Bales & Gitlin Music

About Weddings

I remember being a bride myself and feeling very uncomfortable with the ‘wedding conveyor belt’ that certain wedding professionals seemed to be trying to put me on. I wanted certain aspects of a traditional wedding, emphatically didn’t want others, and had a large cast of family members and friends whose needs I was trying to keep in mind. Like many of you, I was adding wedding planning into an already busy life! Jay and I wanted a real celebration that would reflect who we were and would also be BIG fun for all our guests.

Our wedding was fun, but chaotic. As I sang at more and more weddings, I began to realize there were ways to make this process much easier and less stressful, especially for women who are already juggling other professional responsibilities, grad school, etc. It’s a long way from the old days when brides were more passive participants in their own weddings, moving directly from their parents’ homes to their new homes with their husbands without making that many choices along the way. Our brides and grooms are more likely to see almost every aspect of their wedding as a reflection of their own choices and tastes. We are sensitive to the many ways in which music contributes to everyone’s overall experience of the wedding.

Photo courtesy of David Ottenstein.
Copyright © 2006.

Music has more impact on how much fun people have than any other single factor. When we are your band, your party is in good hands. It’s our job to make it a success - you can relax and party with everyone else!

An additional thought: Weddings are primarily about social and human issues, and about the creation of a new family, not just about choosing a location and a dress. People often try to sell you an image of the perfect bride and perfect wedding, but while décor, flowers, and a menu are important, they do not make the wedding. It’s the social interaction, the celebration, the people who are there and how they relate to each other, that makes or breaks the day. We understand this better than any other vendors who will work with you on your wedding. (After all, we spend the whole time facing your audience! We have the perfect vantage point to see how much fun everyone is having!)

You want a rocking party, and you also want the beautiful and sensitive moments to shine. We understand this and can help you have the best of both.

I am now working on a book called I Sang at Your Wedding: Creating a Wedding That Works.

Kind words from some of our clients:

“The most impressive thing was not just your ability to play all our requests, but the way you seemed to understand even the unspoken things about what we wanted our wedding to be.”

“You were elegant and wild and can play anything! Everyone danced, even my relatives who usually just sit there! People said it was the best wedding they had ever been to.”

“You and the band were magnificent!!! in many ways, your music, your voice, your flexibility and your charm saved the day (and made up for Mayor Koch’s feistiness). You are simply marvelous.”

“We can’t thank you enough for the wonderful job you did at our wedding! Your energy and warmth made it happen. That dance floor was never empty! I won’t be surprised if you end up playing at all my friends’ weddings!”

“We loved your music and we loved dancing! When we saw the bride and groom at the picnic the day after the wedding, they were so elated, almost beyond words, at how much they enjoyed having you at their wedding! It’s so obvious that you love your work.”

“You all were professional, artistic, elegant, understated, and flexible, not to mention versatile (esp. with the traditional Philippino singing). But you really “whipped up the crowd” when the time came. Even better than we had hoped for!”

“You all have such soulful voices, we loved how you alternated on lead vocals throughout the evening. Your rendition of our first dance song with the PERFECTLY executed preamble by Ginny set the tone for an entire night of raucous merriment!”

“The hora was so much fun, I never wanted it to end! And people were amazed at your ability to keep it going for such a long time.”