May 25, 2014
Sofitel Water Tower

From start to finish, we had a blast working with Stefanie & Jeremy, comparing top knots on our black & white shih-tzus, and figuring out how to keep up with Jeremy’s eclectic collection of fun socks 🙂

On May 25th, Artistrings played some beautiful ceremony music, and after cocktails, we opened the gorgeous ballroom to a black & white theme and danced the night away. Flawless coordination from Randy Schuster & Associates kept the entire night running without a hitch.

We’re going to use this blog post to demonstrate something really important, an issue that normally doesn’t get addressed: transitions. We’ve included a long video clip here, and it’s completely unedited, so you’ll see exactly what happened at Stefanie & Jeremy’s wedding in the first dance set between courses. We started with Let’s Stay Together, transitioned seamlessly into Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, and then another seamless transition to Happy. The dance floor stays packed, and the guests aren’t left awkwardly wondering what to do next. They know exactly what to do: DANCE!

So, if you’re wondering what to look for as you compare bands, the answer is TRANSITIONS. They are super important, and will be the deciding factor in whether your dance floor stays full or not.

That, my friends, is one thing that sets apart a good band from a great band.

March 22, 2014
Hotel Allegro

Hey. It’s spring, not snowing, and Stacy & Pete’s wedding day. Win-win-win!

This was truly an awesome party. Artistrings played their ceremony with favorite tunes Love Minus Zero, Wildflowers, Here Comes the Sun, and Just Like Heaven.

Fantastic planning from Ali Phillips of Engaging Events By Ali! And when the dancing started…look out!

Our new favorite tune:

THANK YOU STACY for this fabulous review on Yelp. We are ever so grateful:

We got married 1 week ago and had the most amazing night ever with an unbelievably perfect soundtrack, thanks to the Chris Sarlas Orchestra. We knew the music would be great, but their performance was far beyond our expectations. From simply sharing a list of our favorite bands and songs, Chris Sarlas was able to create a non-stop, action packed dance floor for the greatest night of our lives. From the first conversation we had, Chris was kind, flexible, encouraging, provided much needed guidance and suggestions and was open to all our ideas and random song requests. We are so thrilled that we got to enjoy this amazing group of musicians for our ceremony and reception. I would happily recommend the Chris Sarlas Orchestra to anyone in need of a band for a wedding or any other event. They made this special event even more special for us and we are forever grateful. I hope to have an opportunity to throw another party (or attend one) with them soon!

January 19, 2014
The Langham Chicago

Our first wedding of the year at the newest, hottest hotel in the city. Great way to kick off 2014! If you haven’t been there yet, check it out. Gorgeous.

We had the pleasure of working with one of our very favorite event planners, Anthony Navarro from Liven It Up Events. The Beatles were a favorite of the bride & groom, so Artistrings set the mood for the ceremony with And I Love Her, Maybe I’m Amazed, Blackbird, and other favorites. We brought the guests over from cocktails to dinner with a traditional New Orleans Second Line Parade, complete with parasols and beads. Dana & Jacob chose Safe and Sound as their bridal dance, with all guests joining in halfway through, into a huge dance set before dinner service. This was a fantastic celebration!

Many thanks for the kind words, Dana!

Chris Sarlas Orchestra beyond exceeded our expectations. His orchestra was so good that several of the guests at our wedding thought a dj was playing rather than Chris Sarlas because they were so spot on. They were excellent and energetic and kept our wedding going until 1am. Not only was the orchestra exceptional, Chris Sarlas is so easy to work with. He is very responsive and even learned a song that we requested. I cannot recommend Chris Sarlas Orchestra enough. He made our wedding exactly what we hoped it would be!