You’ve found the person you want to share your life with.

You’ve chosen the date that will transcend you from partners to married couple.

You’re planning the details that will put your personal stamp on the venue where your nearest and dearest will celebrate with you.

Now for the music! Our belief is that memories are made on the dance floor. Get the music right and not only will your guests will be raving about your big day for years to come, they’ll have some excellent memories of the moment everyone let lose and the party really began!

Choosing the talented folk to create the soundtrack to your big day should be a fun experience. Some couples know exactly what they want and can select, book and lock in those significant musicians or DJs in a heartbeat. Others may find it less straight forward – especially when having to consider practicalities that may have never even crossed their minds!

So we at Après Ski Bands have created a list of Top 5 key things that will guide you towards making the best choices when choosing our crème de la crème of musicians. And whether your event is in the UK, Europe, Switzerland or beyond, our multi lingual HQ is also on hand to deal with all the details so you don’t have to!

 1. Time – when do you want live music and how long do you want this performed for? The clearer you are on this, the easier for will be for musicians to say exactly what’s possible and how much this will cost.

2. Place – Consider where you would like the music to be performed in line with these necessities: Nearby power source? (No power – no projection and therefor, limited sound!) How far away is that plug to the area you had in mind for the performance? (Most artists carry 15/20m of power cable in a normal situation) Is it rain safe? (Damp ground and rain = danger of damage to electrical equipment and even risk of electrocution. Ain’t nobody got time for that!!) Don’t over complicate the day by wanting to have a music in too many places. Loading in, setting up, sound checking and packing down to move equipment takes time and energy – and it’ll cost money! You’re paying for a professional to perform on your special day. Let them serenade you in the pre arranged performance area, not roady their own equipment back and forth, creating gaps in the music time you’ve paid for.

3. Venue – What are you allowed to have music-wise at the venue of your choice? Is there a curfew for the night time party music or a sound limiter that will cut the music if it gets too loud? Are the band meant to be setting up where you may be trying to seat guests for dinner? Speak to your venue so you can plan your dream party in line with your dream venue’s possibilities.

4. Plan – Their set may ‘only’ be a couple of hours, but a musician’s return travel time, set up & sound check time, freshen up time, suiting and booting time and then the waiting time before performing, all adds up to a long day, two days or even three days of work. Please do feed, water and welcome these talented people who are about to crank your party up to 11 – and have one person to represent your voice (e.g. wedding planner or trusted friend) so that if any last minute changes / decisions do need to be made, it’s all being taken care of and the rest of the wedding party only has to worry about having a good time!

5. Trust us! Our musicians and DJs know what they’re doing. On average, an Après Ski Bands artist plays at least 150 gigs per winter season alone, creating the perfect party and practising the ideal wedding set list on a daily basis. Yes – they’ll learn that significant first dance song or end go the night hit that will leave your guests chanting for more! But after you’ve seen their promo and know that these people are the musicians for you – let them work their magic. They’ll know how to build the atmosphere and which songs will take you and your guests to the next level of dancing queens and kings!

The Daisychain, featuring Daisy B & Tom, Al Jones and Max Le Sax  // Photo credit – Ella Richardson Photography