Think about all of the different groups of people, and age ranges that will be attending your wedding, and try to choose a band that is best equipped to entertain everyone.
There's little doubt about it, the key element in a successful wedding reception is live music, and a carefully-considered choice of wedding party band is essential to its success.
Remember that your reception guest-list in all probability will include quite disparate groups of people who have never before even met most of the other guests - the two families, for instance, as well as the newlyweds' respective groups of close friends.
Also, there may well be a wide range of ages represented in the overall party.
So the choice of a wedding party band suitably equipped to cater for as much as possible of this diverse spectrum is absolutely paramount.
When choosing music for your wedding reception party, think about what kind of music will get your guests dancing, and remember to look after your musicians! So, There are lots of different options available, ranging from the middle-of-the-road to the exotic.
Many pop party bands specialise in wedding reception music, offering a wide repertoire of popular styles and hits from the '50s to the present day - something to please almost everyone.
Organised dancing in the form of a ceilidh or barndance is often a terrific ice-breaker, involving people of all age-groups and backgrounds.
It's great fun, and the ceilidh band will usually perform a selection of traditional Celtic music, or perhaps some jazz, while guests take a breather from the dancing.
If you want hypnotic rhythm and a gyrating dancefloor, you could opt for a funk/soul band or rhythm'n'blues; for a carnival party atmosphere, perhaps a Latin-American samba/salsa band or a Caribbean steel band might fit the bill.
Then again, a sassy swing jazz ensemble or Big Band performing the ratpack classics of Crosby and Sinatra would add a touch of class to the proceedings.
In summary, your choice of wedding entertainment should ideally reflect your personal musical tastes, yet hold a wider appeal for your many and varied guests.
Finally, don't forget that what you see and hear in an evening's performance from your wedding reception band represents only the tip of the iceberg in terms of their total actual involvement, and the duration of time and effort they will have devoted towards making your wedding reception party a success.
Depending on where the band is from, several hours of travel may be involved, together with the time necessary to set up, test and fine-tune their equipment prior to their performance and to dismantle it again afterwards - generally speaking, the bigger the band, the longer this will take.
So look after your musicians - offer them comfortable surroundings to relax in during their breaks, along with some food and liquid refreshment, so that they can enjoy their involvement in your special day.
A happy band will deliver a happy performance, and a happy band is a well-looked-after band.
It's not rocket-science!