When preparing a budget for your wedding, the Entertainment Category should be defined as any individual or group who performs during the wedding festivities. This includes ceremony, cocktail and reception musicians, DJs, and all other performers and artists.
Couples should allow about 8-10% for Entertainment to be used from their overall budget. So, if your budget is $25,000, you would need to set aside $2,500 for entertainment. If you are more like an average bay area bride and groom, you can expect to pay $5,000 from a $50,000 budget. (Just as a side note, I've worked with budgets as small as $10,000 and those over $250,000.00. No matter what your budget is, San Jose Wedding Consultants can help create an amazing wedding with a little creativity and some extra elbow grease.)
Back to Wedding Entertainment: What is it, exactly? The term sounds so broad, and actually, it can be limitless, depending on how much the couple plans to entertain. There is no end to the possibilities of different entertainment available to today's bride and groom.
For the wedding day, most couples I work with typically hire a solo musician, such as a harpist or guitarist for the pre-ceremony and ceremony music. Often, a string quartet is employed for this function. Live music always takes the wedding up a notch, as opposed to using a DJ for this portion of wedding entertainment. But frequently, a bride and groom want specific versions of songs, that only a DJ or sound system would be able to provide. It really is a matter of personal taste.
Next up is the "cocktail hour", which is the time in between the ceremony and the meal service. During this time, some brides and grooms are still finishing up pictures with their photographer. Often, the bar is open for their guests, and the catering staff serves tray-passed hors d'oeuvres. This is the beginning of the "party" portion of the reception, and the right music and entertainment definitely helps set the mood.
A jazz trio like the Magnolia Jazz Band, a mariachi band such as Mariachi Azteca, or a really fun lounge act like Johnny Fabulous Johnny Fabulous, are all excellent choices during cocktails.
These days, many couples are in search of unique entertainment for their big day. And here, my friend, is where the sky is the limit. I have coordinated weddings where the couples wanted balloon artists, caricature artists, tarot readers, bubble blowers, demonstration chefs, 12 piece swing bands, disco bands, bartending shows, 1 Man Vegas lounge acts, mariachi bands, stilt walkers, reggae bands, magicians, jugglers, unicyclers, mimes, acrobats, character actors, drag queens, karaoke, and fire breathers.
An excellent resource for finding unique entertainment is Associated Entertainment,where you can find BMX Bike Riders, cirque performers, and celebrity look-alikes.
Weddings are the perfect chance for a couple to get creative and have some fun with their entertainment selections. In the end, it really depends on the individual couple. The bride and groom should bring in entertainment you not only know your guests will enjoy, but more importantly, that YOU will enjoy, too. It's your wedding!
Here's a list of resources for unique bay area entertainers:Ken Constable- Amazing Solo Guitarist
Graceful Music- Grace Yau- Harpist
Pacific Strings- Quartet
Magnolia Jazz Band
Nocturnal Sunshine- A Fire Performance Act
Tarot To Go- Traveling Tarot for Parties
Associated Entertainment: Walkaround Entertainers
Mariachi Azteca
Johnny Fabulous: Jazzy Lounge Act
Brian Asman from Balloons Equal Fun
Jeanine Von Essen of Hey Balloon Lady!
What's the most unique entertainment YOU have ever seen at a wedding?
Love,
The Soup Maven
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