Hi My average fee is $300.00 and I only work with Live musicians ( another $500-600)
If I have to drive more than 1.5 hours to the event I charge a fee for Gas. I have a contract with the couple and expect a deposit of half the fee 4 weeks in advance, A few experiences of being burned lead me to this. L Sutton Ontario Canada On Mon, Nov 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra Callers < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > > A good friend I made through contra dance has asked me to call some > dancing at her wedding reception. (She is also a budding caller who I > mentored for a while as she was getting started.) As soon as I said "yes", > she asked what compensation would be meaningful to me, which strikes me as > a thoughtful and thought-provoking way to put it. > > While I ponder my answer, I'm curious to hear what other callers charge > for wedding dances. If there's a range, would you ask differently for > newly-met people vs. friends from your dance community vs. close friends > and family? What other factors would you consider? > > For myself, for very close friends I have sometimes refused payment out of > love, considering it a wedding gift to them. Others view their own wedding > as a time of outward generosity and wouldn't dream of paying less than the > customary amount, whatever the heck that is. (I am also an occasional > wedding officiant and faced the same conundrum there, but at least have a > more well-defined range of fees from the local community to fall back on > when either side considers full payment to be needed.) > > I have called enough family events that I know what to bring and what to > expect as a caller. I'd just like to focus on compensation here, unless > there's something about the work that's needed from the caller that would > influence what you ask. > > Joseph Erhard-Hudson > Moscow, Idaho > _______________________________________________ > Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >
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