It will always be me you deal with when contacting the band, usually by email, but we can also be contacted by phone, WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook too. You can have as much or as little contact as you like in the lead up to your wedding. We're always happy to help out with any queries you might have and you're more than welcome to draw on our expertise if you have any worries.

Preparation is part of our service, so usually on the day everyone has already been contacted and everyone knows what they're doing and when we're arriving etc long before the actual day so nothing is left to chance. But we do have all the phone numbers of everyone we'd need in the notes I have for the booking should we need them.

The best advice I can give you is to trust your suppliers. We're all professionals, we've been vetted by the agency so they can assure you we operate with the highest levels of professionalism. If that doesn't calm your worries you can know that we are the highest reviewed band not just on the agency, but in the whole country. Splendid Gentlemen has more 5 star reviews than any other band, so you can trust with us you have years of experience and happy customers behind us to back us up. And if there's anything you're still worried about we're always happy to talk through any worries with you.

We only need 3 weeks' notice to learn a first dance. All we need is the song and the artist as a minimum, but if there's a special version of the song, like a live one, or acoustic, if you let us know we can learn that instead. We try to keep the performances as close to the original as we can in terms of feel and tempo. Obviously if there's an orchestra in the original recording we have to simplify it down to a guitar arrangement, but that's usually easily done. Or there is also the option to have the original recording if you don't want us to play the song. We download it on the iPad as well as a phone to make sure there are no issues if there's no signal or wifi in the venue. In all the years of doing this we've only ever said no to two first dances. One was an opera song and one wasn't in English. Other than that we'll have a go at anything.

We're happy to learn one song per wedding. It's usually the first dance. If we have time to learn a second song we will try to accommodate it if we can. We're really not picky about the style of the song. If a client wants it and it's going to make their wedding better we're happy to learn just about anything.

All of our sets are completely bespoke on the night. No one set works with every crowd as every crowd is different. So we always read the room and take requests on the night to judge what is best to play for your specific crowd. We also usually ask clients to look at the song list and pick 5-6 favourites to give us an indication of their taste, or if there's a genre they particularly like to let us know and we'll include plenty of it in the set.

The opening of a wedding is always entirely down to the couple. Some couples like a grand entrance. Some like a more low key thing. Some like the bridal party up with them during the first dance, some like the moment all to themselves. We always have a quick catch up with the couple before starting just to double check final details like how they want to be introduced, what name, if any they want introduced by and if they want the bridal party called up during the first dance. If we can't speak to the couples directly we usually check the details with the venue manager.

Really all we need is the space to set up and access to 4 wall sockets to power our equipment. We can fit into just about any space with only three of us. It is handy to know if there's a noise limiter in the venue, but for most venues we've probably played them before and are aware of the noise limiter and how to work with it already.

The venue usually contacts us just to double check arrival times etc before the day, or if they need PLI or PAT test certificates. On the day we usually arrive and find the manager to keep us right so as not to disturb the wedding going on. Unless there's any super specific particulars about the venue, if it's a venue that runs weddings all the time they know the drill and we're happy to work with whatever the venue needs to get us in and set up.

We have several options for every band member for deps. If one of my guys is sick and can't make it, they know to let me know in plenty of time and usually before they let me know they've already contacted one of our reliable dep musicians to check they're available. All our deps have played with us numerous times and know how to play to the same standard and sound you'd expect of a Splendid Gentlemen performance.

We usually arrive an hour or more before we're due to start to give us plenty of time to get in and set up. On arrival we usually locate the venue manager to let them know we're here and they advise us of where the wedding is at and when we can get access to the space to set up. We're typically in the room by ourselves after it's turned around so we can get everything set up and couples typically don't really see anything until our stage is built and we're ready to go. Our soundcheck is usually pretty short so as not to cause any disruption to the evening guests arriving and having their first drinks.

If we're due to start at 8pm we always arrive at least an hour before to get in and set up in time. Every journey we take to a venue always has 30-40 minutes of contingency time added on in case there's any hold ups on the roads. As long as we have access to the space we're to set up an hour before we have plenty of time to get in and set up for an 8pm first dance.

Most of the time we've already played your venue, so we're aware of the noise limiter and we're experienced in working with them to get the best sound for your night. If there's any venue that the sound limiter has been too restrictive we've blacklisted it so that only venues with workable sound limiters are left. Every one of them is different. Sometimes we set up and you don't even notice they're there. Other times we have to tweak our sound a little, but nothing that would be detrimental to our sound.

No one hates a cheesy matching suit more than us. We know it's a formal occasion so we dress smart, in shirt, trousers and shoes, but nothing cheesy that's going to make your guests cringe. If you look at any of our promo videos, what we wear in them is what we perform in.

We never play to a set. Every single set is bespoke for your crowd on your night. We take requests from the couples before the wedding, and we take requests from the guests on the night. While we're playing we're always watching what the crowd is doing and our next song is always determined by how well the audience reacted to the last one. If it's working we'll play something similar, and if we notice people sitting down we quickly change direction to keep them on their feet and on the floor.

We usually try to keep the energy high across the whole night. But moments like the start of the night, or the start of the second set, and the last half hour it is important to us to really ramp it up and get everyone involved.

We take requests every night. We usually say at the start we're happy to take requests and just to come up and ask us. If we know the song we're happy to play it. If it's not one we do know we usually try to come up with something similar to keep whoever has asked for it happy.

We almost always talk to the audience. Nothing cheesy that sounds like 'cheap DJ patter'. We have a dry sense of humour and usually engage with your guests with a bit of playful banter. The only time we won't talk is if everyone is up on the floor and we need to keep momentum going. Then we usually just keep the songs flowing with as little interruption as possible.

Sometimes weddings don't run as planned. Dinners run late, other entertainment runs late. We're there to make sure you guys have the best night you can have, so we're always happy to change and adapt to the new plans. If the dinner runs late we work as fast as we can to get caught up, or if there's technical issues we have spares and backups for all of our equipment.

Really, if all goes to plan, no matter what time of the night you look at your dance floor it will be full.

We usually finish on 500 Miles into Loch Lomond. Unless we're specifically asked to do something different we finish on Loch Lomond as a default. If there's an encore and the venue doesn't have a strict curfew we can usually be persuaded to do one more.

For a ceilidh I call all the dances, and with up to 45 minutes of ceilidh there's time to fit in plenty of the favourites. Usually we get everyone who wants to join in up on the floor, then we explain the steps, then do a dry run to make sure everyone has got it, then we do the actual dance.

Our changeover to the DJ Set is seamless and doesn't leave any awkward silences. We usually have the DJ Set ready to go as we finish our last song. We say goodnight as a band but let everyone know that the DJ Set will be continuing for the rest of the night. As we fade out our first song in the DJ Set has already started.

We can always tell when it's been a good night. You can tell in the way the couple look at each other as it finishes. Usually they come straight over to us to thank us. The same with guests. We always love to chat to your guests after a wedding and love to hear that they've had a great time too. But knowing it's a good night is just something you feel in your guts.

Usually couples are surprised with the range of songs we cover, or that we've gotten a reluctant dancer on the floor all night. When it comes to the alternative couples who book us they're always so happy that they've had songs played at their weddings that they'd never have expected a wedding band could play. They love that we can jump from a Spice Girls song straight in to a Metallica song.

There have been thousands of weddings we've played so it's hard to pick one. But I do remember one wedding where they only really wanted the pop punk and alternative songs all night, which is the music we all grew up loving, so to get to play that is just the dream. But there were so many people on the floor the building was literally shaking under our feet and we were worried the building was going to collapse around us. But what a rock 'n' roll way to go.