How much does it cost to hire a good band for the reception?

Generally “good” bands for a wedding vary between $1,700 – $3,500 (sometimes even more like $5,000). Some things to consider are: How popular of a band are they? Popular/busy bands usually have been playing for a while, have a good reputation to read & cater to a diverse crowd well and there is a reason for being popular. What kind of equipment will they bring to your event? My friend’s wedding band was horrible, the band brought very little gear and didn’t know what they were doing with sound, no dance music on the breaks and didn’t know how to cater to the crowd. I hired a band called Merimac from Halifax in March, ’11 and we couldn’t have asked for a better show… The band was amazing, great song choices and catered to every moment of the night. Their gear looked very pro (sounded great), played music on breaks, setup a mic for speeches, etc and my guests have all since been out to watch their shows around the Maritimes since! I also organized an event for my work but Merimac was booked so I hired a band they recommended (their name escapes me) and they too were quite good. I’m told that sometimes if you book on an off Saturday night, you can sometimes get a discount with bands due to lower demand. Who ever you go with, make sure you ask the right questions, Good luck!