Weddingbee Blog

It’s official: we’re going with a band for our wedding entertainment. And I am so. so. pumped.

If you remember, I was having some trouble making a decision about whether to go with a band or a DJ. Deep in my heart, I knew I wanted a band but being able to reconcile spending the serious amount of cash-money-what-what that would be necessary was not an easy task.

Actually, I initially couldn’t do it and started researching DJs, determined to find a non-cheesy one who would let me micro-manage the music (yes, I’m a control freak and picky about what I want to dance to!). We spoke with a few I found recommended on The Knot, compared prices, and felt ready to make a decision.

And then… and then… FFIL Trail Mix got word that we were planning on booking a DJ and generously insisted that he cover the cost of a band instead. Yippee!

We knew immediately who we wanted.

There’s a bar on Manhattan’s Upper East Side called Sessions 73 that we frequent fairly often and always end up dancing, singing and fist-pumping the night away. The band is called The Characters, and they play there every other Saturday night and are a high energy bunch of fun! We were there recently and somehow managed to ask them if they played at weddings, got a card from the lead singer, and 2 weeks later, booked ’em!

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They do kick-ass versions of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, both of which are high on our “Must Play” list.

After all that agonizing about whether to go with a band or DJ, the decision on the specific band was a relative no-brainer and a relief to make it. We’d already heard them play several times before and knew the music was just to our liking (lots of ’60s and ’70s stuff that everyone can sing along to, including many, many Beatles songs…). They were free the day of our wedding, had played at other weddings and were willing to negotiate a fair price.

I can’t wait to dance my butt off and sing until my voice is hoarse!

How’d you decide on your wedding entertainment?