Vancouver is blessed to have many highly skilled musicians. As such, it would stand to reason that there are many great bands as well. If you happen to be looking for a great wedding party band, you chose a good city to live in.
Overwhelmed by live band options?
You probably stumbled across this article in your search for a wedding band, and with any luck, fairly early on. You may have already visited Weddingwire, Gigmasters, Weddingful or any of the many other wedding-specific websites to find entertainment, only to be bombarded with way too many choices and stacks of information to sift through.
We feel you!
On these sites, every band claims it is the "best wedding band" or the "ultimate party band," so how can you really know?
One thing you can count on is that if a band is at the top of the list, it's because they paid to be there. It doesn't necessarily reflect on their musicianship or other defining qualities (we know, because we've paid for ad space too!).
Go to weddingwire.ca now and search for "wedding music" in "Vancouver". You'll see something like this:
Yup, the Phonix is right near the top. Guess how we got there? We PAID for it.
Can you guess why Famous Players is above us? The PAID MORE! They even got a nice little "Top" badge for paying more. ;)
How do you choose the right band for your wedding?
Okay, so now that that mystery is out of the way. how do you choose who is better for you?
Wouldn't it be nice to have a curated list of quality entertainers you know you could rely on because they were hand-picked for you by their peers?
We're going to give you that list!
At the end of the day, you want a band that will suit your vibe, entertain ALL your guests and keep people on the dance floor. At the same time, it doesn't hurt to have a band that fits your budget, is easy to deal with and has a solid track record.
Regardless of who you end up hiring to entertain the masses at your wedding, we want the entire process to be easy and fun for you.
Wait, don't you want me to hire the Phonix?
"What the heck is one band doing publicizing a list of their competitors," you ask?
Well, as a band, we occupy a fairly narrow spectrum of the wedding music scene. The Phonix focuses heavily on funk, soul, R&B and Motown music. Music we all grew up on. Classic tunes that EVERYONE knows and loves.
Since 2009, we've been performing these incredible songs beefed up with our energetic choreography, high-energy brass section and incredible lead singers. We have watched countless times as dance floors fill up, and stay filled, with every guest, young and old.
In fact, our mission is "to provide a family-friendly good time to an intergenerational audience at weddings and events all over BC by means of performing dance music that we all know and love."
We discovered that the secret to an unforgettable wedding party was to provide a set list heavy on the classics, but just a light smattering of current pop hits..not too many. And just the delicious funky ones.
Our family of musicians LOVES performing these songs and we know that people love dancing to them and singing along too.
So yes, if you believe your guests will appreciate our repertoire selections and dance floor dreams, then you should definitely hire us!
After all, we are Vancouver's ONLY 9-piece wedding band that specializes in Funk, Soul, R&B and Motown music.
Get in touch with us and see if we're available for your big day!
But, if you really just want to pay thousands of dollars to have your band play the tunes that you heard last time you turned up your car radio, or if you're really into death metal, country, hard rock, or basically anything NOT funky, soulful, R&B-ish or from Motown, then we're probably not your dream band.
Since we are confident with the piece of the Vancouver wedding music landscape that we occupy, we can happily recommend the other bands who are in other parts of the landscape, without feeling like we're just shooting ourselves in the foot by helping our competitors.
If you'd rather dance to their music than ours, very well. (But we'll miss you. And we will always be wondering "what it" we had only played your wedding party?...)
So, who are the top 6 wedding dance bands in Vancouver?
We know the entertainment industry can be a little crazy to navigate, so we wanted to help you out by starting you off with a shortlist of great wedding bands in Vancouver.
THE PHONIX - From party classics to Top 40s - 9 piece party band with choreography
TEN SOULJERS - 10 piece party band
SIDE ONE - Pop and Top 40s
QUEER AS FUNK - THE LGBTQ+ band in town!
FAMOUS PLAYERS - All around good party band - Comes with a price tag
GROOVE N TONIC - Pop and Top 40s
Now what?
Ok, great. You've watched some videos, read some reviews and maybe even gone to a few shows. Who made you dance the most and which price is right for you?
If you're curious to know how hiring the Phonix could save you THOUSANDS of dollars over some of these other bands, just drop us a line. We'll be happy to meet you for coffee and let you know!
If you want to keep reading, this blog post on how to easily book a great wedding band on any budget has the most in-depth information and to-do list of any band booking resource you'll find online.
How much will your wedding band cost?
Hopefully this post saved you some time on your search for a great Vancouver wedding band.
As a final note, if you're someone who has never booked a band or any form of entertainment before, we'd like to help you avoid any sticker shock you may experience when getting quotes from bands.
During your search, keep in mind that a single DJ typically costs between $800-$1500 for very basic services. Hence, you can bet a 10-piece band will cost a lot more than that. It's 10 whole human beings, after all!
Many wonderful wedding couples out there have great intentions and certainly don't intend to offend any bands, but simply have no idea what good music and entertainment is worth on the market.
If you thought you were going to get a professional band for $1500, unfortunately you won't. At least not one that leaves you with good memories.
Quality bands will commit their entire day to your wedding, because that's how long it takes to transport, setup, soundcheck, perform, tear down and load out and entire show. That's 10-15 hours from EACH BAND MEMBER. Not to mention rehearsal time, individual practice and training, prior interactions with you, and the costs of running a business.
If you'd like to see an in-depth breakdown of why a band costs what it does, check out this post: [Blog Post] How Much Does A Wedding Band Cost
Can't afford a good band for your wedding?
Maybe you didn't leave much room in your budget for entertainment? Don't worry, we've got some ideas!
Take a read through this list of 30 Ways To Save Money On Your Wedding. If you can save costs somewhere else and allocate that money to your band, that's great!
As a side note, did you know that The Phonix also offers a photo booth service? We've got the coolest mirror booth in town and it's competitive pricing makes it a MUST-have for your wedding!
At the end of the day, the last thing you want to do is settle for crummy entertainment.
Just think of your catering...
Would you consider serving Kraft dinner just to save on costs. It's just food after all.
HECK NO!
Music is no different.
If the music is no good, your guests will leave early as there will be nothing to hold their attention and keep them engaged. All your hard work planning and orchestrating a wonderful party with great decor, top notch catering, drinks and all, will be brought to an untimely end :(
If you dream of having a band but end up settling for a DJ, you'll always be wondering "what if."
Do what you can to stretch your budget to afford the band of your dreams and you're sure to make the kind of memories you'll want to remember forever.