An Entire Blog About Band Appearance?

Yes, the way a band presents themselves can make a significant impact on the overall feel of your party. It is not enough to trust that your event band will show up looking appropriate. When checking out potential bands to sign and to form, it is sometimes shocking what performers consider appropriate.  So, let’s examine different possibilities for how a party band should look at events.

The first step is to consider what the dress code will be for your guests. Let’s begin with black tie or optional black tie. If that’s what you’ve chosen then obviously you want to have a sense of elegance at your event. Therefore, it is important that your band reflect that. And there are a variety of ways a band can dress in “black tie.”

These days, it is unusual for a band to wear actual tuxedos and formal gowns. Back in the day, the male performers would wear a black tuxedo with a white slightly ruffled shirt with black cummerbund and bowtie. Imagine that now! Nowadays, “black tie” for a band will often mean a nice solid black suit with either a black or white dress shirt and black tie. The female performers, especially if they are out front as singers, will often either have a somewhat form-fitting long black dress or one that falls just above the knees. And it’s safest for it not to be too revealing. The key is that the entire band dress one way or the other in order to present a consistent and cohesive look and yes, you do want a cohesive look when it’s black tie.

An option, we offer our clients, is for the band to begin in black tie and then change, usually during our client’s entre service, to something different and more entertaining, yet still appropriate to the atmosphere of black tie. If an event’s dress code, for guests, is not black tie then the band can perform in some of the following options.

Let’s say it’s nice cocktail attire in which your guests appear in suits and dresses or pant suits. In that case, we will actually still offer to have the band begin in their version of black tie and then change. What they change into can be one of three possibilities.

The first is to still appear in all-black though not technically black tie (see the picture of SoundConnection at the top of this article). Another is perhaps to have the men wear black slacks with a white button down dress shirt with long black tie and a black vest or black suit coat.  And the women would either have nice entertaining black slacks and a black top or to have a shimmery black dress that comes just above the knees. A third option is to have a sort of sophisticated club look. In other words, to incorporate color though for the guys to at least include a vest or cool suit coat. And, if you go in that direction, for the band to try to have color accents that compliment the colors in your décor.