Wedding singers play a big part in making a wedding more romantic, fun, and entertaining. Whether playing with a live band or backing to a music track, the role of a wedding singer is a must to make the event extra-special. And, yes, getting gigs at wedding events is not only a fun experience, but it pays well, too!
Newly-weds often pay their wedding singer around $400 to $500, excluding the travel expenses and extra services offered. And, of course, a wedding is a party, so a singer can also expect to have a free meal and booze in the event.
Doesn’t it sound good? Well, if you wish to start a career as a professional wedding singer, here’s a list of tips for you.
Be Flexible to Sing with a Live Band or to a Backing Track
Wedding singers often have to sing with a live band or to perform on their own with the help of a backing track. As a professional singer, it’s important to be flexible to switch between the two because it’s the only way that you can cater to all types of budgets and get more wedding gigs.
The fee for a live band is typically bigger than the payment for a solo performer since there are more musicians to pay and more music equipment to hire. If you’re inclined to perform with a band, it’s crucial that each of your band members is reliable and good at their respective roles.
It’s also essential that there’s a substitute performer in case one of your members can’t perform due to sickness or other emergencies. You should put yourself on the shoes of the couple and think that their wedding is an important event in their life as lovers. So you should carry on the show no matter what.
Select Music That’s Appropriate for the Event
As a wedding singer, you should learn how to perform songs that are often requested at weddings. Of course, love songs are a staple at such events. During wedding receptions, they might ask for their favorite love songs or wedding classics.
But some couples might also ask you to sing religious songs, especially during wedding ceremonies. So it’s essential that you know how to perform a wide selection of songs for you to have an excellent performance in the event. Practice the songs regularly and make sure that you’re confident to deliver them.
Days before the event, it’s also advisable to discuss with the couple what songs they like to be performed so that you can be well prepared.
Get Singing Lessons
Your voice is the most valuable asset you have as a wedding singer. Even if you already have an excellent singing voice, it’s still a plus that you get vocal lessons to hone your ability to sing. Having a formal vocal training will get you ahead of the fierce competition of landing gigs at wedding events.
If you get singing lessons, you’ll learn techniques such as how to improve voice control and hit notes accurately. It will also help you how to protect your vocals from damage, thereby allowing you to take up more wedding gigs.
There are a lot of affordable singing lessons like the Bohemian Vocal lessons for you to harness your singing talent.
Invest in Your Own Equipment
After you have performed for several wedding events and have saved enough money, you should see to it that you invest in buying your own PA system. Having your own PA system is a significant investment in your career.
Some wedding venues don’t have an available PA system. So you can charge an extra fee for your equipment. Also, having your own PA system will ensure that you sound great in your performance. Sometimes you’ll encounter a poor quality PA system in wedding venues, and you must surely avoid that from happening.
Learn How to Market Yourself and Find Gigs
Looking for wedding gigs requires a lot of effort. But you can expect that you will grow your client base once you establish yourself as an excellent wedding singer. The key to this is learning how to market yourself to prospective clients. You can follow these strategies below for you to get more gigs.
Build a Business Relationship with Wedding Planners
Of course, you should be close to people who work in the wedding planning industry. In this way, you have higher chances to get more referrals and clients.
Wedding planners also collaborate with wedding singers for specific projects, and they keep a contact list in case they need a performer. So you should make sure to connect with as many wedding planners as possible to get more gigs. You can build a business relationship with wedding planners by asking for an appointment or through auditioning.
Create Audio or Video Demos
You can create audio or video demos to market yourself as a wedding singer. You can share your demos with friends, relatives, wedding planners, and potential clients. You should make sure that your demos show the best of your ability and talent to sing.
Sing wedding classics, popular love songs, and dance songs in your demos. You can have them in a CD, downloadable file, or online streaming sites. If possible, create a website where you can market yourself.
Get Yourself Published in Local Publications
Once you performed your first several gigs, you can have them published in the wedding section of your local wedding magazine or newspaper. This approach is one of the best ways to market yourself as a professional wedding singer to your potential clients because a local publication has a broad reach.
Prepare Your Business Cards
Since landing wedding gigs is a tough competition, you should seize every opportunity to make yourself known to the public. In this case, having business cards is a great help. You can give your business card to friends, relatives, cafes, coffee shops, bridal shops, or churches.
Takeaway
The job of a wedding singer is a fun and lucrative profession. So if you want to be a professional wedding singer, you should know how to become one. You should take up singing lessons, know how to be flexible with your performance, learn to perform a wide variety of songs, and market yourself.
