Image by Adam Prosser

It’s so important to begin considering your wedding entertainment as early as possible, the best acts get booked up quick sharp and far in advance too. If you are struggling to find a rockin’ band, full of energy and a crazy good set list, let me introduce to you the tones of Karizma.

Karizma not only pride themselves on top notch customer service, but an amazing sound too. They are professional musicians which really shines through in their performance (check out the videos in the post). Plus they have flexible timings, repertoire and ceremony music too, they’ll get your whole party started that’s for sure.

Hi Karizma, could you firstly tell WWW readers a little bit about you?

Karizma are an experienced wedding and party band based in the South-East of England. We cover the latest chart hits as well as classic songs to get everyone on the dance floor. The thing that makes us different from other bands is that we are able to cover a wide spectrum of songs and our lead vocalist (Talisha) loves to interact with the crowd, getting them jumping, dancing and singing along! It’s a great talking-point and guests often comment on how energetic and fun the band are!

Between us, we have over 30 collective years in the music industry and have performed at major music events such as Glastonbury, T in the Park, National Television Awards as well as Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

In addition, we have not only been short-listed but also awarded the ‘Highly Commended’ Award for Best Wedding Band in the 2016 ‘Wedding Industry Awards’, which is a great achievement for us. We are also recommended suppliers in a variety of venues in Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire as well as further afield.

What do you love and dislike about your job?

We love entertaining and performing. Every member of the band is a full time musician so there is real passion from all of us.

We love the transformation from first talking to a bride and groom about their musical likes and dislikes, to seeing them on the dance floor all night long with the biggest smiles on their faces. It really does all come together on the day (with a lot of planning and expertise).

We don’t have many dislikes (it really is the best job in the world), but the nature of our work does mean we spend a lot of time on the road.

How did you get into the wedding industry?

We started in 2013, as an acoustic duo, mainly performing background music during ceremonies and drinks receptions. More and more couples were asking us to also perform for their evening reception, so we decided to officially expand our line-up in 2014 to our 4 piece band. Now in 2016, we also offer larger line-ups which include keyboard, saxophone and trumpet players!

Tell us about your typical working day.

When we’re not performing at a wedding, we like to catch up on any e-mail and telephone enquiries. Talisha, our singer and band manager is also in regular contact with wedding venues and coordinators, to ensure the day runs smoothly.

Many people assume that as a band we simply turn up and play some great songs, but there’s a lot that needs to happen behind the scenes to make a wedding a success!

For a typical wedding day, we usually get-up and load the equipment into the cars. We always like to leave extra travel time in case of any accidents or road works along the way. If the couple have booked our Acoustic Duo for their ceremony or drinks reception, we arrive around 1pm. Otherwise the band arrives around 6pm and starts loading-in and setting-up the musical equipment, PA as well as our lighting for the evening. This normally takes up to 90 minutes, after which we play some background iPod music to set the mood for the evening.

Once all the evening guests have arrived and the wedding cake is cut, we perform the couple’s first dance followed by the first band set. Then it’s time for a short break (a great time to serve your evening food) before we perform our second set of the evening. This is usually followed by an encore after which we play some more background music to bring the evening’s celebration to a close.

Once your guests have left, we pack down the equipment and travel back home, where the equipment once again is un-loaded and safely stored away until the next wedding.

Image by Laura DeBourde Photography

If you could choose another role in the wedding industry what would it be?

We would probably all chose to be wedding photographers, apart from Chris (our guitarist) who fancies himself as a cake designer!

What do you aim to achieve for your clients?

We want all our clients to feel that they are in safe hands and many happy couples comment on how it easy it was to book the band. We keep in regular contact with each couple, tailoring the band’s line-up and repertoire to their unique vision and ensuring that everything is sorted in advance. This allows both the bride and groom to enjoy their special day to the fullest, with a great show that will be a talking-point long after the day is over.

How would you describe your style in three words?

Fun, energetic and organised!

Could you tell us some information about your packages/prices?

Evening Reception

We offer a variety of band-line ups for the evening, from our 4 piece to our 7 piece for larger weddings and venues. We typically perform for 2×60 minute sets of live music. Pre-mixed background music between the sets is also available free of charge.

Drinks Reception

Our acoustic duo and trio is perfect for creating a lively atmosphere during the drinks reception and can help break the ice between guests. We only offer this as an add-on to our evening reception package.

Ceremony

Many couples love the idea of having live music to walk down the aisle to. We have performed in both religious & civil ceremonies and usually perform 3-4 songs: One for the ‘bridal procession’, 1-2 during the ‘signing of the register’ followed by a song as the newlyweds leave to go on to their reception.

Image by Mario Magé

Do you have any tips for couples in selecting their wedding band?

There is a big difference between an amateur and professional wedding band. Unfortunately there are a lot of bands who claim to be professional but only occasionally perform at weddings for some extra cash. In our experience, most of these ‘weekend bands’ seem to offer a similar service but lack the attention to detail of a professional act – which can really make or break your wedding. A professional band will play the right type of music for a crowd and have the flexibility to adapt their sets to your needs. They will also ensure there are no clashes with other entertainment you may have booked for the evening (such as fire-works or evening buffet etc.). In addition, they will carry well maintained equipment which has been PAT tested for health and safety (most wedding venues require this). They should also possess public liability insurance.

You should ask lots of questions when contacting a band and they should be easily contactable throughout the booking process. Having a recommendation from a friend, is a great place to start. If this is not an option, try searching through your venue’s recommended suppliers list as these bands will have first-hand experience of working at that venue.

Keep your eyes peeled for any public performances, usually listed on a band’s website or Facebook page. It’s always great to see a band live before you book, however public performances may be rare, as most professional bands are busy playing at weddings. Whilst it may be tempting to wait to see a band live before making your decision, bear in mind that another couple may book before you get the chance to attend a public showcase. Because of this, bands should have multiple testimonials from previous clients, as well as a professionally shot video. Both will give you a good indication of how they will look and sound live and help you feel confident in making your choice.

Are you seeing any trends for the year ahead?

Weekday and Sundays weddings are becoming more popular and despite what most people think, can still feel very lively! Weddings venues are often cheaper to hire on these days and we also offer a discount on mid-week bookings (excluding bank holidays).

Can you give us a teaser about what you are working on now?

We always try and re-fresh our repertoire and the band gets together to rehearse new songs 2-3 times a year. This is not only gives brides and grooms new songs to pick from but also keeps our performance fresh and exciting!

Image by Laura DeBourde Photography

How can we get in touch with you?

You can reach us via our contact page on our website: www.karizmafunctionband.com.

Alternatively you can call Talisha, the band manager and lead singer on her mobile: 079 561 504 79.

We would love to help plan the entertainment for your wedding.

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Brilliant, I am totally in the party mood now.

Do get in touch with Karizma to secure your wedding date and get working towards entertaining your guests xo

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