Wedding Policies & Procedures
For many people, a wedding is the first major event they ever plan. While exciting, the process can also be confusing and overwhelming even when using a wedding planner. We recognize this is a lot of information to read through, but we request that you read it fully before contacting us for a quote. We have found it necessary to be extremely specific and detailed in the information we provide potential couples as they plan. This is so you enter into the process with accurate and realistic expectations for what professional live musicians, specifically steel drummers, are truly able to provide. We believe that full disclosure serves you better than everyone working off of the assumption that TV and movie portrayals of outdoor weddings are completely accurate and nothing can go wrong on your special day. It also helps answers questions you might not even know to ask.
Wedding Booking & Payment
Receiving a Quote
- When contacting Pantasia about a wedding event, please be advised that your rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony, wedding cocktail hour, and wedding reception are viewed as four distinctly different events. Wedding events are priced according to the portion(s) of your wedding day for which you want entertainment simply because wedding ceremonies require significantly more attention and detailed planning than a reception and receptions require significantly more planning than a cocktail hour or rehearsal dinner. When you receive a quote, please be very specific about the portion of your wedding day for which you are inquiring.
- If once receiving a quote you decide to add or switch services, your event will need to be quoted again and your original quote will no longer be valid. Once a contract is signed, the portion of your wedding for which we perform cannot change without the cancellation of your original contract and the issuing of another. (For example, if we are booked for your cocktail hour and you decide to have us perform for the ceremony instead, the contract and price will need to be adjusted.)
- Please be advised that your quote is only valid for 14 calendar days from when you receive your quote. Once the 14 days expire, a new quote must be requested. Your price will likely increase due to supply/demand and increases in expenses. Your date may no longer be available. Your wedding service, date and time are only guaranteed/reserved once a contract is requested, signed, returned, and a deposit is received.
- Pantasia's band members are professional musicians who perform live versus a DJ who runs sound equipment and plays a digital set list. Cocktail hours and rehearsal dinners are usually in the $750-$1200 range, depending on travel and length of service and wedding ceremonies and receptions can be $2750+ or more, depending on the travel, length of service, venue, and applicable fees. This is only meant to give you a very general idea and should not be viewed as a formal quote in any way. After requesting and then accepting the official quote you are sent specific to your event, our director Kimberly will email you to gather information needed to generate your contract. To receive an official quote, please visit this link and fill out the form with as much details as possible.
Payment Options & Procedures
You have your choice of 4 payment options detailed below:
1. Personal Check Payment: 50% is sent through postal mail at the time the signed contract is returned and the remaining 50% balance is due either through postal mail ARRIVING (not just post marked) prior to your wedding date or in person the day of the event. In person, we are only able to accept check or cash. Many couples either choose to take care of payment in full before their wedding day or they assign someone like the Best Man to be responsible for making sure payment is made.
2. Credit Card Payment: This is done with PAYMENT IN FULL at the time the contract is signed and returned through either postal mail or email. You will receive a Paypal invoice through email that will also include a 4% service charge.
3. Bank Transfer: This is done by way of a "Friends & Family" transfer through Paypal. You will not receive an invoice, only an email confirmation of payment. 50% should be transferred when the contract is signed and returned through either postal mail or email. 50% is due at least 30 calendar days prior to the event. There is no service charge.
4. Personalized Installment Plan: If you find you need more time to get finances in order for your wedding, we offer a flexible, individualized plan paid through postal mail by personal check. There is a $50 charge for this service, but it allows you to book your event without the need for a 50% deposit upfront or payment in full through credit card. Your payment option will be detailed fully in your contract with the mailing address for payment, Paypal account info, etc.
While tipping is not required, most couples choose to tip. The amount and if you tip is up to you.
1. Personal Check Payment: 50% is sent through postal mail at the time the signed contract is returned and the remaining 50% balance is due either through postal mail ARRIVING (not just post marked) prior to your wedding date or in person the day of the event. In person, we are only able to accept check or cash. Many couples either choose to take care of payment in full before their wedding day or they assign someone like the Best Man to be responsible for making sure payment is made.
2. Credit Card Payment: This is done with PAYMENT IN FULL at the time the contract is signed and returned through either postal mail or email. You will receive a Paypal invoice through email that will also include a 4% service charge.
3. Bank Transfer: This is done by way of a "Friends & Family" transfer through Paypal. You will not receive an invoice, only an email confirmation of payment. 50% should be transferred when the contract is signed and returned through either postal mail or email. 50% is due at least 30 calendar days prior to the event. There is no service charge.
4. Personalized Installment Plan: If you find you need more time to get finances in order for your wedding, we offer a flexible, individualized plan paid through postal mail by personal check. There is a $50 charge for this service, but it allows you to book your event without the need for a 50% deposit upfront or payment in full through credit card. Your payment option will be detailed fully in your contract with the mailing address for payment, Paypal account info, etc.
While tipping is not required, most couples choose to tip. The amount and if you tip is up to you.
Cancellation, Reschedule & Refunds
- If your event is cancelled for any reason whatsoever after the contract is signed and any sort of payment is made, you will forfeit your entire deposit, but payment in full will not be required. If you have already made payment in full, 50% of your total amount will be reimbursed and sent to you by way of check through postal mail.
- If your event is cancelled less than 48 hours from your event date/time, payment in full will be due and if you have already made payment in full, you are not eligible for a refund of any kind.
- Reschedules are handled in the same manner as a cancellation. There may be the chance Pantasia can accommodate a TIME change during your event date; however in the case of a DATE change, you will forfeit your entire deposit if your event is rescheduled after a contract is signed and deposit is made. If you have already made payment in full, your payment (minus the deposit amount) can be transferred to your new date/time only if we are notified at least 48 hours prior to your original event date/time. If Pantasia is not available for your new date/time, you will still forfeit your deposit. If Pantasia is not available for your new date/time and you have notified us 48+ hours prior to your event, payment in full will not be due and if you have made additional payments, you will receive check reimbursement through postal mail.
Song Selection Based on Wedding Event
*ALL special requests that are to be played live by Pantasia come with an additional fee.
Cocktail Hours & Rehearsal Dinners: We book our duo consisting of steel drum and Caribbean percussion for all cocktail hour and rehearsal dinner events, unless otherwise requested/contracted. While most couples have no preference as to what songs we perform, if you would like to make selections, please visit our Song List. You will be able to choose up to 16 songs that we will then select from when performing your cocktail hour or rehearsal dinner. (You can also indicate up to 6 songs that you do not want to hear.) As professional musicians, we will choose the set order of the songs you have chosen. Please be aware that some of our songs listed require our trio or quartet. We will notify you pre-event if you have chosen a song from our list that we are unable to provide as a duo. Selections must be made at least 2 weeks before the date of your event.
Wedding Ceremonies: We book a duo of two steel drummers performing acoustically for all wedding ceremonies. Our standard wedding ceremony package includes 15 minutes of pre-wedding music that we choose based on the type/style/tempo of selections you make for your ceremony.
You will have your choice of the following:
1. One song as the mothers of bride and groom enter
2. One song for the wedding party entrance (Bridal Party Processional)
3. Bride's Entrance music (Bridal Processional)
4. One song as the Couple and Wedding Party exit (Recessional)
5. Up to 2 songs during the course of the ceremony (For example, music played lightly in the background during the sand pouring ceremony, unity candle lighting, etc.)
If your ceremony requires more than 15 minutes of pre-wedding music, there will be an additional charge based on additional time.
*Special Request LIVE Music:
Pantasia is sometimes able to play special request songs, but please be advised there is a lot involved. Since we are not a DJ service, it involves more than a simple download to your digital wedding playlist. As musicians and live performers, any special request song will require the need to locate sheet music, purchase the music, arrange it for steel drum, practice the music individually, and then rehearse the song as an ensemble. Sometimes our performers do not have the time to work on something new prior to your event. Sometimes sheet music cannot be found. Sometimes the song you choose won't sound anything like what you have imagined on steel drums. There are many factors to consider. (Providing us with a Youtube link of another steel band playing it doesn't assist with any portion of the process other than allowing us to hear what you want. All other steps are required.)
Pantasia is sometimes asked to perform along with a family member singing at a wedding or another group you have hired for a different portion of your wedding day (and often last minute.) Pantasia will not perform "on the fly" with other groups or musicians for the first time at your event. This is not because we are unprofessional. It is because we are true professionals who know performing under these circumstances on a day as important as a wedding day is ill advised. Any request of this sort MUST be discussed in detail PRIOR to a contract being signed.
If your heart is set on a particular song for your ceremony or reception that we do not have listed, you have two options:
1. Pantasia can perform live up to 2 special request songs for your ceremony at the price of $175 each special request song. There will be an additional $250 fee for any song for which we are unable to locate/purchase pre-made sheet music. This is so we can hire a professional arranger to transcribe the song.
2. Our preference is for Pantasia to "DJ" your special request song for you. Your special song is likely your special song because the lyrics are of significance. When playing it on steel drums, there will be no one to sing the words and the meaning behind your selection will be lost. If you would like the song DJ'ed, there is NO charge of any kind. You will have your choice of up to 2 special request songs DJ'ed for your ceremony or reception.
Special Request Music not performed live on steel drums:
Pantasia will be taking breaks in accordance with professional industry standards during your Reception and Rehearsal Dinner. During our breaks, Pantasia plays a "CD" of original Pantasia steel band music so the music and party atmosphere continue. If you would like something else played, anything you want can be played as long as you follow these criteria:
1. We do not book Pantasia as a DJ service so YOU must download the songs and create a playlist on your own and from your own device. This can be downloaded to a phone or MP3 player that you provide. The device must be fully charged and have the capabilities of being plugged into speakers. We can discuss this with you in more detail once your event is booked. It is much easier than it might sound.
2. Someone at your event other than a Pantasia band member will need to operate the phone/MP3 player on your behalf. Please designate ONE person to be in charge of this for you. We will give him/her a quick tutorial on how to safely and easily run the playlist during our breaks. This is a fun and free way to have the best of live steel band music and "DJ'ed" music that makes your event even more personalized.
Cocktail Hours & Rehearsal Dinners: We book our duo consisting of steel drum and Caribbean percussion for all cocktail hour and rehearsal dinner events, unless otherwise requested/contracted. While most couples have no preference as to what songs we perform, if you would like to make selections, please visit our Song List. You will be able to choose up to 16 songs that we will then select from when performing your cocktail hour or rehearsal dinner. (You can also indicate up to 6 songs that you do not want to hear.) As professional musicians, we will choose the set order of the songs you have chosen. Please be aware that some of our songs listed require our trio or quartet. We will notify you pre-event if you have chosen a song from our list that we are unable to provide as a duo. Selections must be made at least 2 weeks before the date of your event.
Wedding Ceremonies: We book a duo of two steel drummers performing acoustically for all wedding ceremonies. Our standard wedding ceremony package includes 15 minutes of pre-wedding music that we choose based on the type/style/tempo of selections you make for your ceremony.
You will have your choice of the following:
1. One song as the mothers of bride and groom enter
2. One song for the wedding party entrance (Bridal Party Processional)
3. Bride's Entrance music (Bridal Processional)
4. One song as the Couple and Wedding Party exit (Recessional)
5. Up to 2 songs during the course of the ceremony (For example, music played lightly in the background during the sand pouring ceremony, unity candle lighting, etc.)
If your ceremony requires more than 15 minutes of pre-wedding music, there will be an additional charge based on additional time.
*Special Request LIVE Music:
Pantasia is sometimes able to play special request songs, but please be advised there is a lot involved. Since we are not a DJ service, it involves more than a simple download to your digital wedding playlist. As musicians and live performers, any special request song will require the need to locate sheet music, purchase the music, arrange it for steel drum, practice the music individually, and then rehearse the song as an ensemble. Sometimes our performers do not have the time to work on something new prior to your event. Sometimes sheet music cannot be found. Sometimes the song you choose won't sound anything like what you have imagined on steel drums. There are many factors to consider. (Providing us with a Youtube link of another steel band playing it doesn't assist with any portion of the process other than allowing us to hear what you want. All other steps are required.)
Pantasia is sometimes asked to perform along with a family member singing at a wedding or another group you have hired for a different portion of your wedding day (and often last minute.) Pantasia will not perform "on the fly" with other groups or musicians for the first time at your event. This is not because we are unprofessional. It is because we are true professionals who know performing under these circumstances on a day as important as a wedding day is ill advised. Any request of this sort MUST be discussed in detail PRIOR to a contract being signed.
If your heart is set on a particular song for your ceremony or reception that we do not have listed, you have two options:
1. Pantasia can perform live up to 2 special request songs for your ceremony at the price of $175 each special request song. There will be an additional $250 fee for any song for which we are unable to locate/purchase pre-made sheet music. This is so we can hire a professional arranger to transcribe the song.
2. Our preference is for Pantasia to "DJ" your special request song for you. Your special song is likely your special song because the lyrics are of significance. When playing it on steel drums, there will be no one to sing the words and the meaning behind your selection will be lost. If you would like the song DJ'ed, there is NO charge of any kind. You will have your choice of up to 2 special request songs DJ'ed for your ceremony or reception.
Special Request Music not performed live on steel drums:
Pantasia will be taking breaks in accordance with professional industry standards during your Reception and Rehearsal Dinner. During our breaks, Pantasia plays a "CD" of original Pantasia steel band music so the music and party atmosphere continue. If you would like something else played, anything you want can be played as long as you follow these criteria:
1. We do not book Pantasia as a DJ service so YOU must download the songs and create a playlist on your own and from your own device. This can be downloaded to a phone or MP3 player that you provide. The device must be fully charged and have the capabilities of being plugged into speakers. We can discuss this with you in more detail once your event is booked. It is much easier than it might sound.
2. Someone at your event other than a Pantasia band member will need to operate the phone/MP3 player on your behalf. Please designate ONE person to be in charge of this for you. We will give him/her a quick tutorial on how to safely and easily run the playlist during our breaks. This is a fun and free way to have the best of live steel band music and "DJ'ed" music that makes your event even more personalized.
Communication and Planning
- In our 28 years as a professional band, Pantasia has worked with some wonderfully amazing Wedding Planners and some who are shockingly terrible at their jobs. It will be YOUR responsibility to communicate with your planner about the details you and I discuss when booking your event. Please have them read this page and give them a copy of your contract. We have experienced too many unacceptable and even dangerous situations created by a wedding planner's excuse of "I didn't know. No one told me." A good wedding planner will know the right questions to ask and will ensure that every detail of the contracts you make with us and your other vendors are upheld.
- Our director, Kimberly is happy to speak with your planner and she will likely speak with her a few times before your event. It will be necessary for her to do so, but it should only be to confirm details and go over logistics. Any decision making as far as songs or decisions directly relating to our performance should be a conversation between you and Kimberly without the confusion of a "middle man." Your event planner cannot and should not refuse us access to speaking with you prior to your event while planning is still taking place. We will always speak with your planner instead of you in the three days prior and the day of your event.
- Pantasia will arrive in enough time to be set up and ready to go for the start time of your contract. Depending on the specific logistics of your event, we might need to arrive 2 hours before your event or only 30 minutes. We do got guarantee our arrival time, only that we are set up and ready to perform at the start of your contracted time. This is VERY important if we are not the FIRST thing that takes place. If you need us guaranteed set up at a specific time so we aren't walking back and forth during your rehearsal or lugging equipment through your ceremony photos, you MUST contract us for the time you want us set and in place even if that means we won't be performing for a while.
- If we are not the LAST thing scheduled during your event, we MUST be located in such a way that we are able to start packing up as soon as our contract time is finished. Otherwise, you may have the uncomfortable situation of us lugging equipment past your guests, in front of your DJ, and across your dance floor while the reception is still taking place. YOU will need to ensure a place where we will not interrupt the remainder of your event OR you will need to contract us for the full length of your event. In that situation, we would wait at the event or leave the event to return and pack up once everything is over.
- We have performed for hundreds of couples. Every bride we have work with hoped for a day of sunshine and blue skies. More than HALF of them needed to resort to their rain plan the day of the wedding. Please have a plan that does more than figures out where you'll stand when you get married and how your guests will stay dry. Even if the plan is not one you are in love with, even if you are certain weather will be gorgeous, you MUST have a rain plan that ensures the safety of not only you and your guests, but Pantasia and all of your other vendors. This is the single most important planning aspect of an outdoor wedding and the lack of a solid rain plan has the potential to "ruin" your day if not addressed and detailed pre-wedding.
Beach Weddings (a "non-Hollywood", realistic look)
Beach weddings can be truly lovely and turn out to be the most magical day of your life or... they might not.
We would like to share experiences "beach brides" wish they knew when choosing between the beach and other outdoor settings.
While are are certainly not trying to dissuade you from a beach wedding, here are details we think every potential beach bride should know.
We would like to share experiences "beach brides" wish they knew when choosing between the beach and other outdoor settings.
While are are certainly not trying to dissuade you from a beach wedding, here are details we think every potential beach bride should know.
- WIND The beaches in North and South Carolina can be VERY windy- calm one minute and blowing over your archway the next with no warning. During many beach wedding ceremonies, it is hard to hear the officiant and your vows when the wind starts up. For an additional fee of $175, Pantasia can offer two small wireless sound systems and two microphones on stands we will dig down into the sand and set up for you. This will not make your vows crystal clear, but it will offer you the best chance of being heard over the wind and crashing waves. We will also run a sound check with your officiant.
- SAND, sand and more sand. Sand will likely get EVERYWHERE, especially if the wind picks up. It will get in your bra, it will get in your shoes, in your hair, and possibly your eyes. (And all of your guests', as well.) There have even been a few occasions when the wind was so strong it stung when it whipped sand against bare skin. If you want a beach wedding, you need to be very comfortable with sand.
- ELDERLY or PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED GUESTS Many people don't realize how difficult it is for an elderly guest to walk the stairs of a boardwalk and down through the unstable, loose sand. We have seen so many heartbreaking situations where an elderly relative tried their best to make it to the seating area, only to turn back and sit in the distance on the boardwalk, feeling as if they "let the couple down." Physically challenged guests will need assistance and it will be hard on their hips, knees, and ankles. It will be impossible for someone in a wheelchair to get to the beach ceremony in their wheelchair. In all instances, we have seen groomsmen have to carry the individual. While the sand near the ocean is hard and compact, walking through the dry, loose sand you have to traverse to get to the hard sand is a labor intensive process. Many guests will need to take their shoes off just to be able to walk through it.
- TENT Despite every movie you have ever seen, steel drums cannot perform on a sunny beach without some sort of tent to provide shade. Steel drums are made of thin metal and when the sun heats the metal even slightly, it becomes pliable and we would then be "banging" them out of tune as we play. This would cause the need for us to send our drums out of state for expensive professional tuning and we would be without them for at least two weeks. Either you must provide a tent that is set up by friends/family/planner while Pantasia is setting up our drums and sound equipment on the beach or Pantasia can provide a tent for an additional charge of $145. If we arrive to the beach, you have not contracted us to bring a tent, and no tent is provided, we will be unable to perform and you will be required to make payment in full. This is an easy mistake to avoid. Please do not ignore this requirement.
- BEACH WEDDING FEE Pantasia has to travel on foot longer distances to make it from parking to the beach site than any other venue and we cannot properly roll a cart or dolly to assist with equipment. Walking through loose sand is sometimes difficult, but carrying heavy drums and equipment makes the process extremely labor intensive. After every beach wedding, it takes Pantasia a significant amount of time to carefully clean sand out of every crevice of our stand gears, steel drum cases, and sound equipment, as well as wiping down the drums to prevent rust from the salty air and abrasions from the sand. It is for this and all the reasons listed above that Pantasia has an additional fee of $375 for all beach weddings. This fee will not be reimbursed if you beach wedding is rained out and needs to move to an alternate "non-beach" location. We have performed for so many lovely outdoor settings that should be considered for their ease of venue, comfort of your guests, and no additional fees. Vineyards, botanical gardens, farms, and wooded setting make gorgeous beach alternatives if you want to explore other outdoor options.