One of the best things about weddings, other than seeing the happy bride and groom celebrating their first moments and husband and wife together, is the music. And the best way to get your guests dancing along to the music is to elevate the band by placing them on a stage.
A stage will typically measure between 8 × 24 to 20 × 30 feet. The exact stage size you need will depend on how many people are going to stand on it at the same time.
Now, based on how many band members there are, how large of a stage should you rent? Do you actually need to spend your hard-earned cash on renting a stage? I’ll answer these questions and more in the following sections.
Standard Stage Size
As you’re probably already aware, stages can be pretty massive. That’s how they can accommodate so many band members and speakers.
The typical stage size range will measure between 8 × 20 feet and 20 × 30 feet. The exact size of the stage will depend on how many people you want standing on the stage at the same time.
How Big Should the Stage Be?
Many venues offer different stage sizes for rent. That way, all you have to do is pick a stage size that fits your budget. Generally, the larger the stage, the more money you will have to fork over to the event organizer, which is why you need to pay extra attention to what stage size you need to rent.
For a six-member band, you can typically get by with a small 12 × 16-foot stage. However, if the band members play brass and woodwind instruments, they will need more space to place their music stands and instrument cases. So, you should rent a slightly larger stage that measures at least 12 × 20 feet.
Also, while you’re searching for the right band to play at the most important event in your life, you should also be aware of how much movement the band does while entertaining the crowd. Some bands are quite boisterous and animated, so you might need to get an even larger stage—16 × 20 feet or even 20 × 20 feet.
While these size estimations can be a decent guide for choosing the right stage size, the best thing you can do is ask the band how much space they’ll need. If the band performs for wedding banquets frequently, they’ll have a pretty good idea of how much space they need to set up. That way, you might save a significant bundle of cash on renting stage space.
Do I Need to Rent a Stage?
Absolutely not! To be honest with you guys, a stage will make your wedding seem more magical, but it’s not a must-have. Stages are an optional add-on to wedding venues, and as such, the bride and groom have a 100% say on whether or not they want to spend the money on a stage.
However, some might argue that the stage creates a barrier between the musicians and the crowd, which can get pretty rowdy, especially if your wedding has an open bar. In this case, a stage might be necessary to prevent your guests from making physical contact with the band members, who are only there to play a few songs on your special night.
Something else worth considering is that the stage serves as a platform where the person or people standing on it become the center of attention. That means that any important speeches someone wants to deliver will instantly become the central focus of the event.
And because the stage plays such a vital role in giving prominence to the people standing on it, you might have to allocate a hefty chunk of your budget to decorate and light the stage appropriately. Nobody said renting a stage, especially a large one, is cheap!
Finally, you should consider the safety of stages. Without a stage, the event organizer will have to run cables and wires all over the ground, possibly creating a tripping hazard that could ruin your special night.
So, while a stage isn’t an absolute must-have, it’s definitely something you should consider renting, especially if you want your wedding night to be as memorable as you’ve always dreamed.
Should I Get a Stage for an Outdoor Event?
If you’ve ever attended a music concert in the past, then you probably know that the stage serves one very important function—to let the large audience see the performer. However, is getting a stage as important for weddings?
One could make an argument that a stage can be a helpful add-on to any outdoor wedding. However, the main problem with outdoor stages is getting the lighting right. The event organizer has to pay special attention to the lighting to ensure that it doesn’t become the main focus. In addition, the lighting can’t be too bright that it prevents photographers from getting the right shots.
However, if you do decide to get a stage for an outdoor event, make sure that it is elevated to the right level. That way, you can ensure that all of your guests will get a better view of the most important parts of the event. Also, if you don’t have the means to rent a super-wide stage, don’t be afraid to decorate from the bottom up.
How Tall Are Stages?
The standard stage for wedding ceremonies is three feet. This allows all of your guests, who are sitting several feet below, to see everything that’s going on by only slightly craning their heads up.
Some wedding venues might only provide stages that are 18 to 20 inches in height. That’s not a massive problem, especially if you kept the guest list to under 100 people. Conversely, if you’re throwing a large party with a guest list ranging in the hundreds, a three-foot stage would be optimal. It might not even hurt to get a stage that is slightly taller by about half a foot.
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