This is a guest article from our friends at Entertainment Nation

At Entertainment Nation we help arrange the music for thousands of weddings each year, so it’s crucial for us and our clients that we keep up to date on what’s most popular and what works best at a wedding reception.

In our experience, most couples want to be sure of two things from their evening entertainment: reliability and the ability to get the dance floor heaving. At Entertainment Nation, we only work with top quality professional bands who we trust to give an exceptional performance every time. This frees you up to focus on the style of music you want for your reception instead of worrying whether the band will turn up!

Read on to find out more about the top styles of wedding band to supply the soundtrack to your big night.

Pop and Rock Bands

A bit of a catch-all term, pop and rock bands can range from all-rounders who play certified floor-fillers from throughout the decades – think the Beatles followed by Stevie Wonder followed by Justin Timberlake followed by Taylor Swift – to acts that specialise in certain eras or styles: 90s and 00s indie and pop punk, the latest chart tunes or classic rock, to name a few.

What you get when you opt for a pop and rock wedding band is an act with the know-how and the song variety to enthuse audiences with a diversity of tastes – perfect for the mixed crowds that make up a wedding reception dance floor.

Click here for pop and rock band recommendations!

 

Soul, Motown, Disco and Funk Bands

Enduringly popular for good reason: soul, Motown, disco and funk bands perform infectiously danceable music and provide a stunning visual centrepiece to your evening wedding celebrations with chic glittering costumes, feisty dance moves and shimmering light shows.

Like pop and rock bands, soul, Motown, disco and funk bands include songs from throughout the years in their expansive set lists, so you can expect to hear legends like James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross mingling with modern greats like John Legend, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé.

Click here for soul, Motown, disco and funk band recommendations!

 

Mumford-Style Folk Bands

We wonder if Marcus Mumford and his sons realised that, alongside invigorating interest in acoustic folk-inspired music, they were inspiring a new genre of wedding entertainment?

The popularity of Mumford and Sons style bands makes perfect sense: the music is exuberant and joyful; the image fits perfectly with the rustic charm of the abundance of beautiful barn, country house and garden venues in the UK. Those driving guitar chords and uplifting vocals make it feel like summer all year round.

Click here for acoustic folk band recommendations!

 

Acoustic Singer-Guitarists

Ok, so this style isn’t strictly a band, but then Ed Sheeran can captivate entire stadiums with nothing but his voice and a guitar, so there’s no reason a talented performer couldn’t do the same at your wedding reception. Some solo singer-guitarists even use loop pedals too, building layers of sound until they rival a full band.

Solo (or duo) acts allow you to enjoy the live music experience even if your venue has limited space or volume restrictions in place, plus given that they’re a quarter the size of the band, they’re more likely to be within budget.

Click here for solo singer-guitarist recommendations!

 

Postmodern Pop Bands

Another popular trend brought about by the talents of one act, namely the incredible Postmodern Jukebox. The intoxicating cocktail of glamourous prohibition-era swing and catchy modern tunes reimagined is a classy addition to any wedding reception, especially one with a quirky vintage theme.

Another style of wedding band that provides a sensational visual centrepiece as well as great music, Postmodern Pop bands perform in authentic retro attire and play stunning era-appropriate instruments to propel you and your guests back in time to the age of decadence.

Click here for vintage wedding band recommendations!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands

Arriving hot on the heels of the surge in popularity of vintage weddings, Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands offer an edgier take on retro wedding reception music. Brylcreemed quiffs, leather jackets and jangly guitars at the ready, Rock ‘n’ Roll bands perform songs from the 50s pioneers like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Little Richard, through to the 60s bands who progressed the genre like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys, plus a few more modern numbers for the youngsters!

Click here for pop and rock band recommendations!

 

Festival Wedding Bands

The UK festival scene is thriving like never before. The traditional giants – Glastonbury, Leeds & Reading, Download – still dominate the scene, but there’s been a proliferation in small and medium-sized festivals that means, much like with wedding bands, you can find an event tailored precisely to your tastes nowadays.

With this growth in popularity, it’s only natural that more and more brides and grooms are looking to recreate that carefree festival vibe at their wedding. It’s unrealistic for most to put on a full line-up of live acts, but there are plenty of bands out there who specialise in evoking the live festival atmosphere, including acts who’ll get things going with a folky set, before changing costumes and plugging in the electric guitars for an indie mainstage headliner set for a triumphant, sing-along conclusion to your big day.

Click here for festival wedding band recommendations!

 

To find all these styles of wedding band and the UK’s best wedding entertainment, head on over to Entertainment Nation – our friendly team is available 10am until 10pm every day to help!