Nobody publishes a flat number for this and there's a real reason, but "it depends" isn't an answer you can budget against. This is what the number is made of.
The four things that move the price
- How many players. This is most of it. Every player is a fee, and a horn section adds three to six people to a rhythm section that was already four or five.
- How long you need them for. Not just the playing time, a band that plays two sets across a five-hour reception is committed for the whole five hours plus load-in and load-out.
- Where the venue is, and what it's like. An hour outside the city changes the day for every player. So does a venue with no loading access, or a room with a piano nobody can use.
- Whether the band is covering more than the reception. Ceremony and cocktail hour are separate jobs and often want a smaller group, which is usually cheaper than one big band sitting through all three.
What that means in practice
The useful way to think about it is per player, per day. A jazz trio for a dinner costs a fraction of what a ten-piece with horns does, and the middle of that range is where most weddings land once somebody has been realistic about the size of the room.
My bands are quoted per event rather than listed at a fixed price, because a date, a venue and a guest count produce a real number and a price list produces a guess. What I'll tell you before you book is the number, in full, with travel included rather than added afterwards.
Where couples overspend
Two places, consistently. Booking a bigger band than the room can hold, because the recording they heard was in a ballroom and their venue is a barn. And booking one large band for the entire day, so that a ten-piece is paid to sit through a ceremony that wanted two players. Sizing each part of the day separately is usually both cheaper and better, which is the point of the wedding music page.
Where they underspend
Cutting the band to a duo for a reception with 150 guests and a dance floor. There's a floor below which live music stops doing the job you hired it for, and a room that size is above it.
What to send when you inquire
Date, venue, guest count, and which parts of the day you want covered. That's enough for a real number. Get in touch with those four things and you'll get one back rather than a form.