Hope this is in the right place!One of my best friends is getting married next year. Hotel booked, now looking to book a band. We were all at a party in a hotel last October, band played for 3 hours. They were very entertaining, cost €500. So she rang to get a price for her wedding next year, same hotel playing for same amount of time. Well her face nearly dropped - €1500.Can anyone explain wht bands add on so much just because it's a wedding?
Band charging €1,000 more for wedding than party
- Thread starter Margie
- Start date
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
Perhaps because lots of people selling services hear the word "wedding" and reckon that many people will willingly or unwillingly pay above the odds? Or maybe they had a residency in the hotel in question but would need to foot additional costs in order to travel to the wedding venue? Why doesn't she haggle and shop around? Or is she just going to pay the asking price?
Perhaps because lots of people selling services hear the word "wedding" and reckon that many people will willingly or unwillingly pay above the odds? Or maybe they had a residency in the hotel in question but would need to foot additional costs in order to travel to the wedding venue? Why doesn't she haggle and shop around? Or is she just going to pay the asking price?
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
It's replicated across all wedding related stuff...go and try and buy a white cake, then try and buy a wedding cake. Or try and rent a Rolls Royce for a debs as opposed to for a wedding. The list goes on.
It's replicated across all wedding related stuff...go and try and buy a white cake, then try and buy a wedding cake. Or try and rent a Rolls Royce for a debs as opposed to for a wedding. The list goes on.
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
There would be an 18 month time difference which would obviously allow for an increase but not to this effect.And with regard to the cake you're right there too John Rambo. I recently got a Christening cake for my daughter. It was beautiful - chocolate biscuit cake, quite large, in fab snow white icing €35. So two of these would be great for a wedding totalling €70. friend was qouted €400 for two tier choc biscuit cake in white icing for wedding from same place.There's no way she's accepting either of the above. She's thinkin of goin DJ for the night at €500 and ordering two seperate cakes and buying her own cake stand.
There would be an 18 month time difference which would obviously allow for an increase but not to this effect.And with regard to the cake you're right there too John Rambo. I recently got a Christening cake for my daughter. It was beautiful - chocolate biscuit cake, quite large, in fab snow white icing €35. So two of these would be great for a wedding totalling €70. friend was qouted €400 for two tier choc biscuit cake in white icing for wedding from same place.There's no way she's accepting either of the above. She's thinkin of goin DJ for the night at €500 and ordering two seperate cakes and buying her own cake stand.
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
When shopping around just don't mention the word "wedding" - just say "private party" or something? The "wedding industry" is a license to print money for some people. Fair play to them when there are plenty of mugs who are willing to pay through the nose for stuff when it's prefixed with the word "wedding" (or unwilling but they do it anyway to supposedly keep others happy or towards their "dream" day and then moan about it after the fact).
When shopping around just don't mention the word "wedding" - just say "private party" or something? The "wedding industry" is a license to print money for some people. Fair play to them when there are plenty of mugs who are willing to pay through the nose for stuff when it's prefixed with the word "wedding" (or unwilling but they do it anyway to supposedly keep others happy or towards their "dream" day and then moan about it after the fact).
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
I know alot of bands hate weddings.....at a regular party or gig they can play their own music....whereas at a wedding they are dictated to by the bride and groom and asked to sing songs they may not know or may not suit their style. many will simply say no once they know it is a wedding!!
I know alot of bands hate weddings.....at a regular party or gig they can play their own music....whereas at a wedding they are dictated to by the bride and groom and asked to sing songs they may not know or may not suit their style. many will simply say no once they know it is a wedding!!
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
DJ only is better IMO - it's what we did. As long as the DJ is given good guidelines as to what to play I don't see any issues.
DJ only is better IMO - it's what we did. As long as the DJ is given good guidelines as to what to play I don't see any issues.
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
Seriously, go with what Clubman said. I heard an interesting feature on the radio a while back which recommended exactly this. Tell no supplier what you require their services for, just get the quotes. The guy on the radio was giving examples where a bride-to-be had done this with a cake, gone to pick it up and in her excitement started gushing about her big day etc. Lo and behold, the guy refuses to give her the cake and ups the price saying "you never said I was making a wedding cake"!!! So try and buy a white cake, hire a band for a party, hire a car to go to the races, and buy flowers for some kind of parish concert. The wedding industry in Ireland is a disgrace, something I'm (unfortunately) finding out at the moment!
Seriously, go with what Clubman said. I heard an interesting feature on the radio a while back which recommended exactly this. Tell no supplier what you require their services for, just get the quotes. The guy on the radio was giving examples where a bride-to-be had done this with a cake, gone to pick it up and in her excitement started gushing about her big day etc. Lo and behold, the guy refuses to give her the cake and ups the price saying "you never said I was making a wedding cake"!!! So try and buy a white cake, hire a band for a party, hire a car to go to the races, and buy flowers for some kind of parish concert. The wedding industry in Ireland is a disgrace, something I'm (unfortunately) finding out at the moment!
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
I presume you mean that band and not the couple!!Tha band in question actually said they would need confirmation of a booking soon, as weddings are being booked left right and centre for 2009. Hotel was the same.
I presume you mean that band and not the couple!!Tha band in question actually said they would need confirmation of a booking soon, as weddings are being booked left right and centre for 2009. Hotel was the same.
Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,140
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
Before you accuse this band of doing anything inappropriate, is there not a simpler explanation?
Any artist or artiste charges what customers are willing to pay. This band was probably not well known two or three years ago, when they could only charge €500. Now they are better known. Maybe they have improved. So now they charge €1,500. If in a few year's time, they are even better, they may charge €5,000 for a wedding.
I have edited the title of this thread as "Band for Wedding - price upped €1,000" implied to me that the price was upped over an agreed rate.
Brendan
Before you accuse this band of doing anything inappropriate, is there not a simpler explanation?
Any artist or artiste charges what customers are willing to pay. This band was probably not well known two or three years ago, when they could only charge €500. Now they are better known. Maybe they have improved. So now they charge €1,500. If in a few year's time, they are even better, they may charge €5,000 for a wedding.
I have edited the title of this thread as "Band for Wedding - price upped €1,000" implied to me that the price was upped over an agreed rate.
Brendan
As with Brendans point, ask how long the band were together the first time you seen them.
Is the bands line up is the same. Were they a 2 piece then and a 7 piece now?
Have they invested 20,000 euro on equipment to deliver a better show?
Are they dressing up now, spending several hundred each a year on clothes?
Have they a manager now whos taking a cut?
Maybe they're upping their price to go legit and cater for a tax bill where as a lot of new bands may not be paying tax with the industry being very cash driven.
Ask them are they spending 200-300e a month on rehearsals to be able to deliver a better and more professional show?
Ask why did they only charge 500e then and 1500e now which is actually just about the going rate for a band for a wedding.
Is the bands line up is the same. Were they a 2 piece then and a 7 piece now?
Have they invested 20,000 euro on equipment to deliver a better show?
Are they dressing up now, spending several hundred each a year on clothes?
Have they a manager now whos taking a cut?
Maybe they're upping their price to go legit and cater for a tax bill where as a lot of new bands may not be paying tax with the industry being very cash driven.
Ask them are they spending 200-300e a month on rehearsals to be able to deliver a better and more professional show?
Ask why did they only charge 500e then and 1500e now which is actually just about the going rate for a band for a wedding.
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
They were charging €500 last October according to my reading of the original post.
Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,140
Well Margie has said that
I suppose that the time has to be between the two bookings. They are booking now. When did they book for the party which took place last October?
It might not be 18 months. It might be 6 months. Or it might be that they charge more for long term bookings but give discounts if they see that they are not busy.
Brendan
I suppose that the time has to be between the two bookings. They are booking now. When did they book for the party which took place last October?
It might not be 18 months. It might be 6 months. Or it might be that they charge more for long term bookings but give discounts if they see that they are not busy.
Brendan
Re: Band for Wedding - price upped €1000
V. sorry to drag this slightly off-topic, but as with others posting in this thread, it's something not far from my mind at the moment...
Emmm, what physical difference, as opposed to financial difference, would/could/should it make to the baker to know or not to know that it was a wedding cake?
This is the very point I'm trying to make to my fiancee at the moment - that it it an absolute rip-off when it's a wedding cake as opposed to a 'normal' one.
And before anyone gets excited about my use of 'rip-off', I'm not referring to any specific person or company, but rather the industry as a whole. I understand the point already made about bands having possibly to play a different set, but a cake is going to be eaten either way!
V. sorry to drag this slightly off-topic, but as with others posting in this thread, it's something not far from my mind at the moment...
Emmm, what physical difference, as opposed to financial difference, would/could/should it make to the baker to know or not to know that it was a wedding cake?
This is the very point I'm trying to make to my fiancee at the moment - that it it an absolute rip-off when it's a wedding cake as opposed to a 'normal' one.
And before anyone gets excited about my use of 'rip-off', I'm not referring to any specific person or company, but rather the industry as a whole. I understand the point already made about bands having possibly to play a different set, but a cake is going to be eaten either way!
Guys, I'm baffled. If people are prepared to pay more for stuff when the word "wedding" is attached, why on earth wouldn't a business charge more? Isn't that what business is all about?
The only unfair thing I see is that it assumes that people are well informed enough to know that this premium exists. In other words, it's not exactly obvious that to get the best value you should order a "cake" rathar than a "wedding cake" or whatever.
Normally, anyone attempting price gouging won't survive for long in business, as they won't get repeat custom, but as long as people are prepared to pay, keep coming back for more, and no new entrant is prepared to rock the boat, that's the way it's going to stay.....
The only unfair thing I see is that it assumes that people are well informed enough to know that this premium exists. In other words, it's not exactly obvious that to get the best value you should order a "cake" rathar than a "wedding cake" or whatever.
Normally, anyone attempting price gouging won't survive for long in business, as they won't get repeat custom, but as long as people are prepared to pay, keep coming back for more, and no new entrant is prepared to rock the boat, that's the way it's going to stay.....