How Much Does a Wedding Singer Cost?

Wedding singers are essential for the entertainment of the guests at a wedding. They typically can perform a variety of different genres of music such as jazz, rock, pop, and R&B. Also, you can hire wedding singers who can perform solo or with a band to back them up.

Whether it is for the ceremony, first dance, or for the party, a wedding singer will bring joy to your guests and will give a special flair to the wedding.

How much does a wedding singer cost?

The average cost of a wedding singer is anywhere from $200 to $1,100 per hour or more. Depending on your geographical location, the singer, and his or her experience, the cost will greatly vary. On average, the cost for a wedding singer in the United States is around $400 per hour. The type of music they will perform will also influence the final bill.

Wedding singers can provide different packages, and some of them charge a fee per song. For instance, you can expect to pay from as low as $45 to as much as $270 per song.

For a band to perform at your wedding, especially when the party starts, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,500 up to $15,000, depending on their experience, the number of individuals who perform, and their equipment.

Wedding Wire states that the average amount that couples spend on a wedding singer for their ceremony is between $330 and $700 per hour and it can go up to $1,100 per hour or even more if the singer is on demand. However, they claim that you may also be able to find a wedding singer for less than $200 per hour.

Based on our research, one member of a forum thread stated that she hired a wedding singer for her wedding day and paid $500 for two hours of his performance. Another member claimed that she only paid $75 to have a wedding singer perform for 30 minutes at her wedding.

BridesPedia.com stated on its blog that a couple should expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $5,000 for a wedding singer depending on the experience, if there is any accompaniment, the length of the performance, and other factors.

On Reddit.com, a member who is a musician stated that for a wedding event, she usually charges between $250 and $300 per hour. This cost is available for local events, and traveling is not included.

You should expect to budget anywhere from $300 to $3,000 per event for a wedding singer. However, keep in mind that the costs may vary based on your region, the venue, the experience, the demand of the singer, and many other factors.

According to an online study, the starting cost for hiring a celebrity to perform at your wedding starts from $50,000 and can go up to $ 1 million or even more. Popular famous singers known to have sang at weddings are Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Lana Del Ray, Sia, Florence Welch, Ellie Goulding, and Pitbull.

The professional wedding singer, Alexis Wong, charges anywhere between $250 and $400 to perform during the processional part of the wedding. However, she has numerous songs that she can sing at your wedding event.

An article about weddings on HeartofNCWeddings stated that for a solo musician, you can expect to pay between $300 to $500, while for a live trio, the cost may go higher, somewhere between $650 and $800.

A wedding singer who used to perform at weddings, stated on HarmonyCentral.com, that his fee was around $200 to perform at the ceremony. For this charge, he would perform classical music before the ceremony and a processional during the event.

Wedding musician overview

Music is an essential part of the wedding, whether you get a solo singer, a wedding band or a DJ. Couples are often more likely to hire a live singer for their wedding especially for the ceremony or for the First Dance.

Live music can make your wedding extra special with beautiful singing, inviting your guests to dance and have fun. Also, you can choose to have your special song performed while you go to the aisle, or for your first dance.

When booking a wedding singer, after you find the one that matches your standards, first you will talk to them about the moment or moments of the wedding when you would like them to perform. The singer will be able to provide you with some previous wedding moments where they performed, to show their ability to sing or even go for a live performance.

The next step is to choose the music style that will be performed, and the songs that you would like to have. Usually, singers are comfortable singing any song if you have something special in mind. Also, they will show you the most popular songs in his repertoire that are usually performed at weddings.

You might also like our articles about the cost of a wedding DJ, a live band, or a mariachi band.

After choosing the songs, you will have an idea about how long this artistic moment will last.

However, the singer will need to know the venue where the wedding will take place, to be able to bring the right acoustic equipment, in case the wedding venue does not provide one. Also, the acoustics of a venue depend greatly on its size, so the wedding singer will have to know these details.

After all the songs are set and other administrative aspects are resolved, on the day of the wedding, the singer will be present at least one hour earlier. If he or she needs to set their equipment, such as stands, music sheets, and other necessary settings.

During a wedding, the length and type of music played depends on the moment, whether it is the ceremony, party, or the bride’s walk down the aisle.

Factors influencing the cost of booking a singer

The cost of hiring a wedding singer will vary based on several factors. To have an idea about what you are actually paying for, we listed below some factors:

• Performance: A great factor that will influence the cost of hiring a wedding singer is the length of the artistic moment. Depending on how long you would like to have the singer performing, whether is for half an hour or six hours, the overall cost will vary.
• Experience: Another important factor is the years of experience that the wedding singer has. An experienced singer will know how to work in any situation and will guarantee the best success for your musical moment.
• Equipment: Professional wedding singers will also be able to provide the equipment that is needed for their best performance. Equipment such as microphones, stands, and amplifiers brought by the singers, are usually factors that can influence the cost but will guarantee the best sound.
• Coverage: Typically, professional wedding singers will be able to provide the needed papers such as insurance and other legal documents that may be requested by the management of the venue.
• Travel and setting time: These aspects may be one of the biggest cost parts of the budget when hiring a wedding singer. Besides the performance, the singer will also budget the travel time to and from the venue, and based on the distance, the cost will vary. Also, another factor that couples have to consider is the time for setting and packing back the singer’s equipment.

What are the extra costs?

Typically, wedding singers have travel expenses included in their quote, however, some of them may charge it as an additional fee. The cost will vary depending on the distance from their location to the venue.

If there is a need for rehearsal or a demonstration of how would the artistic moment be, additional fees may be charged, depending on the length of the performance and other aspects.

If requesting a song that the singer may not know, he or she will charge additionally as they will have to learn and practice the song.

It is customary to tip the wedding singer after their performance. Typically, the cost is around 15 to 20 percent of the total charge.

Important things to consider

Usually, wedding singers can perform various genres of music, such as R&B, pop, rock, jazz, and others. However, some singers specialize in a specific genre of music, so keep in mind to ask about this aspect when hiring a wedding singer.

Before hiring a wedding singer, research their performance and expertise, and look for reviews from other people who previously hired them. Also, it is recommended to request a sample from previous performances and a live performance.

It is advisable to book a wedding singer months or even a year before the wedding. This is done to ensure that you will have the desired artist and that he or she will have plenty of time to rehearse or to learn new songs, if this is the case.

When hiring a wedding singer ensure that he or she has a backup plan, such as another singer, in case he or she will not be able to perform during your wedding, for unexpected reasons.

Most wedding singers will take a 15-minute break after one hour of performance.

TheBash.com database can help you find a wedding singer, in case you do not know where to start.

How can I save money?

As with any expense, Saturday nights are usually charged with a higher rate. Take into consideration planning your wedding event in another day of the week to save some money, such as the expense that a wedding singer may charge.

To cut down the costs, consider hiring talented students from local music schools. They may be able to provide a successful performance at a less expensive cost.

As per the ceremony, to save money, the church may be able to assist you with its choir for no cost or a small fee.

Planning ahead for a wedding is usually more cost-effective, and this is the case when booking a wedding singer as well. Usually, booking a singer at least one year before the wedding may save you some money.