Planning a wedding in Lebanon

Dates matter more than budget for the first few months of planning. Summer Saturdays are the constraint, and the good performers commit to them a long way ahead.

• 9–12 months out. Venue and date. Nothing else can be booked properly until these are fixed.
• 8–10 months out. Photographer and videographer. These go first, and the good ones go earliest — often before the couple has thought about music.
• 6–9 months out. The band or DJ for the reception. If a specific act matters to you, this is the point at which wanting them is still realistic.
• 3–5 months out. The zaffe or dabke group, and an MC if the evening needs one.
• 1–2 months out. Confirm running order, timings and access with everyone you have booked. This is the step most often skipped, and the one that causes the most trouble on the day.

Booking later than this is entirely possible. You are simply choosing from a smaller pool, which is a real cost even when it does not look like one.

• How long do you actually play, and how many breaks?
• Do you bring your own sound and lighting, or is that on the venue?
• How much space and power do you need, and when do you need access?
• Who exactly is performing? For a band, is it the same line-up as in the video?
• What happens if we move the date — and what happens if you cannot make it?
• Is the price inclusive of travel, and of setup time?

The last two are the ones people skip and later wish they had not.

Entertainment is usually the third-largest line after venue and catering, and it is the one with the widest range. A DJ and a ten-piece band with a brass section are both “the music” and are not remotely the same expense.

Prices on Fann are shown as a starting rate on every profile, and visible without an account, so you can shape the budget before you talk to anyone. Deposit and cancellation terms are shown too — read them before you decide, not after.

Almost every dispute is about scope rather than quality: how many hours, who brought the PA, whether travel was included. Keep the conversation in Fann messages so the arrangement is still readable months later, and confirm the boring details explicitly rather than assuming they are understood.

Worth knowing: Fann is not a party to the agreement and does not handle the payment. You contract with the performer directly. The trust & safety page sets out exactly where that line sits.

Book someone for the quiet part of the evening. Almost all the attention goes to the entrance and the dancing, and the hour of arrivals and dinner in between is left to a playlist. An oud player, a pianist or a solo singer covering that stretch changes the feel of the whole evening for a fraction of what the headline act costs.