HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a string quartet in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

String quartets need no licence in the UK. Here is what the venue needs, what to ask and what the quote must say.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a string quartet in five steps

  1. Check the ceremony rulesIn England and Wales a civil ceremony must not include anything religious; a church may have its own rules on music.
  2. Plan a sheltered, level spaceRoom for four players, four armless chairs, out of sun and rain.
  3. Choose entrance, signing and exit musicAgreed weeks ahead; ask what a new arrangement costs.
  4. Count the travelFour musicians may mean four lots of travel on the quote.
  5. Get the line-up and terms in writingWho plays, the times, the pieces and what happens if a player is ill.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to string quartets in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is required by law. Four players means four people to schedule; the contract should say who plays and how stand-ins are used.

Before any deposit, ask for two recent hosts you can contact and for the string quartet booking terms in writing.

Music licence and event licensing where the string quartet plays

Live or recorded music played in public needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, which replaced the separate PRS and PPL licences; playing without one infringes copyright and can lead to a claim for damages. At a hotel, pub or licensed function room the venue normally holds it, so the string quartet does not need their own. In England and Wales, music or dancing at a place with no premises licence is a licensable activity and needs a Temporary Event Notice: under 500 people, given to the council at least 10 clear working days before. In Northern Ireland, live entertainment indoors, and open-air music on private land, needs a district council entertainment licence whoever performs; staging indoor entertainment without one risks a fine of up to £20,000. In Scotland, ask the venue or council what the event needs before the string quartet is booked.

Ask the venue whether it holds TheMusicLicence before anyone charges you for one for the string quartet. Ask the venue whether it is licensed for live entertainment, or who will give the notice or hold the licence for the string quartet's performance. gov.uk →

Safe electrics and insurance for the string quartet

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury — the string quartet's any amplification included — to be kept safe, though HSE says they do not make yearly PAT testing a legal duty. Venues often ask for a recent PAT record on any amplification and for public liability insurance anyway, at a level they set.

Send the venue the string quartet's PAT record and insurance certificate a week before. hse.gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Paying a string quartet makes the arrangement a contract with a trader, and under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. The usual 14-day right to cancel a distance or doorstep contract rarely helps here, because regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 leaves out leisure and catering services tied to a particular date; the string quartet's terms are what count.

Check, in writing, how much of the string quartet's deposit is refundable and by what date. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A string quartet's performance is standard-rated at 20% when the ensemble invoices as a registered business. Among string quartets, any with taxable turnover above £90,000 must be registered, add the VAT and show it apart from the net figure.

Ask the quartet's leader or agent for the VAT number and see the 20% under the fee. gov.uk →

“Can I hear the string quartet live at a real wedding?”

A good answer: A recording from an actual event, not only a studio track.

“Is the line-up fixed, or do you use deputies?”

A good answer: An honest answer about how the quartet uses deps and their standard.

“Can you play our song, and is there an arrangement charge?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with any charge for a new arrangement stated.

“What space and chairs does the quartet need?”

A good answer: A level area of a few metres, four armless chairs, shelter outdoors.

“How do you handle an outdoor ceremony?”

A good answer: A quartet that asks for cover from sun and rain and has an indoor fallback.

“Can you move between the ceremony and drinks rooms?”

A good answer: Yes, with the time it takes to move written into the plan.

“Is travel for all four players in the fee?”

A good answer: Travel shown on the quote, and any congestion charge for a city venue.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, venue and playing times for each part of the day
  • The line-up (quartet, trio or duo) and how deputies are used
  • Arrangements of requested pieces, priced per piece
  • Travel for each player, parking and any overnight stay
  • The ensemble's VAT number, if registered, and VAT under the fee and travel
  • Deposit, balance date and cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends: the four players you heard, or deputies — and whether the players are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No recording of the string quartet playing live
  • No interest in shelter or space for an outdoor ceremony
  • No written terms on deputies or illness
  • Travel left off the quote and added later
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£600
HIGH
£1,800

What a string quartet costs: £250–£1,800 per booking

String quartets quote per booking by playing time, priced by line-up; arrangements and travel for each player are added. String Quartet price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

String quartets near you, with the badges that matter shown

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  1. Arrive and set chairsThe quartet arrives early, sets chairs and stands in the agreed sheltered spot.
  2. TuneInstruments settle and are tuned to the room before guests arrive.
  3. CeremonyEntrance, signing and exit music on cues agreed with the officiant or registrar.
  4. Drinks receptionBackground repertoire, moved to a second space only if timed in the plan.
  5. Pack downInstruments cased, the balance paid as agreed.

String quartet
Two violins, a viola and a cello.
Dep
A deputy player who covers for a regular member.
Arrangement
A song written out for four string parts; new ones may be charged.
Signing music
Music played while the register or schedule is signed.
Civil ceremony
A non-religious ceremony; in England and Wales it must not include religious content.
Approved premises
A venue approved by the council for civil ceremonies in England and Wales.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingIt records the line-up, pieces and fee the string quartet agreed.
Note the playingTimes and pieces against what was agreed; raise any gap promptly.
Settle travelTravel charged should match the quote line.
Leave the reviewRate the string quartet once the event is over — reviews on Locufy are limited to booked jobs. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the string quartet is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the string quartet in writingPut the problem — players missing, shortened playing time, wrong pieces at key moments — to the string quartet in an email, with dates and what you are asking for. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every service contract as promising reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 56 lets you ask for an appropriate reduction where a repeat is impossible.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the string quartet below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesNo official body supervises string quartets. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about string quartets to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the string quartet will not returnMoney still owed by the string quartet can be claimed through the small-claims routes: up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a string quartet: questions people ask

Not personally. TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS and any entertainment licence attach to the venue or the event; the string quartet just plays.

The law wants the string quartet's kit kept safe; HSE is clear it does not demand a yearly PAT test, and insurance is not compulsory. Venues, though, often ask for both.

£250 to £1,800 per booking, typically around £600. The string quartet price guide shows what pushes a quote up or down; enter your town above to see string quartets near you.

Not in England and Wales: a civil ceremony must not include anything religious, so choose secular pieces. A religious ceremony follows the church's or faith's own rules.

With shade and shelter, yes. Sun and damp affect tuning and can damage instruments; agree a fallback.

Usually, as there are fewer players to pay and move. Ask the quartet whether they offer a smaller line-up.

MORE GUIDES

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String quartets near you

String quartets in LondonString quartets in ManchesterString quartets in BirminghamString quartets in GlasgowString quartets in BelfastAll string quartets on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — licence to play live or recorded music
  2. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  3. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  4. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. gov.uk — marriages in England and Wales: plan your ceremony
  12. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register