How to play a wedding gig: contracts, setlists, sound, licensing and backups

A wedding is the most unforgiving gig most musicians will ever play. There is one take: no rescheduling, no "we'll come back next month", and an audience that ranges from toddlers to grandparents. The music is part of a day the couple have planned for months. The good news is that most of what goes wrong is predictable, which means you can plan for it. This guide covers the five things that decide whether a wedding goes well: the contract, the setlist, the sound, the licensing and your backups. Then we look at how to think about price.

1. The contract: write down the whole day

Most wedding disputes are really about things nobody wrote down. A contract for a private event should cover at least:

• Who, when and where: the names of the client and the musicians, the date, the venue address, arrival time, and the exact performance windows (for example, ceremony, drinks reception, two evening sets).
• What you provide: line-up, length of each set, whether you bring PA and lighting, whether you play recorded music between sets, and whether you'll learn a special request (first dance, aisle music).
• Money: total fee, deposit, when the balance is due, and what travel, accommodation and overtime cost.
• Cancellation, both ways: what happens if the client cancels, and what you do if you can't play (illness, a broken-down van).
• Practical needs: power near the performance area, a dry and level space, parking and load-in access, a changing room, a meal and drinks, and a named contact on the day.

For a sense of how cancellation can be structured, look at a real published policy. Encore, a UK booking platform, takes a 30% deposit. If the client booked more than four weeks ahead and cancels more than four weeks before the event, the deposit is not refunded and nothing more is owed. Cancelling within those four weeks gets a refund of 20% of the performance fee (Encore). Cancellations within 48 hours of the start are generally not refunded at all (Encore). You don't have to copy those numbers, but the shape is worth copying: the closer to the date, the more of the fee you keep, because that is when you can no longer fill the date.

2. The setlist: built around the couple, not you

A wedding set has jobs to do at different points in the day: background during the drinks, quiet under the meal, a single moment for the first dance, then a dancefloor. Ask the couple for three lists: must-play, do-not-play (this one matters more than you'd think), and the specific songs for the ceremony and first dance. Get those in writing by an agreed date so you have time to learn and rehearse them.

On the night, read the room as you would at any gig, but expect a wider age range than usual. Our guide to writing a setlist for a gig covers pacing and keys; for weddings, add a few extra floor-fillers in reserve for when a planned run doesn't land.

3. Sound: ask before you arrive

Wedding venues are often not built as music venues. Before the day, ask the venue or planner:

• Is there a sound limiter, and at what level does it cut the power? Some venues have one, and it can kill your set mid-song.
• Where are the power sockets, and are they on the same circuit as the catering?
• Is the ceremony outdoors or in a different room, which would mean a second, smaller setup?
• When can you load in and soundcheck? Often it has to be before guests arrive or while they're at dinner elsewhere.

Plan for a short, quiet line check, not a full soundcheck. Our soundcheck checklist for small gigs is a good base. If you run tracks or click, see backing tracks for live shows.

4. Licensing: who pays?

This varies by country, so check your own collecting society. In the UK, the picture for performers is mostly reassuring. Music played outside a domestic environment counts as a public performance, and businesses that play it need TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS (PPL PRS). But a private, invitation-only event such as a wedding reception is generally treated differently. Licensed venues such as hotels, pubs and wedding venues "will have it covered", and bands and DJs are "not responsible for licensing the event" (Encore).

The grey area is the setting. A marquee, field, private land or hired hall that isn't normally used for events may need a licence, and if the venue has none, the organiser may be responsible (Encore). The practical step for you is one line in the contract saying who handles licensing. In most cases that will be the venue or the client. Filming the performance raises separate rights questions, which this guide doesn't cover.

5. Backups: assume one thing fails

At a club gig a dead cable is annoying. At a wedding it can mean silence during the first dance. Bring a spare for anything that would stop the show and fits in a bag: instrument and XLR cables, a power strip and extension lead, strings, batteries, a DI box, and a second device with the first-dance track and a background playlist. If something with no spare fails, such as a mixer or a keyboard, know your fallback in advance (playing acoustically, or putting the playlist on while you fix it).

The other single point of failure is people. Keep a list of players who know your set and could step in, and say in the contract what you'll do if a band member can't make it.

Pricing: how to think about it without a magic number

We won't give you a figure, because rates depend on country, city, line-up and season, and any number we gave would be wrong for most readers. Instead, build the price from your actual costs:

• Count the whole day. A wedding with a ceremony and an evening can take a full day once travel, load-in, waiting time and load-out are included, not just the hours you play.
• Count the preparation. Learning the first dance, client calls and admin are work.
• Count the date. A Saturday in peak season is a date you can only sell once. Price it as such, and consider lower prices on weekdays or quieter months.
• Add equipment and costs: PA hire or wear, transport, insurance, and any taxes. If you're in India, see our guide to GST and tax for Indian musicians.

Then check local rates by asking other players and looking at what similar acts publish, and present a clear package rather than an hourly rate.

What we think

Weddings reward a different skill from the one most musicians practise. The playing has to be good, but the couple is mainly buying certainty: that you'll arrive on time, play their song right, keep within the limiter and step in calmly when something goes wrong. The contract, the venue questions and the bag of spares are what deliver that, so treat them as part of the performance and not as admin. In our view, the most underrated clause is the do-not-play list, and the most underrated piece of gear is the second phone with the playlist on it. Both cost nothing, and both have saved more wedding receptions than any new pedal.

FAQ

Do I need a music licence to play a wedding? In the UK, usually not as the performer. Licensed venues normally cover it, and for unusual spaces the organiser may be responsible. Rules differ elsewhere, so check locally.

How big should the deposit be? That is your call. Encore, as one example, uses 30%. Make it large enough to cover the date you're turning down for this booking.

What if I'm ill on the day? Your contract should already say. Keep a list of players who could cover you, and tell the client as early as possible.