Magnet Duo - Professional Wedding & Corporate Entertainment

Magnet has been one of Melbourne's leading wedding and corporate entertainment duos for the past 10 years.

Offering an unrivalled entertainment package including 4 x 40 minute sets of "live" music, pre-dinner jazz piano, and an impeccable MC hosting service, Magnet specialise in delivering the ultimate night of fun and celebration.

If you are looking for high quality wedding or corporate entertainment that caters for a wide range of guest tastes and styles, then Magnet is definitely the band for you.

Whilst it is impossible for us to convey the vast depth of experience and talent of Magnet in such a short web site, we will endeavour to provide you with enough resources and information to enable you to make an informed decision. See Who is Magnet Duo?

How to Choose your Wedding Entertainment or Wedding band

Choosing your wedding entertainment or wedding band can be a daunting task for any bride or groom, and there are many considerations and pitfalls. We would like to discuss some of them here.

What type of Wedding Entertainment or Wedding band?

Choosing the type of wedding entertainment you require will largely depend on the theme, style, or type of wedding reception you are planning.

The two most common types of weddings are "sit-down" and "cocktail".

After deciding on your wedding theme, you will need to decide whether the music will be Classical, Jazz, Latin, or a Popular style.

You may also decide to break the music into 3 parts.

For example: You may decide to use a String Ensemble for your Ceremony Entertainment, a Jazz Pianist for your pre-dinner entertainment, and a Pop Duo, Trio, band or dj for your wedding reception entertainment.

Consider Your Wedding Guests

Whilst it is important that you choose wedding entertainment that you personally like, we talk to many brides and grooms who have particular music preferences, that may or may not be suitable for a wedding reception environment.

For example: If you like "Silver Chair" or "AC/DC", you may find that your wedding reception is compromised, if you have your heart set on this style of music. The reason being that you must consider the musical tastes, age group, and style of your guests.

If you want your guests to dance at your wedding reception, and enjoy the music you have selected, then it is important to pitch your wedding music towards the more popular styles. This way, you are guaranteed to please the majority of your friends and relatives, unless of course they all like "Silver Chair" or "AC/CD".

Alternatively, you may be considering a more laid-back wedding reception, where your guests can enjoy Jazz, whilst mingling in a cocktail style atmosphere. In this case, consider the type of Jazz band that you may require.

For example: There are a huge range of jazz styles that may or may not suit your wedding reception. Dixie Land, Trad, Big Band, Bop, Fusion, Funk, Contemporary, are just some of the styles you may encounter, so make sure that you pay close attention to the jazz band you are choosing.

Wedding Entertainment Stage & Wedding band Space Requirements

The next major consideration is the space requirements of the wedding band or act that you are looking to employ. If you have space limitations, then you may want to consider a smaller act such as a Wedding Duo or Wedding Trio, or even a DJ.

Alternatively, you may have a large area that can accommodate a bigger "live" wedding band or latin dance band. You may also want to consider the location and type of stage that your wedding reception has.

For example: If you are having a rose garden wedding reception, you may want to consider a quiet string ensemble, or a small jazz trio.

If you are having a catered wedding reception in a hall, marquee or other type of quasi wedding reception venue, then you need to consider power requirements, and power access for the wedding band or wedding dj.

You may also need to check that the area is dry and secure and protected from high winds, rain or intense heat.

Wedding Entertainment Budget & Financial Considerations

Perhaps the most important consideration of all is your wedding budget. Whilst this may be considered the place to start, it is extremely important that you do not make your budget the driving force behind your wedding entertainment choice.

You should consider some of the issues we have spoken about first, before you consider you financial allotment for wedding entertainment. Furthermore, you should also consider how important the wedding music is at your wedding, or how important you would like it to be. In our opinion, your wedding entertainment will make or break your wedding reception, whilst being the thing that you and your guests will remember most for years to come.

Having said that, you will need to be practical about the type of wedding entertainment you choose. For example: If you are looking to hire the services of a large 6+ piece wedding band, then you will most definitely need to look at your budget.

You will also need to allow for food and drink for the band. Most wedding reception venues require you to provide the wedding band or dj with at least one course (usually the main), whilst soft drinks are always a standard issue. You may also decide to allow your wedding entertainment to have beer or wine, so be sure to budget for this.

Sourcing Your Wedding Entertainment

Once you have decide on the style and type of wedding music, your budget constraints and your stage limitations, you will then set about the task of actually sourcing your wedding entertainment.

This has been made fairly simple by the Internet and Online Wedding Directories such as Smart Bride, which enable you to view and listen to the act that you are considering. However, there are pitfalls that you must be aware of, otherwise you may be tipping your valuable budget down the drain.

Firstly, consider from the very outset the overall presentation of the act. Your initial impressions will serve you well here. For example:

Does the act have a registered business, how long have they been together (in their current form)?
Do they have a Demo CD you can listen to?
Do they perform anywhere you have ever heard of?
Do they have a web site?
Do they have information that they can send to you?
How professional is that information?
How quickly do they respond to you?
Do they have genuine Testimonials?

Wedding Music Agents & Referrals

There are a number of Music Agents who can help you to source your wedding entertainment, however there are a number of critical considerations before you start down this track.

Most music agents have a number of acts which they will recommend to you, whilst you will probably receive a compilation Demo CD of the acts offered by the music agency. It is often difficult to decide your wedding entertainment from such compilations, since they are usually only very brief "grabs" of the artist's original Demo CD, with many of the acts performing similar styles and tunes.

Furthermore, you probably won't deal with your preferred wedding band or dj directly at any stage, unless authorised by the band agency. This can result in confusion on your wedding day, so be sure to verify exactly what it is you are being given by the music agency.

If possible, talk to friends who have been married before to see who they used for their wedding entertainment, and try to locate wedding bands that are recommended to you. There are some wedding bands that work together in a network, you should be able to find success from one of these groups, since they usually only recommend quality acts.

When choosing your wedding entertainment, you need to feel comfortable right from the start. If you feel at any stage that the wedding band or dj may not be able to deliver what you want, then walk away.

How accurate are Demo CD's?

A Demo CD usually represents an act's keenness to do business, and is the most basic requirement for any wedding band. For example: If an act is disorganised and sloppy then their Demo CD will usually reflect this, or they may have no Demo CD at all.

Whilst a well recorded Demo CD can make an average wedding band sound great, you will find a Demo CD very useful in narrowing down your selection.

It is always important to view your wedding entertainment "live" prior to making your choice, however if you are dealing with professional wedding entertainment acts, you may find that they can only be viewed at wedding reception venues.

In these cases, you may get permission from the wedding venue to allow you to see the act performing during a "live" wedding, also there are many acts who will perform a 'Private Viewing" session, to give you an idea of their sound and style.

Paying for your Wedding Entertainment

The type of wedding entertainment you have chosen will determine the varying payment options available to you, but here is rough guide. You should sign a contract with any wedding entertainer that you a looking to hire, as this will bind your agreement.

In most cases, your deposit should not exceed 10% of the artist's total fee, and the balance of payment should not need to be paid until the final weeks leading up to your wedding, or until the day of your wedding. This decision is a matter of convenience.

If you are booking your wedding entertainment through a music agent, then you may find that payment terms are a little different to the above. You will still need to sign a contract with your booking agent so make sure you read the fine print.

Prices for Wedding Entertainment melbourne & Wedding Bands Melbourne

The following table outlines the average price for professional wedding entertainment and wedding bands in Melbourne.

Prices	Acts
Up to $500	Most DJ's & Less Experienced Wedding Duos, Wedding Trios and Wedding Bands
$500 - $1000	Established Wedding Duos & Wedding Trios, and Small "Live" Wedding Bands
$1000 - $2000	High Quality Wedding Duos & Wedding Trios, Medium Sized "Live" Wedding Bands
$2000+	Large Established "Live" Wedding Bands