Saving on Wedding Entertainment During the Credit Crunch

The wedding industry like most others at this time will likely be suffering as a result of the credit crunch. The demand for certain wedding services I’m sure will decline where as others naturally will grow and flourish where there is a need for the cheaper alternative during recession time. Although the savvy wedding planner should always look for new ways to save money, now is the time to really dig deep for those credit crunch wedding offers and make the savings wherever possible.

The cost of quality wedding entertainment can often take up a significant portion of the average wedding budget and so it is in this area that it’s most important to make the right sorts of savings through the right methods.

Here are 5 simple ways in which you can save money on wedding entertainment during the credit crunch without compromising on quality:

HIRE A WEDDING SINGER

After just a few short visits to the top UK wedding forums it was quite obvious to me that when it comes to planning their wedding music couples simply aren’t aware of Wedding Singers and what a good Wedding Singer can bring to their big day. The sorts of forum post titles that I regularly come across when it comes to live wedding entertainment are things like “Can anyone recommend a good Band in …?”, “Does anyone know of a good Wedding Band?”, “Any recommendations for a good Wedding DJ in …?” etc. What people don’t realise Is that there is a much cheaper alternative to hiring a 4 or 5 piece Wedding Function Band!

Most Professional Wedding Singers work as Solo Vocalists providing a self contained entertainment service. Self contained means No Live Wedding Band. The backing music/ instrumentals are played from a laptop or other media device, so your wedding guests hear the same Big Band sound, just without the Big Wedding Band. A Wedding Singer is quite simply a One Man Band, therefore it is often cheaper paying for one talent, as opposed to paying four or five. The difference in credit crunch savings here, between a top Wedding Singer and a top Wedding Band can be, in some cases, thousands of pounds!

There are also a few other non-monetary benefits to hiring a Wedding Singer as opposed to a Wedding Band such as:

• A smaller amount of space taken up with music equipment.
• More control over music volume, which keeps the wedding venues happy.
• The possibility of appropriate audience interaction from your Wedding Singer.

BOOK YOUR WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT DIRECT

This one can also often make quite a significant difference to cost, quite often of a few hundred pounds. With live wedding entertainment you can either book through an entertainment agency or book direct with the Wedding Singer, Band or DJ. A wedding entertainment agency will either charge the artist a percentage fee or they will charge you what they call a booking fee for their entertainment booking services. Either way you’ll generally end up paying more for your live entertainment package. If you DO decide to book direct however It is very important to make sure that the Wedding Singer, Band or DJ is used to working as Self Managed and will provide you with invoices, receipts, contracts and anything else that you would expect in order to make your wedding entertainment booking secure.

OPT FOR A 12.00 AM FINISH

Finishing your evening wedding reception at 12.00 am instead of 1.00 am is a great way to save money during credit crunch time. Not only can you save money on your wedding entertainment venue, but this can also reduce the cost of your live wedding entertainment. DJs, Bands and Wedding Singers will often charge an extra fee for this additional hour of entertainment. The other added benefit of this is that your wedding tends to finish on more of a high note, as more of your wedding guests are still present and still relatively sturdy on their feet and so can join you for your last dance.

NEGOTIATE ENTERTAINMENT FEES AND TIMES

Again during the credit crunch many wedding entertainment businesses, large and small, will be feeling the pinch and so may be willing to negotiate their cost and/ or wedding music services in some way. As it tends to go with other very good quality products, a popular Wedding Singer, Band or DJ won’t feel the need to negotiate their prices, however what they may be able to do is tailor a more specific entertainment package, for example – Performing for less time, for a lesser fee. Some wedding entertainment providers, (though not all) may also provide their services for less during off peak months. At the end of the day it doesn’t harm to ask.

A FAVOUR FROM A FRIEND

If you have a family member or a close friend who is a Wedding Singer, Wedding DJ or who performs in a Wedding function Band then now may be a good time to call in that Credit Crunch Favour! Obviously this isn’t something that I’d recommend you consider lightly. You should always book someone who is a professional and well experienced in performing for Weddings, but if you’re fortunate enough to know someone who fits the bill and who you know will do a top job then you may want to propose your cheeky wedding gift idea. A full time wedding musician couldn’t really be expected to give up a booking date (and therefore a portion of their full time income) for free, but you may save a little money on their existing wedding entertainment fees.

So there you have it – Five great way to save on wedding entertainment during the recession. Watch this space for more useful wedding entertainment and music tips.

Luca
Wedding Singer
www.VocalShow.co.uk