Questions to Ask a Wedding Band Before Booking

Who will answer our questions and help us plan?

Ask: Who answers our questions before booking, and who helps us plan afterward?

When you contact Soulution, you will hear directly from the band. We answer your questions and help you through planning. Tell us how you prefer to communicate and what you have in mind for your celebration.

Start with your date, location, and type of event. Add your guest estimate and the parts of the day you want covered if you know them. Tell us what you are excited about, whether that is spending the night dancing with your guests or hearing the musicians perform songs you love.

How can we hear the band before booking?

Ask: Which performance should we watch to understand the band’s sound?

Our live showcase is a strong representation of the full band performing live. Listen to the voices, arrangements, and musical styles, then tell us what stands out. You can also explore our performance videos and audio. Referring to a particular clip gives us a useful starting point for discussing your preferences.

Soulution has a core group of musicians and experienced singers who perform with us regularly and know our repertoire. Our singers also serve as MCs, working with your planner to keep the evening on track.

Our wedding options include six, seven, or eight pieces, all with two lead vocalists. The seven-piece lineup has one horn, and the eight-piece lineup has two. Our band size guide can help you compare the musical choices.

Can we choose songs and request something new?

Ask: How do we share favorites, songs to avoid, and special dances? How many newly learned songs are included?

After booking, we send a planning page with a musical preferences section. Use it to identify favorites from our song list, songs to avoid, and additional requests. We honor your must-play and do-not-play selections from our published list, while using our judgment on flow, pacing, and timing within your agreed musical direction. Ask about songs absent from the website too. We may already know them.

Preparation of up to three newly learned songs is included per wedding event, with special dances counting toward the three. Requests are subject to musical suitability and the instruments and singers available. Send the song, artist, version, and intended moment no later than 30 days before the event, then confirm the arrangement with us. If you have rehearsed a dance to a recording, identify the exact version and tell us before settling on live music for that moment.

Some requests may fit recorded music during breaks rather than a live arrangement. We can discuss that as part of your preferences. Break playback is separate from an optional DJ performance. For requests from guests, we follow the guidance you have supplied. If a request needs clarification, we ask how you would like it handled.

What does the booking cover?

Ask: Which locations and times are included, and what will guests hear between live sets?

Soulution’s standard wedding booking period covers five hours across cocktail hour and the reception. Ceremony coverage is separate from that period. Those five hours include the agreed flow of live sets, breaks, and formalities, rather than five hours of uninterrupted playing.

Cocktail-hour music is included when the main band setup can cover it. If cocktails happen in another location, we need to plan additional setup and confirm that coverage in your proposal. List the actual spaces you are using so a general phrase such as “cocktail-hour music” has a clear meaning.

We provide recorded music during breaks, and you can share a playlist. Breaks are typically around 15 minutes, with the timing coordinated around the reception and the arrangements in your agreement. Ask how dinner, toasts, and dances will fit your particular schedule. Every wedding package includes professional sound, a dedicated sound engineer, stage lighting, and MC service.

Who makes announcements and handles timeline changes?

Ask: Who will be our MC, and who gives them the cue when the room is ready?

Our singer acts as MC. Each of our singers has extensive experience working with planners, keeping the evening on track, and setting the tone. Share names, pronunciations, introduction preferences, and the moments you want announced. Agree which announcements we will handle and who will confirm that the people involved are ready.

The band helps you throughout planning, while the event-day cues should be coordinated with your planner or designated event lead. We have experience adapting to delayed timelines, rain-plan changes, and last-minute announcements. Give us one clear instruction through the agreed contact so we can work with the team when plans change.

What should we ask our venue to confirm?

Ask: Does our proposed location meet the band’s space, surface, power, and access needs?

For any of Soulution’s three band sizes, plan a minimum band space of 12 by 16 feet. Depending on the setup, speakers may sit outside that area. Send the floor plan so we can review equipment placement with the venue and avoid taking over the dance floor or obstructing guest seating.

A raised stage is not required for a suitable indoor setup, but the band needs a sturdy, level, dry performance area. A deck, concrete, or another solid floor may work, depending on the setting. We do not bring a stage and cannot set up directly on grass, sand, or mulch. Confirm any flooring or platform with the venue before ordering rentals.

We require two separate electrical circuits. Two outlets on the same circuit do not meet that requirement. Have the venue confirm the circuits available to the band. We also request access at least two hours before guests arrive for load-in, setup, and soundcheck.

Share the venue’s written sound policy. Our dedicated engineer manages the sound, and the musicians maintain reasonable stage volume. We will review the actual restrictions with you and the venue. For outdoor plans, identify the backup location and who communicates a weather decision before the wedding day.

How should we compare the quote and discuss changes?

Ask: Does the quote cover our full plan, including travel, and what happens if we want to add something?

Tell us what matters most and we will try to customize a package that works for you. Soulution quotes include travel. We book by the date, so a shorter event is not priced by subtracting unused performance hours. Compare the actual music, coverage, and services in each proposal. Our quote comparison worksheet helps organize those details.

Once booked, you may add to the booking, but you may not remove items. We request at least 30 days’ notice to add musicians. Ask the band about other additions, including lighting or ceremony music, and have the change confirmed. Extra time depends on the band’s availability and the terms in your agreement. Discuss that possibility in advance, then have any extension approved.

What completes the booking, and when are payments due?

Ask: What do we need to pay and sign, when is the balance due, and what happens if our plans change?

The deposit reserves your date, and signing the agreement completes the booking. The agreement calls the deposit a non-refundable retainer. The booking summary identifies the total, retainer, and remaining balance. Under our current agreement, the balance is due in full no later than seven days before the event. If the agreement is signed less than 30 days before the event, the full total is due on signing.

Read the cancellation and rescheduling provisions before committing. The remaining balance may still be owed if you cancel, and a move to another date needs to be arranged under the agreement’s terms. Ask the band about anything unclear, and keep your own written agreement as the reference for your booking.

When do we work through the details?

The planning page gives you a place to bring the music and schedule together. It includes a sample timeline and your preferences, so you can work through decisions without building the plan from scratch.

Use this checklist before you commit

• Music: We have heard the band, discussed the lineup, and asked about our important songs.
• Coverage: The proposal identifies the locations, times, included services, and chosen additions.
• Venue: The band and venue have the information needed to confirm space, power, access, and sound requirements.
• Agreement: We have reviewed the retainer, balance deadline, cancellation and rescheduling terms, and asked about anything unclear.
• Next steps: We know what is confirmed, which questions remain open, and who will answer them.

You can bring an unfinished plan to the conversation. Send your date, location, and questions, and the band will help you work through the options.