Charm Music Entertainment Agency hire live music,gospel choirs,string quartets and covers bands wedding receptions and corporate events

We've put together some frequently asked questions which will hopefully help explain certain aspects of booking live entertainment for your event along with exclusive advice from some of the uk's premier wedding planners. (see links for wedding planners website)

Information kindly supplied by www.yourweddingplanned.co.uk

Unforgettable days don’t just happen - they are planned.

Your wedding day will be one of the most unforgettable days of your lives. It could also be one of the most expensive and time consuming occasions of your lives.

Did you know that the average bride spends 275 hours organising her wedding - that's equal to 7 full-time working weeks!

Do you have that time to spare?

Are you able to visit suppliers during office hours?

If your answer is No, then a Wedding Planner could help you, not only with saving you valuable time but to help you achieve your dreams within your set budget.

Church Weddings

If it’s a religious wedding you wish for, getting married in the Church of England (or Church in Wales) is almost as simple as going to the register office because the Church of England is still the state recognised church in the UK.

Your first step is to contact the vicar of the church is which you wish to be wed to arrange an appointment to meet.

One of you will need to be a member of the Church of England and should live in the parish where you want to be married.

The church doesn't allow remarriage in church of people who have been divorced, but individual priests may agree to it.

Most priests will agree to give a blessing to a couple where one or both are divorced and have remarried in a civil ceremony.

There is some flexibility on this and the best way to find out what to do is to talk to the vicar at your local church or the vicar of the church where you'd like to be married.

The usual proof of your name, age, marital status, address, occupation and nationality is required.

Civil ceremony

Civil wedding venues - The advantage of a civil ceremony is that it can be completely tailor-made to suit your taste and personality.

The only issue is that there is a lot of choice, so you'll need to be more organised than if you were simply getting married in your local church.

There are many reasons why you might choose a civil wedding. Perhaps you have no religious beliefs, maybe you're getting married for the second time -- or maybe you just want to get married somewhere a bit different.

Wherever it is held, a civil ceremony:
• Will contain no religious elements.
• Is conducted by the superintendent registrar or deputy and registered by the registrar.
• Can take place in a register office or a licensed venue after 8am and before 6pm, subject to staffing arrangements.
• The service can last from between 10 and 30 minutes.

Civil Partnerships

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 finally came into force in December 2005, paving the way for thousands of same-sex couples to begin planning for, what is increasingly becoming known as a gay wedding.

A civil partnership can be formed in England and Wales at a register office or at any other approved venue, including hotels, stately homes and other places of interest.

To form a civil partnership you must first give notice of your intention to become civil partners. This means that you are legally required go to your nearest register office and inform them of your wish to register your civil partnership.

Your details are then made public by the registration authority for a period of fifteen days. Your notice is valid for 12 months from that date and you can arrange your ceremony or simply sign the registration schedule anytime during that year.

The civil partnership notice states the following details for each person:

Name and surname, date of birth, condition (marital or civil partnership status), occupation nationality and place of formation.

Renewal of Vows

Any married couple, of any age and married for any length of time can arrange a Renewal of Marriage Vows Ceremony.

There is no restriction with regards to area and it does not matter if you do not live in the area where you would like to hold your ceremony.

It could be that after many years of happy marriage, you may wish to recreate the intense emotion of your wedding day or, perhaps, that first ceremony was a quick visit to the Register office and you now wish to celebrate in a grander style.

Whatever your reasons, renewing your vows can strengthen your marriage, bring back happy memories and gives you the perfect excuse for a wonderful party!

For a religious ceremony, the Church offers a 'Service of Blessing'. This can be very simple, or a grand affair, complete with bridal gown, attendants and wedding bells.

There is a choice of wording and, if the vicar is willing, the service can be very similar to a wedding.

Of course there are many local authorities who will perform renewal ceremonies in their register offices or approved venues in which you can have a civil wedding.

If you are thinking of booking a band for your event, you will understandably want the very best entertainment for your very special occasion.

Q. How do I make a enquiry/booking?

A. Its good to talk, especially about such an important decision. When you call we will discuss your requirements in full and be able to offer the best advice for your event.

Q. How can I hear the artists I'd like to book?

A. Most artists have audio files on their page. To listen to the audio files you'll need windows media player installed on your PC. Simply click the name of the song you'd like to listen to on the artists page and their song will begin playing.

Q. Can I go to see a band before I decide to book them?

A. We recommend, you see the band performing live, however many of our bands only perform private functions. We will provide you with as much information as possible along with a custom made CD which, we hope, will give you an excellent idea of what to expect from them.

Q. How do I know if band are available?

A. Once you have made an enquiry, we will contact the artist(s) to check their availability. We will then contact you to confirm and you can make your decision. When checking the availability of an artist you are under no obligation to book them.

Q. How long do the bands perform?

A. The majority of bands play a minimum of 2 x 45 minute sets. Many function/wedding bands play for longer. Some tribute bands, specialist acts and classical artists play to suit the occasion and this will be discussed at the time of booking.

Q. Will the band provide any background music?

A. Bands who play at weddings, private functions and corporate events usually provide a CD player and play background music in between sets. Some times there may be a small additional charge. Professional DJ's can also be provided as an addition on request.

Q. Will I receive a contract?

A. Every booking will first be confirmed verbally, then via a Booking Contract. This contract guarantees your booking and confirms all of the fine details such as arrival times, payment instructions, set times, venue address and our terms and conditions of booking.

Q. What payment methods can I use?

A. You can pay your booking deposit to Charm Music as follows:
1. By Cheque (payable to Charm Music)
2. Direct transfer into our bank account (please ask for details)

You can pay the balance as follows:
1. Advance payment to Charm Music 7 days prior to your event
2. Cash on the night
3. Cheque on the night of the event, payable to the band

Q. Do I need to pay a deposit?

A. All bookings are subject to a 15% + vat deposit. This is payable at the time of booking.

Q. How loud is the band?

A. Most bands will perform at a level suitable for the room/event. Please bear in mind that the room can also be a factor in the how the band sounds.

In our experience, we recognise that for most parties, you need the band to be loud enough on the dance floor to create an atmosphere without deafening the rest of the room.

In marquees and venues with carpeted floors and soft furnishings this is easy to achieve due to the 'dead acoustic'. In rooms and halls with high ceilings, wooden/stone floors and lots of windows the echo of the acoustic makes the volume much harder to control.

Q. What if the band don't turn up?

A. If the band are unable to attend, due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, we will endeavour to find a suitable replacement and have contacts throughout the UK with all leading agencies.