the hardest thing for us has been trying to find an excellent wedding band at a decent price.
A couple bands we were interested in were already booked (Code Bleu, Kameleon) for March 04. So we're meeting with bands now.
Does $5000-6000 seem reasonable? I'm reading posts about bands (like Original Faze 4) quoting $8,000-10,000. Is that FOR REAL? That seems REALLY excessive to me! Am I nuts?
We want a band that looks and sounds professional, but isn't stodgy. A band that can play rock, motown, 80s tunes, sinatra, ballads, etc. Not so much into Top 40, KTU music or Celene Dion-type stuff.
any advice?--thank you!!!
juju
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Re: Bands--what's reasonable?
I am fairly new to NY, and we got a band for $6500. Is it reasonable, not by my standards. But, I guess that is what bands run here in NY. Although, I have heard of brides paying $5500. Good Luck
bridejune04
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Re: Bands--what's reasonable?
Look into LI Paramount bands. They are prety reasonablr. Look at Arcadia and Renegade. Their website is liparamount.com
palebride
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Re: Bands--what's reasonable?
our band is about $5000 - Code Bleu from Skyline....they're great!
swags1016
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Re: Bands--what's reasonable?
I am going to STRONGLY recommend Naked Truth. They are very reasonable. They are a tradition in Frankie's family so I didn't get a lot of choice in hiring them and I was nervous. I had no reason to be they were absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!! The dance floor was packed all day! They have both a male and female singer.
FM me if you want their information!!
shawl
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Re: Bands--what's reasonable?
I have a spreadsheet on bands we looked at that I can email you - just FM me your email. In terms of price, it can really vary depending on how much negotiating leverage you have and how many pieces you want. Oddly enough, I found that the starting prices for many NYC bands were lower than for LI bands. We wanted a band that could do big band/swing as well as dance music (esp. 80s and motown) really well, that wouldn't over emcee and would have *good* sound control (important, at least for us!). Our top two choices were Paul Rich Music, which starts at about $700/musician and Vali Music, which is a little more expensive, but they'll match. We ended up going with Paul Rich, but it was really really close. Neither of these bands is really mentioned on this board much (nor are most of the other bands we looked at), so feel free to ask me about them.
And good luck - this was the hardest decision we've had to make so far!
(and remember - everything is negotiable!)
h2k
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Re: Bands--what's reasonable?
I have looked at so many bands ranging in price from $4,000 to $12,000. I think $6500 is a decent price, depending on the band. Some bands aren't worth $50. Secret Ingrediant was fabulous and played everything. The only reason I am not using them is because one of the lead singers is pregnant and due too close to my wedding date for my comfort. I strongly suggest you also look into Renegade and Times Square Orchestras. Neither of those bands were available for my date but the owner/band leader were extremely proffesional, helpful and polite. My friends who attended weddings they played at raved about those bands. Good Luck.
