Category Archives: Chicago Wedding Ceremony

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 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 Performs for Emily & Michael’s Wedding at Chicago Cultural Center

May 20, 2017
Chicago Cultural Center

When the bride records herself singing Make You Feel My Love/Adele as a surprise to the groom for their first dance, you know it’s going to be a fantastic night! Our Chicago wedding band performed for Emily & Michael’s wedding at the Chicago Cultural Center, and we loved every minute working with these two.

The evening began with Emily & Michael’s wedding ceremony in GAR, featuring classical music selections from the Artistrings String Quartet. The bride’s brother, Billy, wrote and performed a special composition for Emily’s entrance into the room which overlooks Michigan Avenue. This is one talented family! The ceremony concluded in elegant fashion with the Overture to the Music from the Royal Fireworks. As everyone headed into cocktails, Artistrings showed why they are the most versatile string quartet in Chicago, and did a 180 degree turn into performing all of Emily & Michael’s favorite pop and rock requests.

Kirsty from LOLA Event Productions spearheaded organizing all details for the soiree, leaving no aspect unattended!

After a lively cocktail celebration, guests headed over to the other side of the building into Preston Bradley Hall, where our Chicago wedding band Chris Sarlas Orchestra welcomed them in for dinner & dancing. The biggest surprise of the night happened when Chris introduced the bride & groom into the reception and they transitioned right into their first dance. Emily’s voice soared under the Tiffany dome as they danced, and we all (including Michael) smiled from ear to ear. We live for magical moments like this.

Emily & Michael wanted a unique dinner music option that was conversation friendly, so they chose our Unplugged vocal quartet with acoustic guitar and cajon. It created the atmosphere they were looking for during dinner service, and then we kicked it into a full blown dance party!

Midway through our dance set, we invited Billy up to perform again, and the crowd went wild. ROCK STAR!

Emily, thank you for lighting up Wedding Wire with your kindness.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about the Chris & Carol Sarlas Orchestras. Our guests danced the whole night long and couldn’t stop raving about the music! We worked with many vendors for our wedding, but Chris and Carol were our absolute favorite to work with. They made sure we had the wedding experience we wanted, and didn’t try to sell us any pre-packed ideas or concepts. They make sure your day is your day and customize everything to what you’re looking for. We even had couple last minute requests (and by last minute I mean the night before the wedding) and they were able to accommodate and make it a seamless evening.

You don’t need to look anywhere else if you’re looking to have an amazing musical experience for your special occasion–Chris and Carol have it all.