When we play for a wedding, we have always returned the money as a wedding gift. It's fun to do it that way. And it also lets us stop at a fairly reasonable hour. I remember one time we played six hours at a post-wedding dance with only one break and eventually all we wanted was to go home. If we knew that playing longer would be reflected in more money it would have been much less fun. This way we presented the wedding couple with the money and in return they presented each of us the next day with a potted blooming plant.

For dances of other kinds we usually add the money to a pot that accumulates over time to be used for a better sound system or sometimes to cover ferry travel to an out of town gig. Generally only those of us in the band who have incurred expenses (copying music, storage, etc) have accepted money to take home. Except one time when I played with a group formed expressly for a barn dance and there were only three of us, we all took our money home. And that was fun too.

As I've gotten older I've found that for me jamming is where the most pleasure is. Second is the various nursing homes. Talk about a high seeing those oldsters get up and dance!

Ebbie