Our wedding bookings were often referrals from people who had heard us at other weddings, so they knew what they were getting and what we'd charged, anyway.

We were generally the dance band (for people who wanted folk and ethnic dancing)and I generally charged by the musician, because often I'd have to add say, a clarinet for Klezmer, or a caller, or a drummer or an Irish fiddler. Also, as a safety measure, I made sure that I always had someone who was a good sight reader(I kept a stack of fakebooks in the car), because there were always last minute requests. I tried to pay the other musicians more than they usually got anywhere else, so they were always glad to play with me, a strategy I highly recommend...