Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about booking and working with LIGHTHOUSE VARIETY BAND
🎶 The music
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Absolutely. We want your event to feel personal and unforgettable.
We’re happy to learn special requests for first dances, parent dances, meaningful moments, or themed portions of the evening. Just let us know in advance so we can prepare it the Lighthouse way — polished, tight, and performance-ready.
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It’s completely up to you.
We love the elegance and emotion of performing a first dance live — and we can customize the length to keep the moment meaningful without feeling long.
If you prefer the original recording, we can DJ it and fade it out at your chosen moment.
Either way, it will feel intentional and beautifully executed.
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Determining what to play is a very collaborative process with you. We send you a questionnaire about your music preferences. We want to make sure what we are playing to keep the party going is what you want and what you don’t want!
30-days from the event we have a call to talk about any specifics.
During the event itself, we use all of the information from you combined with our reading of the room to determine the order of the set, which mashups to play when, and how to build the energy to the point that EVERYONE is on the floor and singing at the top of their lungs!
⏱ How the night unfolds
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Standard packages include 3 hours of live band performance time.
This is typically structured as:
• Three 60-minute sets
• Four 45-minute sets
• Or a customized format that fits your timelineWe also offer:
• Additional live music time
• Continuous play options
• After-party extensionsWe’ll help design the flow that keeps the energy exactly where you want it.
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We have someone DJing music that is reflective of your preferences and they feed off the band’s energy and style to keep the dance floor going.
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Yes. When doing continuous play (anything from 1.5-4-hours continuously) we have a certain number of multi-instrumentalist “swing” musicians in addition to the band size you booked who can sub in so that band members can take breaks.
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Yes! Just let us know how much live music would be best for your event and we can create a package or do add-ons that include it.
🔊 Production details
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Our packages are designed to be turnkey and seamless.
Unless otherwise requested, they include:
• The live band playing 3 hours of live music over the course of the evening.
• State-of-the-art sound system
• Wireless microphones for toasts and announcements
• Stage and dance floor lighting
• Professional MC services
• Curated DJ music for dinner, breaks, and transitions
• Lighting for both the stage area and the dance floor.We handle production so you don’t have to.
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Staging is not included in our standard packages. However, we do own our own staging in a variety of heights and have a separate setup and teardown team that is available for install and teardown. We also have either white or black acrylic siding to match the aesthetic of your event.
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On account of the vocalists and horn players being wireless and the band using in-ear monitors, we are very flexible with our space requirements. However, here are some ideal stage sizes using 4’ multiples (and let us know if your venue/floor plan only allows for a specific dimension):
8-piece band: a 12×20 or 16×20 stage
10-piece band: 12×24, 16×20, or 16×24 stage
12-piece band: 16×24 stage
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Setup usually takes 90-minutes to 2-hours and we start 3-hours before guests arrive. Our soundcheck is very efficient do to the use of in-ear monitors and can be done for levels in as little as 10-minutes.
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Yes.
We carry full liability insurance and can provide certificates of insurance to venues upon request.
📋 Booking & Planning
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To secure your date, we require a signed contract and a retainer payment.
Once booked, we guide send you our “Lighting the Way to Your Event - Music Preferences Questionnaire” so we can get a great idea of the mix of music to develop the ultimate party that is reflective of YOU. Between 60-days and the day of the event we have a scheduled call to talk through any music questions you might have, the timeline, and get you excited about the night we’re about to create!
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Peak dates — especially spring and fall Saturdays — often book 9–18 months in advance.
We recommend reserving your date as soon as you’re confident Lighthouse Variety Band is the right fit.
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Yes.
We frequently travel for weddings and events. Travel fees may apply depending on location, production needs, and overnight requirements.
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When it comes to music, presentation, and production, the honest answer is: very little.
Both bands share the same DNA. The originality, dance-floor-tested arrangements, mashups, fully wireless horn section, and choreography that define our shows are the same across both groups. We’ve always aimed to be a little unique and quirky in our presentation — so for a guest who’s been to ten weddings this year and seen ten different bands, we want our band to be the one they remember, with the dance floor that stands out the most.From a production standpoint, the experience is also the same. Stage presentation, lighting approach, options for all-white or all-black equipment, and the use of select electronic drum components (which allow us to maintain great energy while keeping volume comfortable) are consistent between both bands. Many of the lighting looks and sequences are shared as well.
The primary difference is the lineup itself.
Atlantic Street Band has been a working band for nearly ten years, so naturally there is a much deeper library of photos and videos from events. Lighthouse Variety Band is led by Ka’Vonda Woodrow, a full-time vocalist with Atlantic Street Band and a familiar face to many of our clients. The rest of the Lighthouse lineup is made up of musicians who are already part of the same ecosystem — every core member has performed with Atlantic Street Band, either as substitute musicians when a core member is unavailable or as full band members during our larger 12- and 14-piece performances.
In short, Lighthouse Variety Band delivers the same level of energy, professionalism, and production, just with a different configuration of musicians — all of whom are fully integrated into the Atlantic Street Band family.