Why go through a booking agency when booking music for your special day?

In these crazy times, a lot of our clients have been getting in touch to postpone or cancel their wedding dates. They’ve also mentioned how happy they were that they had an agency to help them deal with the process, rather than chasing a musician themselves – and we’re stoked we could provide a little comfort in these instances. (Gotta take those small wins, eh?)

So why go through an agency?

When people are looking to book the musicians for their wedding day, there are a lot of things to consider – one of which is whether or not to go through a booking agency like Oberon Lane. Well, while we don’t want to overstate our importance (haha!), we think it’s necessary to outline the benefits of using an agency based on our experience over the years. As owners who are also musicians ourselves, we’ve come to really understand the advantages, which we’ve explained below :)

Correspondence:

While the musician you want for your big day may be an awesome and talented singer, they may not be an awesome and talented emailer ;) Don’t underestimate how important this is! You see, a good booking agent has the experience and expertise to know how to answer your questions, what questions to ask you and when to ask them, how to consolidate and organise an email thread (that is often 20+ emails long!) and distribute this information to the musicians. A good agent will be prompting you for song selections, asking about audio set-up logistics, keeping you calm and happy, and making sure everything is covered. You want your day to run smoothly, and a musician may only have done, say, 10 weddings – but the agent has booked 1000+ and knows what to ask and how to get it done! A good booking agent will give you the confidence that everything will run according to plan.

Sickness or cancellations:

While these instances are rare, unfortunately sometimes stuff happens and a musician may need to cancel due to sickness or other unforeseeable circumstances. Going through an agency means that no matter what, you’ll have an awesome replacement who knows the package you’ve booked and what is required. Going with an agency is like taking out insurance; if something happens, we will have it covered with someone super talented who fits the bill and will rock your day.

Experience:

After booking so many weddings, a good agent will see any red flags and any potential logistical issues well in advance and be able to touch base and organise a solution. Everything is possible on your wedding day, but good organisation is key to making it run smoothly. 

Audio Production:

A good agency understands audio production and has set its artists up with all the tools they’ll need to facilitate any audio curveballs. For example, does your brother play the trumpet and want to sit in with the band? Do you want a song playing sweetly in the forest while you cut the cake? Does your Great Uncle Milfred want to perform a one-man show of Les Mis on the outside lawn during canapés? (Hey, each to their own!). All this is doable, but it all takes serious planning. A good agent will understand what you’re asking for and make sure the musicians have what they need to execute it seamlessly. 

So these are just a few short examples of some of the benefits of going through an agency. And YES, we’re an agency, but we’re also musicians ourselves and have learnt that while any muso may be a great performer, that’s actually only a fraction of what is required to totally ace the music on the day. There’s also a bucket load of planning that they may not have considered or have the experience to ask about. You can have total peace of mind when going through us, knowing that we have you covered for the most special day of your life. 

OB Team xo