Wedding Gigs - Advice to get more gigs playing at weddings

[tusox]

As we all know the past couple of years have been a write off for live entertainment events including weddings. It seems that the much anticipated return to normal is upon us and I am thinking that with the number of postponed events there would be a high demand to get bands and musicians for weddings. Personally I am not getting as many enquiries as I would like with many weekends still available. Asking out - if you are getting loads of gig enquiries from couples where are you promoting yourselves? I have looked at many wedding vendor directories and they are simply out of my budget - and if truth be told I suspect that with the sheer quantity of listings on places like The Knot chances of a listing being viewed let alone clicked are slim.

[louderandlouder]

I have looked at many wedding vendor directories and they are simply out of my budget - and if truth be told I suspect that with the sheer quantity of listings on places like The Knot chances of a listing being viewed let alone clicked are slim.

I am so pleased that you think this too! I was just looking at getting a listing on a relatively small wedding supplier listing site that charges 150 yearly that has over six hundred entries for wedding entertainment so I agree that being found this way is a long shot. Perhaps check out some of the online agencies and booking platforms - it looks a though they are gearing up to capture the market with various articles about wedding entertainment ideas in which they can promote their musicians and bands along with a variety of other ways to entertain guests.

I suppose you could always dabble with Facebook Ads - but who knows what the true reach and success.

Good luck in your quest to get more gigs

[Paulie]

I've played hundreds of weddings over the years, a ton in Dallas, then a ton in San Antonio. The leaders I've worked with had the most success by establishing relationships with wedding coordinators, the folks that brides use to set up their reception. The best way to get credibility with them is to have a good demo reel you can share with them to show that you are not a hack. A robust set list and some client references will help a ton. Even a simple Wix or Bandcamp website will do the trick, you need to have a professional online presence. Not a ton, just a simple page with a video highlight reel, some quotes, and a quality description of your services. You can post rates as well, or leave contact info... personally I would put rates out there to make it easier for people to shop.

[louderandlouder]

My update. Well I cannot say that the investment was well rewarded. On checking the stats provided by the advertiser the listing for our wedding band had over two thousand "views" however on closer inspection this actually interprets as the listing was somewhere on a very long page of live bands for hire that "may" have been viewed - NOT clicked through! How disappointing and misleading! The suggestion to have a web/social presence is good but we then run into the confusion of the search intent for people looking for a wedding band that can also be interpreted as what we in the UK refer to as Wedding Rings.

Best advice seems to be to smooch with organisers and venues who may recommend your group when discussing planning the big day.

[cosmicdolphin]

Wedding Fayres is another avenue. As the husband of a wedding photographer I have done more than my fair share and they do work. I expect it's a bit like going to the Road Rally. You are basically in a room full of other people all in the same industry , as well couples planning weddings and looking for suppliers. Like the RR you never get a better chance to speak one to one with people looking for what you offer.

Mark

[filmcomp73]

Hey there - this is a slightly older post, but I figured I'd check to see how 2023 has been for you? I run a private events band in CO and to be frank, we can't keep up. 2022 and 2023 have both been at pre-COVID levels for us and then some. I attribute some of our overflow to the backlog of those who had to delay, but honestly at this point, our corporate work has come back and we're at the point of building a 2nd band to accommodate the calls. Hoping that this year has turned around for you.