How much should we pay for an average band?

We had a great band and we paid just short of £1000 in the East Midlands.

We're paying £875 for a jazz quintet in Northern Ireland. We've been quoted anything from about £600 up to £2,000. I think it just really depends on location and what type of band you want - some of them will send you a complimentary CD beforehand if you want to listen first or you may be able to find some of them on youtube. I suppose it also depends if it's their full time job, or just something they do at the weekends.

Our band in the South-East is £950, which was the same as the quote we got from another band. I think it depends partly on how many band members there are, how experienced they are and how long you want them to play.

We have been quoted between £500-£1200 In the west coast of Scotland.

Were paying £1300 for ours but they come with a dj for when the band take their breaks as we didnt want the atmosphere to die down.

We used Function Junction and sourced the band through them they have been really good

Oh yeah, should have said - our band dj between sets.

We found ours through alivenetwork.com

The price will differ depending on how many members there are, how far they are to travel and if they are a 'functions band'.

Functions bands can charge a whole lot more as they usually have a large catalogue of songs and can take requests.

My H is in a band and he says that approx £100 per musician is about right.

We paid £600 for our band (6 members) but they were a local band who we loved and we let them just do their own thing!

Keep in mind that you may have to feed them too during their break. We had bacon baps and veggie sausage rolls during the evening so we told them to help themselves!

We didn't look around for a band. We are both members of a social club and every Saturday they have a band. We had seen 1 particular band play a few times at the club and when it came to music for the reception, my partner didn't want a DJ, he wanted a band and we went with the best band we had seen at the club. It will cost us 350 pounds and they are a really good band and play music that everyone will know. We live in Surrey.

I would say you normally get what you pay for when it comes to a band. If it's a 4-5 piece band, then normally around a £1000 is a reasonable price. Some charge more and some less, but either way I would check the following to ensure you have the right band for your wedding

1) Go to one of their live gigs or see if they have any video clips on their website. Don't just rely on audio recordings, or recommendations from friends or family. I strongly recommend you check things yourself.

2) Book them in advance, 3-6 months is fine, and pay a deposit. If they are professional they should have a booking agreement for you to sign. Also, check to see if they have public liability insurance.

3) What repertoire can they play? You want music that caters for all your guests tastes, some oldies and some modern songs

4) How long can they play for? 3 x 45-50 minute sets is average with breaks in between. That way the band can provide music for 3-4 hours. Check to see if they have some music they can play on an iPod or something during their breaks

Good luck!