Frequently asked questions

La Vie En Rose band started during the Fall of 2008 while founder Violette was studying at Berklee College of Music.
The band grew into La Vie En Rose Talent agency in 2017 thanks to a decade of collaborations and performances.

We are based in New York City.
We work mostly in the Northeast area but are available to perform anywhere in the world.

Depending on the ensemble you choose, we can perform almost any style, including: classical, jazz, pop, funk, Motown, swing, Latin, tango, Brazilian and others

Things to consider are the available space, the ambiance you want us to create (background music? dancing?) and of course your budget! For wedding receptions involving dancing, we usually recommend no less than 6 musicians.

Contact us regarding upcoming public shows. Private auditions can also be arranged if desired, with a fee.

Our rates mostly depend on the number of musicians and the length of the engagement.

Please note that the artist(s) are booked for their time of presence, not only the amount of playing they do. If you would like the band to play a set at 2pm-3pm and another 6pm - 7pm for example, that is a five-hour booking, not a two-hour booking.

Prices start as low as $400.00 for a solo musician for up to one hour (additional travel fees may apply).

Contact us for a custom quote.

The earlier the better. We book any time. Some people leave the entertainment for the last to take care of. That could be stressful for both the bride and musicians. Safe to sign the contract 6 months to a year before the wedding. Please keep in mind that Saturday is the most popular wedding day. Very likely that you will find facilities and vendors more available on Fridays, Sundays and weekdays. If your wedding is just a few weeks away, call us, we might be available on your date.

Those vary by location.
All personal price quotes will include mileage and accommodation if need be.

Yes, we send contract and invoice electronically.
Contract must be signed and completed with the 50% non refundable deposit to confirm the booking.

We ask for a 50% non refundable deposit upon booking.
The final payment is due before or no later than on the day of event.

You will find sample repertoire on our bands pages.
Additionally, many websites/blogs like The Knot, Weddingwire also have great suggestions.

We have found that it is generally unnecessary for us to attend the dress rehearsal.

As long as things are well communicated prior to the ceremony, and you inform us of any changes that occurred at the rehearsal, the wedding music will go smoothly.

However, if you strongly feel you want our band to attend the dress rehearsal, we will try to do so if our calendars are not already booked. Another option is to have the leader attend the rehearsal. A separate fee will be charged for rehearsal attendance.

No need to. It works very well to discuss music questions over email or phone.

In order to keep the promised playing quality and protect our valuable instruments we need a shaded, dry, flat area to set up.

Purchaser understands that some instruments, particularly string instruments, are extremely valuable and are susceptible to damage when exposed to certain climatic variations, such as rain, direct sunlight and temperatures above 85 degrees or below 50 degrees.

Unless prior written approval is obtained from Artist, Purchaser agrees that the temperature range at the performance site will fall between the stated above and that Artist will not be placed in direct sunlight or exposed to rain, sleet, snow, or other unreasonably inclement weather or performance conditions.

Refreshments are greatly appreciated for summer heat.

After each 50min of playing we take a break of 10-15 minutes.

If we have a long engagement with you(3 hours or more) we ask to be be offered a plated meal (vendor meal is fine but fast food takeaway/wrapped sandwiches are not acceptable), then we take 20-25 minutes to eat.

We will plug recorded music during our breaks to make sure the ambiance is not affected.

Formal clothing:

If that happens we will do our best to replace that person immediately.

However we cannot guarantee that we can find a substitute player in extreme short notice.

The rest of the group will perform the requested music as much as possible.

The deposit/fee for the missing player will be refunded.

We are happy to perform any songs that are not on our song list.

For weddings, we allow up to 3 requests, for which we only charge the price of online sheet music (if available).For additional songs, a learning fee will apply and will be determined by the leader of the ensemble.

Yes! We have a couple Jewish traditional songs in our repertoire (Hava Nagila, Siman Tov Umazal Tov and more..).

Ceremony: Strings usually perform acoustic meaning that no PA system is used. If you would like a PA system for the ceremony or for any other reason, we do rent these too. (contact us for custom pricing)

Reception: Band quotes will include our own 500Watts amplification system. Our basic system is great for up to 150-200 guests or so. If your wedding has more than that, additional sound amplification may be needed depending on the size of the venue, in which case we'll gladly obtain a separate quote for you from our trusted sound companies.

Lighting/Staging: None of our rates include additional staging or dance floor hire. We are happy to obtain a quote from some of our trusted service providers if you would like these.

- Chairs: Our musicians will bring their own music stands and gear. Please provide an armless chair for each player and adequate reading light.

Dimensions below are estimates, please check with us prior to ordering any staging as required space may vary depending on instrument(s) played.

Solo Act: 4 x 4 to 8 x 8
Duo 8 x 8 to 12 x 12

Our bands are a team of generous musicians who have been playing together for years.

Please note that due to busy schedules, the band members/musicians and singer(s) may vary depending on their availability. This will not affect the performance and all musical arrangements made at time of booking will be honored.

If you had requested a specific performer/singer on the contract and he/she was not able to perform, we will send you alternate options. If none of those were to match your vision, we will refund your deposit.

Yes! We will gladly provide your venue with a COI.
Please have the catering manager send any specific verbiage/coverage they require.
Please be advised that any costs related to additional insurance required by your venue will be added to your invoice.

Traveling from one location to another is no problem. There is no additional fee for this - you will be charged for the entire time the musicians are booked for even if there is travel involved during the contract.

We very often have to transition from the cocktail hour location to the dining room: we usually ask the venue coordinator/banquet manager ahead of time to give us a queue before he/she invites guests for dinner.
We then quickly break down our equipment and move to the other room. This process usually takes about 15-20min, but can vary depending on the distance from one room to the other. That time allows us to seamlessly move our equipment and be set up and playing to welcome guests when they actually enter the dining room.

In some cases we recommend renting a secondary PA system ($150-$300) if the distance between the rooms or a tight timeline dictate so.

Yes.

We suggest to add a soloist (singer, French horn or trumpet) to the organ or have one of the musicians from the trio or quartet play a solo piece accompanied by the organ.

We will need to discuss and work out the music with the organist ahead of time.

Yes, we'll need to get the sheet music (a piano score or piano-voice score with guitar chords provided in case you have selected a guitar as one of the instruments in the group) of the chosen piece in the same key your singer will perform in.

We will look at the music and decide if it can be used as it is or it needs an arrangement. The music may need to be arranged if it is longer than 3 pages or is very densely harmonized.

It can cost $100+ to write an arrangement. We need to have a short rehearsal with your soloist (approx. 15-30 min.) before the Prelude music starts. There will be extra charge for that service if we need to arrive earlier than one hour prior to our start time.

Yes. If we hire the soloist you have nothing to worry about.
Our musicians have a great experience and repertoire available to accompany our soloists.

We usually need to get a cue from a wedding coordinator or anybody who is appointed to coordinate your ceremony.
That person knows when parents and/or bridal party are getting ready to proceed.
At that moment she/he lets us know by telling us or waving at us and everything flows perfectly after that.

We do ask that you provide musicians with a meal (vendor meal are fine but no fast/food or sandwiches please) and refreshments during a break on a long engagement (3 hours or more), but are discreet and polite about not interrupting your guests.

For a gathering of 100 or less we recommend 15 minutes of prelude music.

If the number of guests exceeds 100, than plan on 20-30 minutes of prelude music.

Most of the standard wedding pieces are available for any combination but may sound better within a certain context.
Feel free to CONTACT US

If you need to make a change to the original time, email/call us asap and we’ll do our best to accommodate that request.

If you need to make a change to the original agreement, please note we can only upgrade, (add musicians and/or hours) as once the musicians have been booked and are committed for a given rate, we can not downgrade it.

If you are uncertain about how many hours nor musicians you'd like to book, start small, we'd be happy to add on later.

Please note the 50% deposit is non-refundable and full amount is due if your cancellation occurs within 90 days of the event.

In the unlikely event that Artist was unable to perform we will suggest alternate performers. If you do not agree with our suggestions, we will refund your deposit within 3 days.

In the event of force majeure or natural catastrophe leading to the cancelation of your event, we will accept to reschedule our performance once on an agreed date.

Please ask the lead musician if they are available to stay longer. Specify how much longer you need them for. The overtime rate is specified on your contract and the extra amount should be added to the final balance.