Tips for Getting Started with Singing at Weddings
- Jade Gauthier-Thornton
- Jun 27
- 10 min read
My first wedding booking came from a passer by asking if I played at weddings whilst busking. I replied with something along the lines of ‘I haven’t before, but I can!’ and have never looked back! I even asked if I could bring my mum along (I would have been 17 at the time!).
Now, with just over 65 weddings under my belt and another 15+ to come in the 2025 calendar, I thought I would share a few tips on the ways I have found most beneficial to book weddings.
As always, I am aware that this is just my opinion am no where near the top wedding singer in the UK, but just want to share some hopefully useful tips! First of all, I would consider your budget in getting things started. I will go through these points as if I were just starting out, so I understand that budget will be different for every single person. When I started out, I was doing 1-3 weddings a year, but since I have been setting aside funds to re-invest into my business, I have seen a significant uptake in bookings.
Above all else, invest in good equipment £££
Equipment is integral to your performance and can make or break your clients decision when choosing their entertainment. I was lucky enough to start out with a pretty good amplifier due to busking, but soon realised that it wasn’t sufficient if I were to start playing bigger events & weddings.
I started with a Roland Street Cube, then moved to a Roland Street Cube Ex in 2018. When I started to play larger events in 2023, I bought a Bose L1 Compact and kept the Roland alongside for busking and gigs I’d need to get to by train. Recently, in October 2024, I upgraded my beloved Street Cube Ex to Bose S1 Pro+. It was something I had thought about for a very long time (which in my brain, justifies the purchase!) and chose to strike when I saw it was on sale.
I made this change for 2 reasons. I was using my L1 a lot and really preferred the sound quality; so much so it was depreciating the quality of (in my head) the Roland. I know a lot of other musicians that had the Bose S1 and loved it; but also some that didn’t! When I saw that they had released the Bose S1 Pro+, I did my research and found that the reviews seemed to have improved on the previous model.
To be honest, the second reason; was for aesthetics! I had seen many other wedding singers using the Bose S1s and really loved the look and sound of it. Putting the amp up on a stand really makes a big difference & still creates a professional look with such a small, portable amp. Speaking of, it is great for destination weddings & can fit comfortably into suitcases!
By upgrading amps over the years, I have seen a definite upward trend in quantity and quality of bookings. As I mentioned earlier, it is vital to provide clients with peace of mind that you can provide everything you need to set up and play.
Social media presence is KEY - Free (Potential to spend ££!)
I’m sure we’re all aware on the role that social media plays in our daily lives. We can all agree that it may well be replacing the Google search. If couples need to find a supplier, Instagram is often the first resource they will go to.
Here is where it becomes key that you make a good first impression to your potential clients with your page. Giving precise information in your bio as to what you do, who you are and the areas you cover is paramount. In addition, utilising your display name and links correctly can go a long way to ranking highly in searches. I.E, I’m a singing guitarist, so my display name includes this, and my bio includes the fact that I play weddings and private events.
Then it comes to your content. Again, I don’t feel like I have any expertise on talking about this, as I sometimes feel my content can be all over the place, but it can make or break whether a client choses to hit that enquiry button.
Side note; the new ‘Enquire Now’ button on instagram is great and you should definitely set it up!
Consistent, stylised content creates a musical resumé, allowing potential clients to scroll through your style and repertoire and make their decisions. I am a true believer that consistent social media activity can see an uptake in bookings!
One side of social media that I am yet to explore is Ads, but I feel it right to mention as I have had a lot of peers have success with it. If you can generate clear, concise content; showing a random scroller by what you do and who you are in one post, it is highly likely to convert to a booking. I personally have’t dipped into it as I haven’t been able to generate something myself that I feel would reap me those rewards, but I have heard others have outsourced to marketing professionals and seen results.
Have HQ Showreels and Photos ready £££
Like many other sectors in the entertainment industry, visual media is important when applying for jobs.
You can apply and apply to endless ads for jobs, but you will always find that they want to hear and see your act before booking. Back in 2021, when I joined my first online agency ‘Encore’, I was met with the requirements of uploading High Quality pictures and videos of me performing. I was lucky enough to have had a couple of weddings under my belt at that point, so had a few pictures that had been kindly sent by couples from their photographers. However, I really did struggle with HQ videos. My mum was kind enough to join me busking and took a few videos of me performing a range of songs, of which I cut together in iMovie. It was then later rejected as it included my name and social media details (on my busking sign) which I didn’t know at the time, violated their terms (understandably so!). I then had to edit it frame my frame by blurring my sign out. I was endlessly applying for gigs and getting absolutely no return and I didn’t know why! Knowing what I know now, I can see that that video played a huge part. I did what I could at the time and am very glad that some clients still took the chance!
Fast forward to the end of 2024, I decided to get a showreel made. I will be honest, at first glance; they are quite expensive! It was definitely something I had to save up for, but I am so glad that I did. I went with Jack at InFocusRecording (I will link at the bottom) as I saw on his instagram that he was doing a wedding themed showreel day. I think at that point he only had one spot left for the day so I saw it as a sign to do it!
The day itself was super easy and relaxed and I’m so happy with the results. Jack also included a small photo shoot, generated social clips for me and made branded and unbranded videos; which is SO useful when working with agencies! Considering the skill involved & the volume of content I received, I definitely regard it as great value for money and I’d even say it’s paid for itself. I was being asked for HQ footage all the time from new agencies, and had even been turned away as my content was good enough for them. To have this now ready to go has definitely boosted my business & can’t recommend it enough!
Wedding Fairs - Are they worth it? ££
I am VERY new to the world of wedding fairs, but would like to share a few words about the ones I have done. Starting new this year in January, I have attended 3 and have two more booked for the end of this year. I was a little apprehensive at first, as they come with an upfront charge of anywhere between £160-£210 to attend as a supplier. These generally include a 6ft table and access to power.
I would recommend that if you want to see a return on this: invest in your set up. This doesn’t require a lot of money, but it is quite important when trying to attract potential couples. Before my first fair, I bought a floor banner from instantprint, which I recall being around the £45 mark. I was a little weary as it wasn’t expensive and was being delivered quite fast (It was after Christmas; I had forgotten that I needed a banner!) but I was really pleased with it!
Over the three wedding fairs, I was lucky enough to book three weddings. This was 2 at the first, none at the second and one at the third. The general consensus when asking other suppliers (one of my favourite part of wedding fairs is meeting others in the industry!) is that it quite be quite ‘hit and miss’; perfectly displayed by my track record so far. Nonetheless, as I mentioned, we (my boyfriend comes with me which is a huge lifesaver!) really did enjoy networking with other suppliers and being able to chat to couples face to face. Even if they’d mentioned they already have music booked, being able to share advice and answer questions about wedding music was great as I’m always doing it over email (or pouring it into this blog!).
I haven’t come across these as of yet, but I have also heard of Wedding Shows, which can be free to attend as a supplier; but may not be as heavily advertised, which can allow for slightly less footfall. You truly can never guess the outcome of either as so many factors come into play.
A key one to consider is time of year! If you didn’t know, January is often referred to as engagement season. Quite self-explanatory, but a lot of couples become newly engaged around the Christmas season and often start to think about suppliers in the new year! As a supplier, this is also when I’m the most ‘available’, both personally and with peak dates throughout the year; so Wedding Fairs were a no brainer for me.
In general, they tend to run in the first and last thirds of the year; so make sure you book early as they only usually allow 1-2 types of suppliers to each fair.
Last but not least… Reviews!
Often overlooked, Reviews can be a really powerful tool. When I signed up to my first online agencies, they were a requirement to launch my pages with them. When clients are looking to book a performer in, reviews are vital. First hand accounts of the services you provide, how their guests responded and other elements that may not be immediately obvious about you as a supplier can be the difference in clicking that ’Book Now’ button. I never tire of reading reviews from clients; each and every one makes my heart so warm and I will be forever grateful to those that take that 5 minutes to write one for me.
I know how much I rely on reviews when purchasing products or services, so make sure your prioritise this when constructing your brand. I had to call on gigs that I had done over a year prior when I first signed up to the agencies; and I’m very grateful to those that wrote on to get me out of those starting blocks. No matter if that one wedding you played at was a couple of years ago, be brave and ask for that review, and it will soon become something you build into your client correspondence. Agencies will often prompt the client automatically to write one after the booking, but I have now made it a habit to follow up from the event with a request for a review. Be careful to not immediately (although some do come back straight way!) bombard newly weds as it is often their honeymoon the day after!
If I were to start again, what would I do first?
I would implore you to start with a showreel. If you can get a wedding style showreel, even better! I started with great online agencies such as Encore and Last Minute Musicians, but without a showreel, it took me a really long time to get anywhere. Invest and you will see the results!
Then, I would invest in your equipment. It will be the foundation to your business and will promptly pay for itself.
Get those reviews in. These will go a long way in building your credibility and securing future bookings. They also make great social media content, often best pinned to your instagram profile.
I would build your social media account. Consider setting up a separate social page (often instagram) to streamline enquiries and make sure you land on the right pages. If your content is based around Weddings only, you are more likely to end up on the explore pages of those that are planning a wedding. I cannot take any credit for this advice, as I learned it all from a fellow wedding musician/social media master that is Shalana Serafina, when she spoke on ‘The Full Time Function Musician Podcast’ with Jack from InFocusRecordings. If you are looking for advice from others that are in the business, start there!
Once you have the showreel, the equipment and the social account; I would keep your mind open to wedding fairs. They are not for everyone and are by no means necessary to booking weddings, but I think they are a great way to get your brand out there and talk to engaged couples. I know that I have found myself quite frustrated at some points when my inbox is a little drier than I had hoped, that I wanted to actively almost apply to be people’s weddings singer. Now, platforms like Encore are good for this, but that itch was definitely scratched when I went to my first wedding fair.
Links to items/people I have discussed:
InFocusRecording: https://www.infocusrecordingcompany.co.uk
(aff link) Bose S1 Pro+ https://amzn.to/4kXQryK
(aff link) XVive U4 In Ear Monitors: https://amzn.to/4l0xWK2
(aff link) Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3G9kNzp
The Full Time Function Musician Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1lhNTuIEyJTVHGd10wKyLo
Shalana Serafina: https://www.instagram.com/shalana.serafina.weddings/?hl=en-gb
Encore: Encore Musicians: Hire Top Rated Live Bands, Musicians ...Encore Musicianshttps://encoremusicians.com
Disclaimer: The product links above are amazon affiliate links, meaning I do get commission if you make a purchase.
The other links however, have not been paid or asked to mention, I just want to share them with you!
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