Category Archives: Chicago Wedding Ceremony

Artistrings, Chicago Wedding Band, Chicago Wedding Ceremony, Chris Sarlas Orchestra

Jamie & Ryan

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August 25, 2012

The Rookery
Jamie & Ryan

From ceremony through dancing, Jamie & Ryan’s celebration was an incredible party at a gorgeous, historic venue. Love every Frank Lloyd Wright detail at The Rookery. Makes you want to get up & dance, right?

“This is a truly phenomenal band! I think they may be a little hidden gem right now, but I would jump on the chance to work with them. We worked with Chris on our wedding just a couple of weeks ago and it could not have been executed more perfectly. From the very beginning, he was such a pleasure to work with. I had many ideas and he walked me through countless pricing options, instrument combinations, etc. He also had great ideas for things we were unsure about and is an excellent listener. Chris is exceedingly professional – a dream to work with.

We hired Chris and his musicians for our ceremony (cello and violin performed pop instrumental songs), the jazz trio for our cocktail hour, and the 10-piece band for our reception. Chris did a great job MC-ing and he and the band’s music was never cheezy wedding band- sounding, just really, really good. All our guests commented on how great they were and the dance floor was full all night!”

Artistrings, Chicago Pop String Quartet, Chicago String Quartet, Chicago Wedding Band, Chicago Wedding Ceremony, Chris Sarlas Orchestra

Lindsay & Will

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August 11, 2012

Palmer House Hilton
Lindsay & Will

Linsday and Will chose the absolutely wonderful Empire Room at the Palmer House for their ceremony and reception — There’s something about that room…maybe it’s coming from the stunning lobby with anticipation as you ascend the staircase and open the doors to a room that has so much Chicago music history! If you’re thinking about where to have your party – definitely call Jane Himmel at the Palmer House. And to coordinate all aspects of your day, do what Lindsay and Will did — get Claudia Antony Zompa from As You Wish Events — her events are always flawless. What a pleasure to work with both Jane & Claudia together!!

Here is Lindsay & Will fantastic 5-star review:

“We hired Chris Sarlas and his band for our August 2012 wedding and couldn’t have been happier. They were spectacular from beginning to end. We had the string quartet for our seating music and processional, and the main band for the entire reception. They were perfect! Chris’ introductions and announcements were totally seamless, the band and vocalists were amazing, and all of our guests were dancing until the very end. I cannot count how many people complimented us on the band choice, and people continue to ask me for their info. Everyone was blown away by the variety of songs and the talent of these vocalists.

Go to their website to hear audio and see video of this talented group. That is how we first decided to sit down and talk with Chris. Professional, pleasant, experienced, wonderful! Thanks, Chris and crew for an amazing night!”

Some great moments:

Here’s a new tune that we love:

Artistrings, Chicago String Quartet, Chicago Wedding Band, Chicago Wedding Ceremony, Chris Sarlas Orchestra

Jessica & Chad

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June 23, 2012

Whittaker Woods Golf Club
Jessica & Chad

Another repeat client, and we love that so much! Many thanks to the bride & groom for this fantastic review:

“Chris Sarlas Orchestra just performed at our wedding on June 23rd.  I am so impressed with their work.  Chris was so professional when working with us prior to the wedding.  He was easy to reach by phone and very detailed in his preparation.  He really put our minds at ease.  We had complete faith in him and HE DELIVERED!!!  The band sounded amazing.  

I am not exaggerating when I say they are one of the best live bands I have ever heard.  All the guests at our wedding were so impressed with how good they sounded.  They play a vast array of music including new releases, 80’s music, classic rock, country, traditional, and more.  The Chris Sarlas Orchestra really enhanced our wedding day.  

Also, be sure to check out their sister company Artistrings.  They played our ceremony music.  There was a full string quartet that played classical music.  It was fantastic!!!

We really have nothing but good things to say about the Chris Sarlas Orchestra!!!”

Chicago String Quartet, Chicago Wedding Band, Chicago Wedding Ceremony, Chris Sarlas Orchestra

Samantha & Brian

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November 12, 2011

Architectural Artifacts
Samantha & Brian

Yes, that is a garage door in the background, and no, you cannot see all of the uniqueness that is Architectural Artifacts in Chicago on Ravenswood in these video clips! Very cool space, and we had a ball playing for Samantha, Brian, and all of their guests!

Thank you Samantha, for this wonderful 5 star review on yelp!

“We hired the Chris Sarlas Orchestra for our wedding in November and were blown away by their amazing talent! From the very beginning, Chris was so helpful and attentive to all of the details and logistics. He really listened to our ideas and kept track of everything. I didn’t have a wedding planner so I was a little nervous about the timing and coordinating of the entire night but it worked out perfect because Chris is a total pro and the timing was seamless.

We weren’t sure what music to pick for the ceremony and he had wonderful suggestions on how to make the music personal and memorable. So many of our guests complimented the band and their song selection and everyone was dancing all night. I know I’ll be dancing to the Chris Sarlas Orchestra at one of my friend’s weddings in the near future and I cant wait!”

Chicago String Quartet, Chicago Wedding Band, Chicago Wedding Ceremony, Chris Sarlas Orchestra

Jerusha & Robb

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November 5, 2011

Ravenswood Event Center
Jerusha & Robb

With the Artistrings String Quartet beginning the celebration with contemporary pop ceremony music, Jerusha & Robb’s wedding started rockin’ early in the day! Untraditional string quartet ceremony selections included I Just Called To Say I Love You, Just The Two of Us, Here Comes the Sun, Hallelujah, and Bittersweet Symphony. An old fashioned soda bar in the ceremony space is just one of the unique details Katie and her team from Glam Rock Events presented to Jerusha & Robb’s guests! For a unique loft space venue, check out the Ravenswood Event Center.

Thank you Jerusha, for this fantastic review!

“I don’t even know where to begin with how unbelievably thrilled we were with The Chris Sarlas Orchestra. From the moment we first met with Chris to discuss our ideas, we knew that we’d hit the jackpot. Not only did he understand our “vision” (more motown and less electric slide), but he also gave us the incredible idea of incorporating a very modern twist to our ceremony music (working with his lovely wife’s Aristrings string quartet and playing more contemporary and unexpected songs).

As a self-proclaimed low maintenance person but high maintenance bride (mostly just a type-A bride), I could always rely on Chris. Chris is always on the ball and exactly as organized as you could only hope most wedding planners would be. He was also incredibly flexible when at the last minute we decided to remove one of the band breaks, and needed a new estimate within a few hours.

I could honestly go on and on about how lucky we were to work with Chris, but then I would be forgetting to mention such a key element to why the Chris Sarlas Orchestra was so phenomenal – the band itself! Guests are still talking about how incredible they were. Opal and Barry were especially fan favorites, with their amaaaaazing voices. They really set the tone for the entire evening, and really brought boundless talent, energy, and enthusiasm throughout the entire evening.

We consider ourselves so lucky to have had the Chris Sarlas Orchestra play for our wedding, and would give them 6 stars if we could!

Thanks again Chris!”

This tune was tailor made for Barry!

Faithfully from Sarlas Music on Vimeo.