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Me too Lol in westhoughton

Id say slightly smarter for a wedding, out of respect more than anything else !

You should all wear wedding dresses, lol.

Course you should make an effort for wedding! It's a bit different than playing in the local on a Friday night.. Everyone attends a wedding dressed smartly.. As a hired band I agree, it's out of respect to look the part. I dont think they'd appreciate their wedding pictures with a bunch of casually dressed geezers in the background! It's hardly asking one to attend on stilts juggling is it!? Lol get to primark you mard

Shirt and trousers should do it. It was good enough for Robert Plant...

I'd ask them. Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups. If they don't mind casual, fair enough. But if they are assuming the band has a "wedding attire" mode and you don't do it, it can spoil their day.

It IS their day, and you are providing a service, after all.

Exactly.. I've never known a casual wedding before...

our comprimise at all our Weddings was all Black - whether its black jeans and black smart t-shirt or black trousers and shirt.

still fairly rock n roll, but looks a lot more professional for a wedding.

be good idea to check with the people who booked you


but they probably are happy for you to wear what you'd normally wear to play a gig.... you're not GUESTS after all... I played a few weddings and stuff, and they usually just want you to BE THE BAND, not look like uncle knobhead who got up to do a turn

Just ask.
It's not as if it's going to compromise your integrity is it? I've done weddings in my usual stage gear and I've done them in pants and a shirt. Who cares as long as people enjoy it??

It's not Madison Square Gardens. Just ask.

My band has done a few weddings in the past but more coporate jobs are in the fourthcoming months, we don't play pubs, for one there isn't enough money in them and second I aint interested. If you want to play pubs that is fine, turn up in a pair of jeans and a T shirt and rock the joint and everyone will have had the best night in ages. If you're booked to play a wedding or coporate engagement, you have to have some sort of professional outlook. You wouldn't go to a wedding as a guest in a pair of jeans so why expect someone to pay you hard earned cash for you to turn up looking like you have come straight from work........If you don't want to make the effort, step aside and let another player/band take your place and give the bride & groom the respect/professionalism they expect to receive on their wedding day. No argument in my book.

We're booked to play at a 60's weekend this coming November in Scarborough, if we turned up looking like rag tag and bob tail we would never get another job again, business is business.

Lee

This is goin too far nige, you are really considering stepping aside because you don't want to wear a shirt and trousers? Bloody hell...

Idle Promise does have a perfectly good point. People with pots of dosh book 'name bands' for weddings and don't ask them to tux up for the occasion. They book them to be what they are known for being. It's often the same for us mere mortals.

I'd just check what the dress code is. If it doesn't suit you, pass the gig on.

Nige, do it naked, that way they can't complain about your dress code - pmsl,

Rick.

We are doing a 40th at a Golf Club next Saturday Nige, what should we wear?,

Rick.

Rick, Pringle, La Coste or Harris Tweed of course...and no peein in the bunkers if ya please !!!!

@ Duke Bocks, pmsl,

Rick.

Nige - YOU'RE THE MAN !

none of you should have a shirt on his back...to remind the groom when it all goes tits up, thats how he'll finish up after his 'wife' has finished with him
:D

Guys, make the call and ask what they expect. Bad Horsie(Mick) is quite right "Assumption IS the mother ....."

This is the most important day in the Bride/Groom's life to date and you have the opportunity of either making it or breaking it.
OK they booked you after seeing you play a pub, but equally could "Assume" that you would have a smarter image for a wedding. Most of our work is weddings/corporate and you have to consider the event first and foremost. You have to work round the event as it is THEIR day.

Yep.

IMO it's this simple. You are getting paid to provide a service. Part of that service is to find out what is required of you.

If we do a wedding we always ask if they have a dress code. We also send a list of our set and let the couple decide which songs they want us to play.

At the end of the day, you are an employee of the couple. They are paying you.

If you want to be a rebel, don't take wedding bookings......

we did a wedding once, it was something we didnt want to do but they offered £600, hotel rooms and a free bar, it was down im mold, we got there mid afternoon and set up then retired to the bar and got so pissed we could hardly stand let alone play, 4 songs into the set (that we re arranged to start with sex pistols etc in the bar) after lots of horrified looks the manager unplugged us. That was it, we got paid up and went down town for a curry, great night

I think a band chooses their look and if a band is jeans, boots and t-shirts, then that's their look.

You guys were booked because they came to see you and liked what they saw. So, shouldn't you deliver what they want?

If you're not comfortable with what you're wearing, it might affect your performance.

Go with what works for you.

Most of the gigs we've ever done have been weddings Nige and we all wear black. Having said that it's black jeans most of us tend to wear.I think that a good compromise for you lot would be if you all wore black jeans and then a different coloured T shirt each to give a smart look , yet still casual and comfortable. There's nowt worse than getting all sweaty in smart gear (especially jackets!).

I think you'd be making a mistake to not make some kind of effort, or at least ask the question. Making an effort doesn't have to mean smart BTW.

Jon

RESCUE!!!! haha - Nige we always just wear a plain black top n jeans for private gigs whether it be a wedding/birthday or whatever.
I think IP's uniform is the shoes the guys wear to be honest - i wouldnt change that.
Ste always gigs in shorts - i wouldnt change that either cos thats just Ste!
in saying that just to completely contradict myself - we have got a gig at the Midland Hotel coming up so I will be asking what the dress code is for that one...after all there could be future work invloved if we play our cards right!
I think if you compromise with jeans + black top (shirt/t-shirt personal prefernce £3 Matalan!) you wont go wrong x
hope thats helped x

just as an add on...whenever we have specified 'smart dress' in days gone by - one of our band members used to turn up in a waistcoat n winkle pickers...totally NOT what the band was about so i dont think you can win either way - we're all individuals and unless you introduce a strict dress code for certain occasions your all gonna have to come to an agreement about what your all happy with.
Do you know the couple by the way - what would they want?

I always do weddings in full evening dress; tailcoat and super shiny leather shoes, suspenders, a tutu and a top hat, mind you it don't go down as well if you've not been asked to sing...I'd check with the bride, don't whatever you do ask the groom whatever he tells you will be wrong...

weddings are a vastly different kettle of fish than pub gigs, I do loads of them and the golden rule is , DO AS THE BRIDE ASKS, if shes happy with you in scruffs then go for it but check first, if you cant swallow that then the wedding scene isnt for you and let a band that are used to the wedding scene do it. Its a vastly differant world. we all ahave principles, but when theres a fee involved then the person paying has the right to have a say, I did note in your original post that its the band members that are making a fuss rather than the bride, just ask the bride and youve got your answer., if you cant swallow what she wants then pull the gig, its her day not yours.

Kingpin always used to wear dark shirts for weddings, but recently we have actually asked the question, and every time have been told 'we booked you because we liked what we saw and that's what we want' so we wear the normal 'costume' of T shirt and jeans.

I think it would be vastly different if you were booked through an agency, or by a wedding 'arranger' as just entertainment - they would probably expect cabaret and shirts and ties. But if you were personally booked by the bride and groom based on them seeing you perform, presumably, that's what they want.
Simple answer is - ask the question!

See you tonight?

AYP

If they have seen you before its easy, come as you would normally. We do a number of weddings and dont change how we dress, yes maybee avoid that hole filled T-Shirt, but your a band, and playing rock music. You are not a cabaret or dance outfit.

We have never had a problem.. Enyoy yourselves

BDB

iffen it's like a certain wedding i played at-body armour or riot gear-the warning sign is when the bridegroom starts dancing with someone other than the groom or the groom starts getting ermmm-overly apreciative?-of the brides maids!!!!!!;-/

I played a wedding with LGIT and our singer couldn't make it so I had to take lead vocal.....we dressed in suits and I've never been so uncomfortable in my life, last time I wore a suit was in the dock....
The only person who people pass judgement on at a wedding is the bride....my advice is...wear what you normally wear, it's your gig, your band, your image.....don't dress like a twat......
Gary

well..I'm playing at a wedding next october. I shall be dressed in a suit with fancy waistcoat, white shirt and probably a purple tie,a flower in my lapel and shiny shoes...but i guess that's normal for the groom !!!..although I may have my jeans and a T shirt on standbye..lol

Nige - you made it to no 1 on the 'hot posts' chart! LOL!

@LGIT: Dressing in a suit = dressing like a twat?

We dress in suits for every gig. Nice one. Haha...