Destination Everywhere - Part 1
Whilst travelling back from what was (probably) my final international jaunt for the 2019, I began to suddenly realise how much time I’d spent co-ordinating, and dealing with the logistics of live music at destination weddings this year.
Increasingly popular these days due to shows like Escape To The Chateau, the destination wedding is fast becoming the biggest consumer of diary time for bands, musicians and agents than ever before. Stunning venues in the south of France, and the Amalfi coast (to name just two) are some of the hottest locations to tie the knot in the whole of Europe.
One of the challenges that couples face when they go about planning something like this is of course, the entertainment. Most couples that I come across who are planning a destination wedding, are well aware that sourcing live music from another country is quite a daunting prospect for many reasons. There’s the language barrier, the trust aspect, logistics, and believe it or not price. This may come as a surprise, but most bands based in the country themselves, will actually be more expensive than a band travelling from the UK, even with all the expenses – go figure? In some ways, this explains the large increase in the percentage of business that I now do for live music abroad.
You can call me Al - fresco
Because of the slightly more reliable weather (although be careful in the south of France) when it comes to the live music, destination wedding clients tend to favour more than just the evening entertainment that is prevalent in the UK. Roaming trios, string quartets, pianists, or solo musicians all performing al fresco, are very much the norm, and work wonderfully for the type of outside experience that couples prefer now days. It’s very possible that you can arrange for your band of choice for the evening, to look after your daytime performances too, this will come at additional expense, but it’s far more cost effective than flying out another plane load of musicians just for the daytime. (I’ll go into the options for daytime entertainmnt in more detail in part 2) Good advice indeed, but what about all the equipment? – read on.
Plains Trains & Automobiles
When you hire a live band for an international event, one of the main challenges is often equipment. Some bands will want to use their own, and may drive to the event, some will expect it to be hired in – by you. You won’t be in a minority if you admit to never having arranged the hire of musical instruments, lighting, and staging before, so don’t worry, but this certainly is a big one. If you’ve hired your artist directly, check with your wedding planner if they have a contact in the area that can help. If you’ve gone through an agency like McLaren Artists then we can look after all of this for you, by using one of our trusted suppliers either in the region or the UK.
As I’m sure you know already, having a live band is worth every ounce of effort it takes to get them to your chosen destination, and the impact and reward for you and your guests, far outweighs a few logistical hurdles you may encounter along the way. Take the plunge, book an awesome band, and then sit back and watch as they electrify the atmosphere on the night.
In part two, I’m going to examine the types of entertainment that work best at destination weddings, and give you tips on getting the most from your chosen artist, whilst helping you to avoid the two big mistakes couples make after hiring a live band.
If you would like to read the second part of this article, click here to join my McLaren members club. Find out first about the latest acts to join McLaren, get free Spotify playlists and more.
