The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #149179 Message #3470151
Posted By: GUEST,Stim
22-Jan-13 - 06:38 PM
Thread Name: US Musicians: How much $/wedding gig?
Subject: RE: US Musicians: How much $/wedding gig?
A lot of it depends on where you are and what the economy is like there right now, though after a while, it will depend on how "in demand" you are. You are right to be concerned about under-pricing, because weddings often book a long time ahead, and you could find that you have booked a full schedule that you can't afford to keep.
Remember that the work is seasonal, late spring and early summer being the favorite times, you should ask more then. Also, weekends are most popular, more for them, too.
Weddings can be Morning, Afternoon, or Evening--there may be different expectations for each--plan and bill accordingly. If you only play for the ceremony and not cocktails, You could play for a morning, afternoon, and evening wedding on the same Saturday in June. If you are asked to play for both the ceremony and cocktails for a 2pm Wedding, it is unlikely you'll be able to do anything else that day. (don't laugh--once people know you do this, you will be asked, or even begged to squeeze things in, often at the last minute)
Also, remember that you may be asked to prepare special material for the ceremony, and allow for that.
The thing to remember is that a wedding is all about committment--they want to know that you're going to be there and that you're going to play what they want. Make sure you're charging enough to guarantee that you'll be able to keep that committment. Also, make sure you've got the right material, and it's well rehearsed. They're playing for that, too.