What that gets you is a shorter list and a better one. It also means the person answering the phone has seen the band you're asking about, probably more than once, and can tell you how they handle a slow room or a crowd that's been drinking since two.
Hear them properly before you ring anyone
Every act on the site has an instant date and price check, so you'll know in seconds whether they're free on your date and what they'd cost. Their page carries full live video, the current setlist, and reviews written by couples who booked them. Most people work through three or four and shortlist the ones who are actually free, which beats falling for a band on Sunday and discovering on Wednesday that they've been booked since last year.
Most of our party bands can also flex their line-up. A four-piece will often come as a five or six with a sax or a second vocalist added, plenty will run a DJ set through the breaks and after their last song so the floor never empties, and there are around a dozen daytime acts for the ceremony and drinks reception. It all appears itemised on the quote, so you can add and remove things and watch the number move before committing to any of it.
Our commission is charged to the band, not added to your quote, so booking through Coast costs you exactly what booking the act direct would. Every booking is contracted and the paperwork is handled for you. You get direct access to your band once the booking is confirmed. Your balance sits in a ring-fenced client account and only goes to the band once they've confirmed in writing that they're on their way to your venue. You've got fourteen days after your reservation fee to change your mind and get it back in full. And if a band is ever physically unable to perform, we'll put alternatives in front of you, the final say is yours, and your balance comes back in full if you'd rather not go ahead. In more than 25,000 events we've never had to leave a couple without a band, and we've always found a suitable replacement when one was needed.
There are a few VOWS awards on the shelf as well, though the reviews on each band's page will tell you a great deal more than a trophy does. Have a scroll through and see who appeals.