Weddings, Civil Ceremonies & Ceilidhs

Congratulations!

Hopefully the information we have curated here will help with the planning of your big day.

What is a Ceilidh anyway?

Some people say a Ceilidh is a distillery set to Music! What a Ceilidh used to mean is any kind of social gathering. These days “Ceilidh” usually refers to as Ceilidh Dance.

Ceilidh dances are the kind of dances that involve dancing with other people, not at them. A Ceilidh then, is a very social affair, a full-contact sport that have people mixing in no time!

We make sure that everyone is fully involved and enjoying themselves, old and young alike. Ceilidhs are perfect for when an event has people of all different ages, or if lots of these people haven’t met each other yet, or both! 

Things to consider…

How to do the Ceilidh Dances

Before each dance, we explain how to do it. There was one Ceilidh we played where the Bride was French and the Groom was Belgian – even with the language difference everyone managed the dances and had a great time. Not a problem.

Your First Dance

Many people have a special tune that they want to dance to as their first dance. Again, this is easy to arrange and is one of the things we discuss with everyone that books us.

Running Times

With most venues, this is usually 8pm until midnight. Most of the time this is broken up at around 9.30pm with a buffet for any evening guests. We’ve found that this timing works well. By midnight, after an evening of dancing, most folk are ready for their bed!

Non-Ceilidh Music

We’re happy to mix up your evening’s music with a DJ set. Again this is something we discuss in detail with everyone that books us. The ratio of Ceilidh to Non-Ceilidh is entirely up to you – it’s your night after all! If this is something that you want to include, we’ll speak to you and get a list of your favourite party tunes. We believe that every Non-Ceilidh tune that come out of our PA should be a favourite of yours. All killer, no filler.

Costs

Our fee depends on the how many musicians are in the line-up of the band and where your venue is. We are based in the central belt. Far-flung venues take more time and resources to get to and from. Some venues suit a larger line-up, some are more intimate. Contact us to discuss what would suit you.

Helpful Advice

I have worked in the Wedding Industry over 21 years and I’ve put together a few words of helpful advice that I’ve picked up along the way for you here.

Recommended Suppliers

I have also met and worked with some really lovely people in that time. Links to them and their sites are here.

How to book the Dave Mackay Band

Fill out and submit the form below. This will send us a message and we’ll get in touch to discuss all the musical details of your event. (Everything from arrival times to the music for your first dance.) Once we’ve had a good chat and agreed everything just the way you’d like it, we’ll send you the paperwork by email which will confirm all the details in writing. Dates are confirmed upon receipt of our deposit.