While shopping around for wedding entertainment can be one of the more enjoyable wedding preparation tasks, it’s not without its challenges. After all, how do you know ahead of time whether you’re picking the right performers for your special day? To figure it out, there are a few key questions that you can ask when it comes time to make your booking – ahead, we break them down.
What’s your experience like?
Just like any other service, you’ll want to make sure that your wedding entertainment has a good track record before signing on the dotted line. Usually, you’ll be able to see some of their previous work on their website, whether that’s a playlist of past music performances, or perhaps a video recording of past shows.
While musical performances will be pretty consistent no matter the event, alternative forms of entertainment may need to adapt their services to suit your wedding day. So for example, you may want to check that your magician is able to interact with large audiences if they’re used to attending smaller-scale parties – or, that your food truck has the facilities to serve potentially hundreds of people at a time.
Asking your wedding entertainment for a rundown of their previous gigs is a great way to get an idea of what they can bring to your special day – you may even find yourself leaving with a fresh dose of inspiration after your first meeting!
Can we talk about payment?
When it comes to payment, you’ll want to ask for more than just the overall cost of services. These details are important ones to get straightened out ahead of time, so you’ll want to make sure you get a full breakdown of all fees including any required deposit, as well as any payment dates and deadlines that you’ll need to meet moving forward.
Your wedding entertainment is very likely to be fairly priced, but if you do have any qualms or queries, this is the moment to bring it up. If you ask the right questions, you can then shop around for the deal that works best for you. Don’t forget, excellent wedding entertainment comes at a price, although it’s always worth the splurge for such a special day.
What’s your process from start to finish?
It’s important to understand how your wedding entertainment is going to fit into the bigger picture of your day, to ensure that each part runs smoothly. You may want to find out what time they’ll be arriving and how long their performance will last, as well as if they’ll need time (and a space) to rehearse before they take to the stage. Each of these details are important to discuss, as you don’t want to leave it until the last minute to find that there’s a crossover in timings, or an overlap in preparation stations.
Ultimately, by asking your wedding entertainment to talk through their process from start to finish, you should get a good idea of what to expect on the day, and can then make any appropriate adjustments to your plans as needed.
What do you need from us?
Just like your guests, your wedding entertainment will be spending most, if not all, of your wedding day with you. So, it goes without saying that they’ll need a lot of the same necessities as everyone else.
Perhaps you’ll need to provide food for your entertainment, or a private room for them to get ready and unpack. Or, maybe they’ll need an accessible entrance to manoeuvre their equipment with ease. While your entertainment is likely to voice their requirements anyway, there’s no harm in making sure that you’ve got all that crucial information before the day arrives.
Make it a stress-free day.
In the lead-up to your wedding, you’ve already got a lot on your plate. So, there’s no reason to make it more stressful than it needs to be. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and get those all-important details sorted ahead of the big day – your wedding entertainment is sure to thank you for it!
Expertly written by Kelly Peterson of Kelly Peterson Consulting
