Questions To Ask Your Venue Before Choosing Your Music Package
Live music! We love it, you love it, and it truly is such a fantastic element to add to your wedding day. But not all live music lineups will be the right fit for your venue, and that’s what today’s post is all about.
We’ve booked hundreds of weddings at venues all across Australia, and literally every venue is different (obviously) so we’ve seen all kinds of audio complications over the years. We want to preface the following by saying that we absolutely love all the venues that we play at, and a lot of the issues that we all have to deal with are not their fault. It’s more commonly a difficult neighbour or a grumpy town council that has forced these rules upon the venues, but it’s super important that everyone is looped in on any audio rules or requirements prior to booking their package. We’ve seen brides and grooms not being aware of noise restrictions, confusion surrounding strict cut-off times , and even bizarre ‘town council’ restrictions that tell the venue where the band can set up (it happens!).
It’s always your choice in the end, and OL can make just about anything work, but there are just a few things that you should ask your venue before you land on what music lineup you book in:
1. Noise restrictions – decibel limits
NSW has notoriously bad noise restrictions just about everywhere. If you see anything that mentions 90DB or less, know that it’s going to be a much quieter dance floor than you’d probably like, and they’ll have bass restrictions as well. Our advice is to always go with a DJ in these scenarios, rather than a lacklustre semi-acoustic band option trying to fill an uninviting dance floor.
2. Music cut-off times
Most venues in NSW have a hard 11pm cut-off time. Some (usually those without grumpy neighbours!) have managed to negotiate a later time, but often they make you lower the volume after 11 anyway. Some venues are even tighter with 10/10.30pm cut-off times! But no matter what, almost every venue has a rule that you have to follow – and while this is fine if you know about it in advance, it’s a disaster if you don’t. We’ve seen venues that are forced to cut the power on the last song; we’ve had crowds screaming, "One more song! One more song!” and had absolutely no ability to play anything; we’ve had music go quiet and then guests having to wait another hour until buses arrive, everyone standing around getting grumpy with an awkward hour of fade-out conversations. This is not how you want your big day to end – you want to go out with a BANG!!!
Ask your venue about the rules and times. Ask them if it would be okay, for example, if the music went for another 15 minutes after 11. If they say, “Yeah, but it would have to be quieter,” or something along those lines, then most likely they have a HARD cut-off at 11, and they know it will be a problem if you keep going, but, like all good venues, they’re just doing their best to keep you happy and keep you excited for your day.
We love venues, and we love venue owners and management! They all do a great job, and the rules are not their fault or even their choice, but they’re often caught up in the fine print. Once you know, then you can plan your run sheet for a great big end song :)
3. No amplification
Some venues have restrictions on ‘outside’ amplification for ceremonies or canapés. If they say, ‘No amplified music allowed,’ then you’ve got a problem if you want acoustic music. Why, you ask? Well, it won’t really be heard over people talking, and that’s pretty awkies for all involved. If something like this is required, it’s often best to go with a string duo or quartet, or a jazz trio with saxophone and double bass. Anything that is ‘not amplified’ can get around the rules, but a singer and an acoustic guitar is not a good call.
4. In-house audio systems
Several venues make all music run through their in-house system. This can be great if it’s set up well, but its more common purpose is to ensure that the venue has control over the total volume. Most musicians are happy to work with this kind of setup, but it’s important to know that your musicians have zero control over the total volume and cannot ‘turn it up’ if it’s not pumping on the dance floor.
While these are all simple questions to ask, getting this info from your venue is actually super important to ensure you book the right music for your day so that the vibe is on point.
You can read more about choosing the right music for your venue in this post ‘here’.