Moondance
Ireland's longest running big band
29 Years old!
That's why we stand out from the rest.
Make your Wedding extra special.
Book Black Magic.
Enquire here
Visually impressive.
Stunning Sound.
Masterful Musicians.
We also have a 12-person big band:
Black Magic 12.
For smaller venues or budgets.

Frequently Asked Wedding Questions

Interested couples often contact us, looking for the same basic information. To save you time, we try to answer as many common wedding-related questions as possible, below:

Where can I hear you?
You can listen to
recordings and videos on this site, which will give you a taste of what you get when you book the band.

Are you available for my wedding?
Please use our
contact form to let us know the date and venue of your wedding. We'll get back to you with our availability as soon as possible. If you would like to speak to someone instead of sending an email, a contact number is also listed on the form.

How much will it cost?
Less than you would expect for a band of this size. We compare favourably with other wedding bands, even though there are a lot more musicians in our band. The exact cost depends on a number of factors, including the distance we have to travel, the size of the band chosen, and any sound and lighting requirements. We will be able to give you a quote when you
contact us with your wedding date, location, and venue details.

How long do you play for?
Typically, we play for two and a half hours, breaking for 10 - 15 minutes (if required) when refreshements are served.

What uniform do you wear?
Our normal uniform is a black suit with black shirts. Vocalists deviate from this slightly so that they will stand out from the multitude of black-clad musicians behind them.

Can I have band with fewer than 12 people?
We have no options with fewer than 12 players. This is because any big band with fewer musicians than this sacrifices too much of the sound quality required by the full-band arrangements. In particular, many of the crooner (e.g. Sinatra) arrangements require more than 12 players to sound good.

So, if I want lots of crooner songs, do I need to hire the the full band?
Ideally, yes. But you could get away with a slightly smaller band if you really needed to. These arrangements need a minimum of 14 musicians to sound good, but they sound amazing with the full band, so most people choose not to downsize the band in this way.

Do you play waltzes?
Yes we play waltzes. We have a number of waltzs available which are mostly instrumentals. Let us know if you want waltzes and how many, as not everyone wants a long waltz set at their wedding.

Can you set up before the guests arrive?
Venue permitting, we like to prepare the stage before guests arrive. This involves positioning any stage components, such as risers, lights, and sound equipment (microphones, cables, and sound desk). Sound settings are adjusted at this time so that the musicians can take to the stage at the end of your meal, ready to play without the need for noisy sound checks.
Wherever the venue prohibits this preparation work, 30 minutes of setup time is required. In this situation, guests are normally encouraged by the venue to move to another room (such as a bar).
On the rare occasions where we have been required to set up the stage with guests in the room, we have been able to do this quickly, quietly and unobtrusively.
Some venues use two adjoining rooms, allowing us to set up the stage, unnoticed, during the meal.

If the speeches drag on a bit, will that be a problem?
We commit to being available for the three and a half hours following our scheduled start time. This allows an hour of unexpected delays to occur before our length of time on stage would be affected. In our experience, delays of over an hour are rare.

Is there a booking or cancellation fee?
There is no cancellation fee, however a non-refundable booking fee of €300 is required to secure the band for any given date.

If you have any questions that are not addressed here, please make an enquiry.

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