If you're having a band.....

Erm none ?

The band we have booked played at my friends wedding and I knew then I was going to book them. I didn't even look at anyone else. Time will tell if that was a smart move!

You can get away with that if you've heard them at a wedding already and know they are good. The only really good band I've ever heard at a wedding myself cost the couple £2000. A little out of my budget! (OK, who am I kidding? 3 times my budget...)

We heard a couple but we booked one that we heard at a wedding fayre. They played at the fashion show and we liked how they sounded and interacted with the audience

AllyMcBear, are you in Scotland by any chance??

Yes I am - near Glasgow are u?

Hey claire who are you thinking of booking i would love a band just cant afford one

We found a band online, loved their website, samples online and put down a desposit before hearing them live...AND even before finalising our wedding date with the venue!!! A month later, we went to one of their regular gigs in the city and thankfully, they rocked and the dance floor was packed, and it was only a Thursday night too. I wouldn't recommend booking stuff this way round because it could have gone wrong.

We've booked a band, admittedly they're Hitched approved! The lead singer has written a 'how to pick your band' guide for hitche. I contacted them and saw some stuff on YouTube then we went to see them and they were excellent! I'd recommend seeing anything your buying first though because you just never know!

I am in Glasgow, and we've booked 'Ernest'. They are the only band we seen prior to booking them, we'd heard so many great reviews about them then went to see them at their showcase and LOVED them after the first song.

I had heard good reports of Ernest too but they were already booked on my date. Didnt even get to see them live lol

We have done the same as Nik Nak. We found a local band who cover the sort of music we are in to and heard some demo's online and paid the deposit without hearing them live as we wanted to secure the date. The way I thought of it was would I be more annoyed to not pay the deposit then risk them getting booked up or would I rather lose £100 if I decide they are crap, so took the risk.

We are planning on seeing them live before the wedding though just to make sure

We went in blind - and thankfully it worked. We had a barn dance, and the band was run by someone I'd met about 20 years ago on a musical project I worked on with a friend.

They had a couple of sample bits on their website which we thought was fine - and of course being a barn dance the caller is as important as the band themselves. She was the wife of a 'celebrity' in the folk music world - who was also in the band - and we got on very well with her, and she did an excellent job on the night.

Probably not the recommended method - but it's not always a bad result!

Oh who did you choose, MrsApplestobe? We're looking for a band too and I know you're local to me ?

We just saw the one band live that we booked. We emailed them beforehand to say that we were interested and checked if they would be avaialble at our wedding and said they would let us know if someone else contacts them about that date. Luckily no one did and after we went to see them they were great

Good to know it's not as stupid as I thought it might have been! We are looking at Moondance, they look great on their site and their sample tunes sound really good. Going to see them next Tuesday so we will see if they are as good as they seem! Never thought of You Tube, thanks for that!

Ally, Rangers fan by any chance? Lol! I thought I recognised the venue in your profile pic, is that Sherbrooke Castle? I'm in Glasgow too (and also a Rangers fan ? )

Anyone down south used a band called The redfords ??

Claire - yes a gers fan lol and you are right its the sherbrooke castle.

Where are you getting married??

We booked our band after seeing them at the Concert Hall fayre - I thought this one was quite good as there were lots of bands there and they also did a lot of showcases. Our band are 2 guys called The Stewart Reid Band.

We are in glasgow too, ended up booking ernest but it was a tough decision between them and the stewart reid band!

I think i'd be reluctant to book without hearing them play live, unless you have people u know personally that can vouch for them

Lol you'd never have guessed ?. We considered Sherbrooke Castle too, we ended up deciding on Duck Bay Marina for the views.

I saw The Steward Reid Band on one of the agency sites I was browsing, they sounded pretty good. Saw Ernest too and they look fab, anyone having them mind me asking how much they cost? Keep seeing all these rave reviews for them! I'm hoping this showcase we are going to see Moondance at will have a few other good bands so we can get a good comparison!

We booked a band with out hearing them live, we found them online, found loads of good reviews and a few clips on youtube and booked them. To be honest it was my biggest worry leading up to the Wedding but I had nothing to worry about they made the wedding for us! I loved them.

Definitely listen to them first - or at least meet them. Bands can make or break your evening reception and cost many hundreds of your hard-earned to hire, and you'll want to get an indication of their trustworthiness, musicianship and approach to their music before you spend your money.

We had a ceilidh and found the band online, listened to a few of their tracks online and booked them. We never heard them live before our wedding. Could have been a bit risky but they were ace. Really made the reception.