Typical Size and Instrumentation for a Wedding Music Band.
When looking for live music for your wedding, one question that may come up is what size band you want and what the instrumentation should be. Wedding Bands in Toronto come in many different sizes and some also offer different options for instrumentation depending on the size of your wedding, musical selections, budget and other personal preferences.
We will provide you with the basics as to what you need to know in order to make an educated decision about what band size and instrumentation works best for your wedding.
What you need to know:
Your basic set up for a wedding band playing wedding music (top 40's, motown, rock, pop, jazz) will usually be a 5 piece band. This usually includes a lead female singer, keyboardist, guitarist/back up vocalist, bassist and drummer. Usually at least one other band member will sing back up vocals as well. This size wedding band can cover everything you need and usually fits with a small to medium size budget anywhere from $3000-$5000 on average. If the band is heavily weighted on jazz repertoire then usually a saxophone player will replace the guitar player to add more of a jazzy element to the 5 piece wedding band.
If you are looking to add onto your 5 piece band to bring some extra flavor then usually you would introduce horn players into the mix. If you're only adding one horn player then usually you would get a tenor saxophonist. The saxophonist can play popular horn parts from your favorite songs and take solos to add to the overall experience. If you were to add two horn players then you would usually add on a trumpet player to harmonize and play together in unison with the saxophonist. This can add a lot to a bands live sound and bring out a higher level of live energy and dynamics. Another option instead of a trumpet player is adding a percussionist. This will bring an extra spice to the music and is always visual pleasing on stage.
Toronto Jazz Collectives 7 piece Toronto Wedding Band consists of a lead female vocalist, trumpet, saxophone, keyboards, guitar/back up vocals, bass and drums. This band is all you need in terms of size and instrumentation and can sound like a 10 piece band playing all of your favorite songs. Click on the link provided to learn more about our Toronto Wedding Bands.
If you were interested in having an even larger band then you can add a trombonist to have three horns, extra back-up vocalists, percussionists or even a second guitar or keyboard player. All that can sound fabulous but can easily eat at your wedding budget. The absolute smallest wedding band we recommend for a reception is usually a 4 piece band. This works well for more intimate settings with approximately 50-100 people. A 4 piece band usually consists of a lead female vocalist, keyboardist, bassist and drummer.
We highly recommend having a minimum of a 6 piece band at your wedding but understand that it doesn't fit everyone's budget. If a band is made up of professionals then they should be able to play all of your favorite repertoire and truly bring it to life no matter what the size.
At the end of the day what is most important when looking for live music for your wedding is having a great band (no matter what the size) that is professional, well-dressed, entertaining and plays the music that you and your guests love.
