When Cecilia & Colette came over to choose music for their Chicago brunch wedding celebration at Zhou B, they knew one thing for sure: they wanted to walk down the aisle to Everlong/Foo Fighters. So, we wrote this string quartet arrangement for them. Cecilia & Colette loved it, their guests loved it, and we love it even more. So much, that we decided to make a new video.
October 27, 2018
Our absolute favorite thing to do is to visit together and get to know each couple that chooses us to be their Chicago wedding band. Mia and Quinn are an incredible pair that exudes a peaceful, content happiness together — they’re always smiling! It follows that their celebration at the Westin Lombard was filled with over 300 of their friends and family that mirrored their cheerful character and affection!
When guests arrived for cocktails, they were musically transported to South America with our Spanish guitar duo performing a range of flamenco and latin-inspired music. This first impression was such an unexpected and fun twist to cocktail music, that guests were primed to expect the unexpected for the rest of the night 🙂
At dinnertime, the ballroom opened to impact of the band with their favorite motown, swing and pop tunes as their wedding party and families gathered themselves for introductions. The music they music they chose let everyone know in no uncertain terms that a serious dance party awaited them!
Mia and Quinn entered to deafening cheers from all, and headed straight to the dance floor. Their moment was It Had To Be You/Harry Connick Jr., and every guest knew that the bar was set way, way up high for the evening of dancing after dinner!
Tammy Jordan’s Westin staff expertly served 4 courses to their party with the greatest attention to the smallest detail while always keeping a 10,000 ft. macro view of the evening’s timeline pulse in clear view.
After dinner, we expanded a bit to the 14-piece Chris Sarlas Orchestra to play a full array of American and Greek music. Dances with parents (‘What A Wonderful World’ and ‘In The Mood’) led into an American dance set that packed the floor, only to be rivaled by the set of Greek dancing that followed! Mia was blessed to have all 4 of her grandparents there. We were so happy that one of the featured Greek dances up front was specially requested for them – this was a beautiful photo moment which will be treasured forever!
The sweet table, complete with ice cream bar (yay!) opened as we transitioned back to American dancing, and despite the mountain of delicious pastries, check out the video to experience how this party would…not…stop…dancing!!
Mia and Quinn’s happiness and health as a couple is infectious – everyone is so happy to be around them. We know we were! 🙂
December 1, 2018
When Elaine and Brian began preparing for their Chicago wedding, they told us that were juggling American and Greek traditions, while wanting to stay true to their vision as a couple. We were so happy to work with them, along with both of their families, as this is our specialty 🙂
The choice of the Blackstone Hotel was the perfect size for celebrating their merger with about 100 friends and family in attendance. They were going for an elegant winter black tie affair, and nailed it!
After dinner service, our Chicago wedding band fused the gap with their American and Greek music traditions – performing everything live!
Special dances began with Dream A Little Dream Of Me/Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong for their first dance together. Then two more special dances: Elaine and her dad danced to God Only Knows/The Beach Boys, followed by Molly Pasutti’s The Man You’ve Become for Brian and his mom. After that, everyone got to their feet and joined them on the dance floor to kick the party into overdrive!
We loved that their requests included something for everyone: Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Tina Turner, Pitbull, Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston, to name a few. This was a serious dance party! Traditional Greek music got everyone up and dancing around this historic downtown Chicago ballroom.
Elaine and Brian crafted a simply incredible night! All our congratulations, and our most gracious thanks for this terrific Wedding Wire review:
“There are not enough nice things I can say about Chris and his band. Chris and his wife were super involved with our wedding from the start. They truly cared about making sure our wedding was a party and that the dance floor was always full. The band was awesome!! The dance floor was packed all night! I would highly recommend Chris and his band!”
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!
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
