Category Archives: Artistrings

Chicago Wedding Band Performed for Whitney & Ian’s Celebration in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute

Whitney & Ian chose the Modern Wing at the Art Institute for their beautiful celebration. Here’s the pristine room before guests arrived:

We began with ceremony in Griffin Court, with the Artistrings string quartet accompanying everyone down the aisle. The mothers and large wedding party appeared to the Hymne from L’Opera Sauvage/Vangelis, and Whitney chose the waltz-like Canon in F for her entrance. Ethereal music for all! Everything was expertly coordinated by Bambi of BCR Events, and we had such a lovely time working alongside her again!

Viva La Vida sent everyone out of Griffin Court and upstairs to Bluhm Terrace for cocktails, while our Chicago wedding band flipped the space for dinner & dancing. When everyone came back down for dinner, an east-coast style reception awaited them. The wedding party and guests of honor were introduced, and then we packed the dance floor for a few songs, ending with the bride & groom’s first dance, Die A Happy Man. It was the perfect way to get this party started!

Here’s some footage of late night dancing – fun all around!

Chicago Wedding Band and Pop Strings Performed for Danielle & Bill’s Celebration at the Standard Club

As most newly engaged couples do, Danielle and Bill were juggling several dates and venues trying to “line up all of the planets” as they envisioned their Chicago wedding. They knew their party would be no less than 325 guests, which helped them narrow down the list of choices available to them! When they settled on the iconic Standard Club to host their party, their next call was to us to see if we were available to be their Chicago wedding band, and we were so pleased that the planets indeed lined up!

There are few venues in Chicago which can boast as having as rich of a history as The Standard Club. With new venues popping up all over town, it stands proudly as one of Chicago’s most elegant and sought-after locations since the beginning of the 20th century. Their seasoned staff creates a familiar ambiance for consistently exceptional parties year round — add Rachael Steacy Events to the mix and your party will be off the charts!

Danielle and Bill’s party was an American and Greek affair, with plenty of dancing for everyone! Foreshadowing that some of their friends and family wouldn’t be completely at ease with all of the Greek dance styles, Bill’s mom asked if we could provide Greek dance lessons at their rehearsal dinner. This ensured that everyone would feel comfortable dancing at the reception the next night. It was a fantastic idea and a huge success!

On their wedding day, cocktails began at the club in the 8th floor library, featuring our Artistrings pop string quartet yet again redefining guests’ ideas of the ground that a string quartet can cover. With dynamic performances of Havana, Pumped Up Kicks, Move On Up, Lovesong, and many others, guests were primed to enjoy a fun night of celebrating.

Walking into the club’s dining room transported you to a party scene from an opulent Hollywood film (check out these photos!). Stunning candles and gorgeous white floral centerpieces accented the club’s legendary gorgeous crystal chandeliers. A jazz trio set the inviting mood as everyone marveled at their surroundings for dinner and dancing!

After an incredible four-course dinner service, the band began with The Way You Look Tonight/Frank Sinatra for Danielle and Bill, followed by dances with parents. Danielle and her dad Michael danced to Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight and then Bill’s mom Patrice joined him to Leann Womack’s I Hope You Dance…not a minute later, they were mobbed on the floor with everyone excited to join in and celebrate! Check out our Instagram feed for video clips from this wedding.

Oh, and have no fear: Patrice’s dance lessons for everyone paid off ten-fold! The Greek dancing exploded from the first entrance of violin and bouzouki playing together! Thirty minutes later, we seamlessly transitioned back to American music and danced well past midnight.

Thanks to Danielle and Bill for including us as they lined up their wedding vendor universe. What a night!

Finally, our sincere appreciation to Patrice (Bill’s mom), as she sent a wonderful e-mail a few days after the party – now you know why we LOVE what we do 🙂

Dear Carol and Chris,
A week after the wonderful wedding we are all still smiling and talking about the lovely weekend. Danielle’s family made the impossible real; throwing a huge wedding while making it feel personal and intimate.

They filled that large reception room with so much happiness and love every person in the room felt connected.  A big part of creating that joy was due to the wonderful music you provided.

Thank you for helping me bring Greek dancing to the many young people in the wedding party during the rehearsal dinner. It took awhile to get our guests going at the rehearsal, but you lured them into participating. By the next night, at the wedding, everyone felt comfortable enough to jump up and join the dancing circles.

All your music made it a special night for our kids, the bride and groom, and for every other guest!

Thank you so much,
Patrice

Chicago Wedding Band Performed for Annie & Tommy’s Wedding at Marriott Lincolnshire Resort

October 14, 2017
Marriott Lincolnshire Resort

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Our Chicago wedding band performed for Annie & Tommy’s wedding at Marriott Lincolnshire Resort on the rainiest day of the year, which can only mean amazing luck for this fun loving couple! Beginning with the Artistrings pop string quartet for ceremony & cocktails, (don’t forget the two bagpipers performing their ceremony recessional) and Chris’ band for a New York style reception with dancing between courses, this Chicago wedding celebration went nonstop all night long!

Our incredible vocal team (Jae, Dayna, Tim and Andy) along with acoustic guitar and cajon, dazzled everyone with an ‘Unplugged’ set during entree service. For their guests’ added enjoyment during dessert, Annie and Tommy invited a group of Irish dancers (led by their friend Kevin) to provide a fun, high energy ten minute show.

We love performing a great variety of styles on every party, and their first dance was a lesser known song from Marcus Mumford ‘When I Put My Hands On You.’ It was a wonderful choice with an extraordinary message!

Annie and Tommy chose dozens of fantastic party tunes, but one of the most fun requests came from Annie’s family. Her family’s MUST PLAY at every celebration is ‘Walk The Dinosaur’/Was Not Was. As you’ll see in the video, the line of dancers snaked through the whole tent!

What rain? I just saw a great Chicago wedding band at an incredible Chicago wedding 🙂

Thank you, Annie, for the Wedding Wire love!

My husband and I hired the Chris Sarlas Orchestra for our wedding and it was the best decision we made for our special day. They were absolutely amazing, kept the dance floor packed all night and our friends and family are still talking about it saying it was the best wedding they have been to and the best band they have seen. They work with you on all details and execute your songs and music perfectly. Hire them, you will be grateful you did. They will make your wedding 🙂

Chicago Wedding Band Performed for Alison & Karl’s Wedding at Marriott Lincolnshire Resort

Marriott Lincolnshire Resort
December 30, 2017

Our Chicago wedding band performed for Alison & Karl’s Wedding at Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, and as you will see from the video clips, it was an amazing celebration! Customizing a package was key for this super sweet couple. Alison’s grandfather was a cellist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and she had always dreamed of having her wedding party walk down the aisle to the Adagio from Beethoven’s Op. 132 string quartet. The Artistrings string quartet timed this perfectly for their processional, along with a stately arrangement of the Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition for Alison’s grand entrance.

Dancing to the Carol Sarlas Orchestra followed in the Grand Marquis tent. Kudos to the Marriott, as we were toasty warm on the coldest day of the year!

Chicago Wedding Band Performed for Jenna & Adam’s Wedding at Oak Brook Hills Resort

September 16, 2017
Oak Brook Hills Resort

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Our Chicago wedding band performed for Jenna & Adam’s wedding at Oak Brook Hills Resort, and our video clips tell the story. From Artistrings for their ceremony music, through Carol’s 11 piece band for dancing, this crowd went nonstop all night long, and only took a short break to go outside for the spectacular fireworks display. Nicole Zenner from LK Events brought everything together seamlessly, and made it look effortless 🙂