Weddings are my very favorite event at which to perform. Hands down. I know a lot of my colleagues don’t agree with me. I ran into one of them recently, when we happened to be doing a Corporate event at a downtown hotel. He asked what we were doing there & I told him. I then asked what he was doing and he replied quote: “Oh, just a f*&king wedding”. This not only shocked me, but made me a little angry. Every wedding is a once in a lifetime event & the most important day or night in at least two people’s lives. It’s a privilege to be there & make it a success.
That being said, our wedding a short time ago at the Field Museum, was a door buster, even in our vast experience. It was a seamlessly coordinated effort from all angles, flawlessly pull it off & we did. One initial challenge: There was a Dave Matthews Band concert on Northernly Island the same night & if you’re familiar with Chicago, you will know that the Museum Campus shares all parking space with that facility! Once we got advance notice, we acted quickly to secure parking or travel arrangements for guests & staff. Does this sound easy? It took a tremendous amount of planning & cooperation. & traffic that night was nightmarish. We have done events where up to 40% of guests invited couldn’t make it to the party on time, many turning around & going home in frustration. It’s important when doing these downtown locations, to have your finger on the pulse of what’s going on.
Stanley Hall in the Field Museum is an awesome place. Add gorgeous lighting, linens & flowers & it’s magical. We always take great care with our sound production, when working this hall & the challenges are considerable. Our goal is to have the best sound at the most tasteful volume & this was achieved. The bride’s family were from Italy & when she found out that myself & Nancy, one of our Lead Vocalists are trained in Opera, she had us perform several popular Italian arias. She & I have performed at the Lyric Opera House & Symphony Center & I think it sounded every bit as good in Stanley Hall!
The groom was Syrian & they asked us to accommodate those guests as well, which we were happy to do. The blending of the two cultures was beautiful. I feel confident that every guest went home thinking it was the most incredible wedding they’d ever attended. It certainly was memorable for us.
Our thanks go out to the two families, for making us a part of such a spectacular night.
