Wedding entertainment in Singapore is not one booking. A banquet runs three to four hours from the doors opening to the last dance, and each part of it needs something different: quiet music for the vows, interactive acts for the cocktail hour, a cue perfect march-in, sets that carry eight or ten courses, and a dance floor at the end. We plan the whole day as one programme, book the acts and give them the same run sheet, so you do not spend your wedding day coordinating suppliers.
Price: most 200 to 300 guest ballroom weddings spend SGD 4,000 to 9,000 on entertainment. A lean DJ and emcee setup costs SGD 1,500 to 3,500, and a full production starts at about SGD 10,000. See wedding and event entertainment prices.
Moment by moment
Solemnisation and arrival. A string duo, a string quartet, a harpist or a solo pianist for the 15 to 30 minutes guests wait and watch the vows, quiet enough for the celebrant's microphone.
Cocktail hour. The visual and interactive acts: a roving magician table to table, a caricaturist, a photo booth or a jazz trio. Guests are standing and taking photos, so anything interactive works better than a stage act.
March-in and first dance. A live band or a DJ with a clear cue from the emcee. Many couples have a live vocalist for the first dance even when a DJ runs the rest of the night, because it looks and records better.
Yum seng and dinner. At a Chinese banquet the band or DJ has to know the yum seng toast cues and time them against the courses. Between courses, the sets alternate upbeat and mellow so the energy holds.
After party. If guests stay late, a DJ takes over from the band for open dancing.
By style of wedding
- Chinese banquet. A lion dance troupe to open the reception, a band that knows the yum seng cues and a bilingual emcee.
- Malay wedding. A kompang ensemble for the bersanding procession, then a DJ or live vocalist for the reception.
- Indian wedding with a sangeet. A bhangra or Bollywood troupe and a DJ who can mix Tamil, Hindi and Punjabi tracks, plus a band or singer for the reception.
- Garden or rooftop solemnisation. An acoustic duo or a harpist with a small PA, and a check on the venue's curfew for amplified sound.
- Intimate dinner under 60 guests. A solo pianist or acoustic duo for the whole evening and a close-up magician between courses.
Fewer, better acts
The best setup for most budgets is a live band or a DJ as the anchor, an emcee to hold the room together, and one specialty act that suits your background or your venue. More than three acts in one evening usually means less time for each and a rushed run sheet.
Booking steps
- Lock the date and the venue, then start on the entertainment straight away.
- Send the date, the venue, the guest count, the style of wedding and the parts of the day that need entertainment.
- Compare quotes on scope: number of sets, set length, bilingual emcee or not, and whose sound system is used.
- Pay a deposit of 30 to 50 percent to hold the date.
- Share the run sheet two to four weeks before, and confirm power, load in and the sound check slot with the hotel.
Send your details through the quote form. For a birthday or anniversary party, see private party entertainment.
