Wedding entertainment in Dubai is not one booking. A typical wedding has six or seven moments, from guests arriving to the last dance, and each needs a different sound. We plan the whole programme: the act for each moment, the running order, the cues for the entrance and the first dance, and the sound and power at the venue. Then we manage the performers on the day with your wedding planner, so nobody has to chase a musician an hour before the doors open.
Price: a wedding programme is priced by the lineup for each moment. A 4 piece band for two or three sets usually costs AED 12,000 to AED 22,000, and zaffa drummers for the entrance AED 3,000 to AED 7,000. See what event entertainment costs in Dubai.
The day, moment by moment
- Guests arrive, 30 to 45 minutes. A string duo, a harpist or a pianist at low volume.
- Ceremony and vows, 15 to 30 minutes. A solo violinist or a singer with a guitarist, with timed cues for the entrance and the exit.
- Cocktail hour, 60 to 90 minutes. A jazz trio, a guitar and sax duo or a solo saxophonist.
- Dinner, 60 to 90 minutes. A singer with a pianist or a small band, kept in the background.
- Grand entrance. Zaffa drummers or the band's opening number, timed with the couple's walk in.
- First dance and reception, 2 to 3 hours. The full band in two or three sets, with a DJ filling the breaks.
- Late night. A DJ set to the end.
Booking each phase separately is usually cheaper and better than asking one band to cover six hours.
Arabic and Khaleeji weddings
These usually need an Arabic band with oud and qanun players, and often a zaffa and dabke troupe for the couple's entrance. Many weddings have separate ladies and men halls, and the entrance may be performed twice. A female vocalist is often requested for the ladies hall. Tell us at the first message, because it changes the lineup and the price.
Indian and Pakistani weddings
These run over two or three functions: a dhol player and Bollywood dance sets for the sangeet, a smaller acoustic or Sufi style set for the mehndi, a dhol led baraat for the groom's entrance, and a band or DJ for the reception. One team across all the functions keeps the sound consistent and saves briefing a new supplier each night.
Western and mixed weddings
Western weddings lean towards acoustic sets, a live band for the reception and a DJ for the after party. Mixed weddings often combine a Western style ceremony with an Arabic or South Asian reception segment. Planning both traditions in one running order is where an agency earns its fee: no dead gap between them.
Two halls, one band
A band can play in only one room at a time. For separate ladies and men halls, you need two acts in parallel, or one act playing a shorter set in each hall. A second set for another hall roughly doubles the fee for that act, so plan it from the start.
Venue rules
Outdoor and beach weddings usually have a sound curfew around 11pm to midnight. Hotel venues generally need a DET permit for amplified live music, arranged by the venue or by us with five to ten working days' notice. We speak with the venue about power, stage size and load in at least a week before.
What is included
Wedding music packages include the musicians, sound and lighting sized to the venue, travel within the emirate and a planning call to set the song list and running order. Send your first dance song two to three weeks before, so the band can learn it.
Get a running order
Send the date, the venue, the guest count and the halls on WhatsApp or through the quote form. For a wedding in the capital, see event entertainment in Abu Dhabi. For an engagement party or an anniversary at home, see private party entertainment.
