina, said.
Other things to know about your wedding event cost
Live band service for a wedding ceremony cost will depend on many factors.
However, you need to know that the live band you hire will only perform during the dinner/reception (that’s what is included in the standard pricing).
The music for your event is an important detail that is often overlooked when estimating the cost of live wedding bands in the US.
Your live band partner is different from the music provider; they play a different role in your entire wedding ceremony.
It’s essential to book them as early as possible to ensure the best quality experience on your wedding day with music that creates a pleasant ambiance.
They will help make your day feel special from start to finish by providing higher-quality music on your special day.
Music is essential for guest arrivals, the cocktail hour, and the entire wedding event.
So, it would be best to make provisions for live bands and DJs to create a welcoming and pleasant experience on your wedding day.
Live bands are an important part of any wedding celebration, and choosing one is not easy. You also need to consider their cost and what type of music they play on your wedding day.
You might want to ask the band to do other extra things like a shout-out, play a specific genre of music, or put on an attire that will fit the event.
The average cost of Hiring a Live Band for a Wedding.
The average cost of hiring a live band for a wedding range from $3,500 and above.
A study carried out at The Knot results in $3.7k as the average price for a live band at your wedding.
Some bands charge per hour, and most bands give you a flat price of thousands of dollars.
What’s the hourly cost of a live wedding band in the USA?
The hourly cost of hiring a live wedding band in the US can range from $850-$1,000. On average, the minimum hourly cost of a live wedding band is $925 and $3,700 for 4 hours event.
Traditional wedding ceremonies require four hours from a live band.
So, you may want to budget at least $3400-$4,000 for a live wedding band in the US for a 4-hour live band service.
So, what’s the cost of hiring a live wedding band in the USA?
The hourly cost of a wedding band starts from $850-$1,000 per event or $500+ per player in the band.
In context, the minimum cost of live wedding bands in the US usually starts at $3,400-$3,500 per event.
About 4am.tv
4am.tv is your trusted source for live bands, DJs, and event services. We carry a large selection of musical genres to suit any occasion, budget, or style preference.
Get in touch with us for a custom quote for your live band wedding cost.