Category Archives: Carol Sarlas Orchestra

Chicago Wedding Band and Pop String Quartet Performed for Josie & Robert’s Lake Geneva Wedding

Josie & Robert each spent a lot of time in Lake Geneva growing up, so it made sense for them to choose Lake Geneva as a destination wedding location. They met on the lakefront in Chicago, when Robert’s dog Pierce ran up to Josie and essentially chose her. “Dad, she’s the one!” This is definitely our kind of love story 🙂

Their ceremony took place in the harborside gazebo at The Abbey Resort. The Artistrings pop quartet set the scene with the perfect combination of tunes, including Marry Me/Train, I’m Yours/Mraz, All of Me/Legend and Marry You/Bruno Mars. The officiant made her entrance to Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Izzy, while the wedding party entered to Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud. We all agreed that Josie chose the perfect song for her entrance with her uncle, which was Con Te Partiro. Breaking the glass at the end of their ceremony, kicked off Celebration/Kool and the Gang, and a celebration it was!

We continued over to cocktails on the patio, with a ton of great tunes from the string quartet. Sweet Child O’Mine, Smooth Criminal, Bohemian Rhapsody, Pumped Up Kicks, Fireflies, and Better Together, to name a few.

The celebration continued inside for dinner and dancing. The bride & groom chose three special songs that were so meaningful to everyone, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room by the time our Chicago wedding band finished the special dances. Josie & Robert’s first dance was The Rest of Our Life by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Josie then danced with her godfather to Fathers & Daughters/Bolton, and then Robert danced with his mom to I Am Your Child/Barry Manilow. Lyrics are everything, and these songs have it all.

As things were getting started for the evening, we had some time to play some classic jazz tunes during dinner:

Dancing went all night long with this fun-loving crowd of friends and family! One of our favorite things was a Hora and Tarantella mashup, to merge the cultures of both families. So much joy!

Time for a late night groove tune:

We ended the night with two special requests – Die A Happy Man/Thomas Rhett (you’ll see the hero image at the top of this post from he last dance of the night), and….you guessed it….Celebration!

Josie & Robert, your love and energy is contagious, and we wish you all the very best that this world has to offer. Many hugs!!

“WOWWWWW!!! Listen, we are picky and we wanted the best, most amazing wedding band. Let me tell you that we found them. If you are willing to spend the money (and all great wedding bands cost big bucks) then don’t spend your money anywhere else. This group, led by Carol and Chris, are not only incredibly easy to work with in the planning stages, they are fun, caring, and efficient. Most importantly, they made our wedding into a live concert! The vocalists, the drummers, the guitar players, it was like being front and center for an epic concert. They nailed our slow songs, jammed out hard on the fun songs, hit every note, and even played an extra 30 minutes for us because NOBODY would get off the dance floor. We wanted a perfect wedding along the water’s edge in Lake Geneva, and our ceremony was truly outstanding and one to remember but the highlight of everything was these guys ROCKING OUT for 3.5 hours. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Robert and Josie E.”

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 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 Louise & Chris’ Wedding at Indian Hill Club

October 21, 2017
Indian Hill Club

Our Chicago wedding band performed for Louise & Chris’ wedding at Indian Hill Club, and it was an epic dance party for all.

Louise & Chris wanted to make sure that the music never stopped during their dance party, so we happily played continuously after dinner. Here’s some late night party action with one of our favorite 90s tunes:

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 🙂