Has Your Wedding Singer got the X Factor?
Top 10 Tips on how to find out!
Hello! My name is Hollie and I am a professional singer and vocal coach and I would like to take the time to share with you some of my ‘Top Tips and Techniques’.
As a professional vocal artist and wedding singer, I know, understand and appreciate all the tools and techniques that are needed to be a performer! There are a lot of amazing vocalists out there, who simply don’t possess that star quality…….or the ‘X-Factor’ and it comes down to their performance elements.
As a vocalist, if you are looking to be a backing singer or even a session singer, then, to a certain extent, you are not usually going to be at the forefront of things and can therefore probably survive and succeed, purely on having a great voice. But, for Wedding Singers, Pop Stars etc, it is imperative that they give more than just a flawless vocal! They are going to be centre stage and responsible for entertaining all of your guests with their visual and audio representation.
I am sure that all Bride and Grooms wants their Wedding Singer to ‘Wow’ their guests and maintain and complete the standard and style, that they have set for their special day, but it can be very daunting when you don’t necessarily have the skills or knowledge to know how be sure that your Wedding Singer is as good as they say they are!
This is where I can hopefully help you! I am going to take you on a journey, giving to you my personal 'Top 10 Tips' on how you can tell if your Wedding Singer has got the 'X-factor' and how to be sure that they will leave both you and your guests amazed!
This article is designed to give you the insight and the ‘know how’ on what to look for, the type of questions to ask and the magic formula that makes a Wedding Singer outstanding.
Tip 1 - Look at their website
When choosing your Wedding Singer, I think that it is crucial to start by looking properly at their website. A website can tell you so much about a person or a business (both good and bad)!
How they have chosen to represent themselves? Look at their choice of colour schemes and their visual and audio representation
Personally I believe that one of the most important pages to read, (in order to try and connect with your Wedding Singer), is the ‘About me’ page. On this page they define how they see themselves and promote the skill sets they feel they have to offer.
To summarise, looking at their website gives you the chance to see what represents them, when they can’t personally. In addition to this it can usually answer some of the questions you may have, or will highlight if it ticks any of your Wedding Entertainment boxes.
Tip 2 - Listen to their voice!
It may sound like the most obvious thing in the world, to listen to your Wedding Singer’s voice. But some people simply click onto one track, listen to about 1 minute and then draw their conclusion.
There are a few main reasons for taking the time out to listen to their voice properly and they are:-
· You may not have particularly liked the cover track they were singing and it could have made you biased towards their performance.
· You need to see that they can cover a variety of songs and genres.
· You need to find out if they have a different take on each song, or do they all sound the same (very good karaoke!).
If you imagine, that your Wedding Singer will be singing for an average of 45 minutes and if you are using them for your evening Wedding Entertainment, then possibly up to 90 minutes and they are responsible, for keeping you and all of your guests entertained.
Your vocalist is the ‘Soundtrack’ to your Wedding Day and it’s imperative that they sound and look exactly as you need them to!
Tip 3 - Look at their photo gallery
It’s an easy mistake to make, to only consider your Wedding Singer’s voice, when making your decision. But, in my opinion, this alone is not enough, to ensure star quality!
When you are spending a lot of time and money, on making sure that your table décor is perfect, your flowers are truly stunning and that your Wedding Dress is beyond words, then surely you want to make sure that your entertainment/entertainer are in-keeping with your high standards. Depending on the style of music and time of day that they are performing, should dictate their attire and certain fashion styles nowadays are definitely an ‘acquired taste’ and do you really want to take that risk on the day?!
See if they are giving you visual variety and options and don’t’ be afraid to ask the right questions in determining whether they are happy to meet with your Theme or style of Wedding.
Tip 4 - See the songlist & read the repertoire!
Song choice is paramount to keeping your audience entertained and what Bride or Groom wants to find out on their big day, that the Wedding Singer has chosen your ex girlfriend/ boyfriends favourite love song as one of their prominent numbers!
In addition to viewing the song book/repertoire find out if they are happy to perform your ‘wish list’ on the day and at least this way, you know if you are employing ‘duke box’ style vocalist or a bespoke artist!
Tip 5 - Testimonials tell all!
I think it is fair to say that all businesses are going to sell and promote themselves, as professionals, offering exceptional quality and value for money. But in my opinion, there is nothing more impressive than a fantastic testimonial, mainly because this is a genuine and unbiased view and opinion.
Usually your Wedding Singer’s testimonials will be from past Bride and Grooms, who were once in the very same position that you are in and they are were so ecstatic about the service they received, that they have gone that extra mile to tell the rest of the world!
A testimonial will usually pinpoint the elements of the service received, that most impressed the happy couple, which may not be something that you would have found out from your Wedding Singer’s website, or even a conversation.
Tip 6 - Wedding Packages
Packages are designed to meet various needs, including budgets and requirements.
Has your Wedding Singer really thought about the Bride and Groom’s needs and budget, when compiling their Wedding packages?!
The questions, that in my opinion, you should be asking are:-
· Do they offer a bespoke service, giving you full control to ensure that all of your Wedding Entertainment needs are met?
· Do their packages meet with your budget requirements?
· Is your Wedding Singer willing to adapt both their package content and budget to meet your desires?
In the same way that song choice is essential to reflect your Wedding Theme, style or personality, so is your package content. You may have some quirky requirement, where you want a ‘whacky’ song sung, at a specific moment, that in you would never usually expect a Wedding Singer to put into their set list!
Tip 7 - Compare the competition
Even though you may have your heart set on a specific Wedding Singer, it is, in my opinion, important to compare the Wedding Entertainment market.
The reason for this, is because, sometimes is can actually confirm that your desired Wedding Singer, really does exceed all others.
However, it can also give you inspiration. For example, if you find a Wedding Vocalist with the perfect voice and image, but not offering quite the right package for you. You may be able to source the perfect package template elsewhere and simply ask your Wedding Singer if they are prepared to match it!
Tip 8 - Word of mouth matters!
What better testimonial, than that of someone you know and trust recommending your Wedding Singer from their own personal experience?!
The great situation with a personal recommendation is that it is likely that you already know the individual who is recommending your Wedding Singer’s taste and preferences and know if they meet with yours. So this recommendation works harmoniously both ways, because, if the person, who has recommended this particular Wedding Singer, has totally different ideas on what is ‘amazing’ and what is not, then you know to tread cautiously. On the other hand, if they have totally the same taste and style as you, then their choice of Wedding Entertainment will probably be similar to yours!
Tip 9 - What do YOU want from your Wedding Singer?
If you don’t have a clear idea of exactly what you want and expect from your Wedding Singer, then it is going to be very difficult to know if they are the right one for you!
The reason that I say this, is because, some Wedding Singers may be faultless technically and professionally, in both their voice and services, but are simply not the right style or personality to suite your Wedding!
This is not a reflection on their abilities in any way at all, it is simply a question of preference.
Tip 10 - Talk to your Wedding Singer!
One of the simplest ways to get a direct answer to something, is to ask a direct question and this is no different when choosing your Wedding Entertainment.
Take the time out to talk to your Wedding Singer and build up a rapport with them to see if you connect. Make sure you are clear in your mind of the kind of information you want to know and (if needs be), write down a list of questions for your Wedding Singer.
If you ask the right questions, you will truly know if they can meet all of your Wedding needs, not only as a singer, but as a performer!
