DRS Music: Chicago Wedding band winners of National Award for Chicago Wedding Band performances.

You are unlike any other couple.

Even though we have a big fancy website, I never wanted to lose the humanness of what we do. Weddings are about people. I LOVE getting to know each of you personally. Tell me what YOU love, what makes YOU special.

All our clients are emailed this form entitled Tell us about you. TAKE A LOOK.

These are some examples of special personal touches we've have done just as a way of showing how much I personally care for our clients. This year we sent Valentine's Day and Anniversary cards to each of our brides.

"Your special touches like the book for our guests to sign, along with your very warm & engaging personality set the tone for a wedding we will never forget."

I look forward to creating something special for you!

Click on the image to see a larger view

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  Beth and Eric were big fans of bowling so I went to three bowling alleys until I found one that would sell me two brand new bowling pins. To make the gift special I had their guests sign the bowling pins. At the end of the night, I gave them to Beth and Eric as a one of a kind gift. To make it even more fun I included a DVD of the classic bowling movie, The Big Lebowski. This was right up their alley! This was REALLY fun to put together. They guests got a kick out of it too!

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  Tracey and Geoff were big time New York Yankees fans. I went to several antique stores in Chicago and finally found a great photo of Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and N.Y. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. The photo was taken in 1938 at Wrigley Field when the Yankees were playing the Cubs. I spray mounted the photo on a HUGE sheet of black cardboard and had all their guests sign it with a silver Sharpie. We also played "New York, New York". Many of the guests commented how much they enjoyed seeing the photo. It was one of those once in a lifetime photos. I was happy to give it a terrific couple like Tracey and Geoff!

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  Joel and Georgette might be the biggest Chicago Blackhawks fans in the city! They had their entire bridal party wear jerseys for the introductions while we played Chelsea Dagger. I went to a store on Michigan Ave called Hawkquarters. They only sell Blackhawks official licensed products. I bought them an official Stanley Cup Final program, 2 key chains and an actual hockey puck that was designated to be used in Game 2 of the Finals. They were surprised and thrilled. I loved seeing their enthusiastic reaction! GOOOOOAL!!

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  Brian and Melissa wrote on their Tell Us More About You form that their all-time favorite movie was Shawshank Redemption. I found a 3 foot by 4 foot original movie poster at store in Chicago called Beyond the Wall. To make the poster last much longer I had it mounted on foam core. To make it a one of a kind gift, all their family and friends signed it with a special Sharpie marker. Shawshank Redemption is one of my all time favorites too. To quote the movie, "Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying!" They both really enjoy the surprise gift!

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  P.J. and Sarah had their first date at a restaurant in Roscoe Village called Piazza Bella. I went there during the week. Spoke to a few managers, told them I needed their help to create something special for the bride and groom. They agreed to my idea and gave me a menu as a special gift for them. They were VERY surprised and thrilled! P.J. and Sarah had forgotten they even told me about that. Since they also were huge Blackhawks fans I bought them two white baseball caps which their guests signed. We also played the theme song when I introduced them. Watch the video to see their reaction!

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  Lindsey and Chris loved cooking and watching cooking shows on the Food Network. I bought them Professional Chef Jackets. I found special markers for writing on clothes. I had all their guests sign both jackets. They were surprised and were thrilled. "This was So Perfect!" I also found some cute oven mitts with the bride and groom's image. We learned 3 extra songs for the First Dance, Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dances. THEY LOVED EVERYTHING!

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  Sara and Alex - Their favorite TV show is "The Office" so I bought them the box set including the first 5 seasons. We also learned the theme song which we played live. They were absolutely thrilled and surprised! Sara's dad was a real character and a great guy. Even though he's a Doctor, one of his favorite things to do is to wear a Gorrila Suit for family parties. I bought him a little book about Gorillas. Two of their friends even sang with the band. They were great too!

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  Mike and Katy said they were Huge Seinfeld fans. I found a store in Hollywood where all the studios drop off their scripts after filming. I purchased the original script to their favorite episode "Non-fat yogurt" and had it express mailed to me. I had it spiral bound and gave it to them as gift at the wedding. We even learned the Seinfeld theme song, which we played live at the reception!

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  Kevin and Laura were giant fans of Bruce Stringsteen and the E Street Band. We learned 3 of their songs including "Glory Days", "Born in the U.S.A." and their first dance "When You Need Me". For their special gift, I got them a wonderful scrapbook of Bruce and the E-Street Band. It contained tons of photos stories, set lists, stickers, concert posters, programs and interviews with each member of the band. Hours of fun for any fans of "The Boss". They loved it!

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  Jacqueline and Matt both went to school at Notre Dame. As a result, all of their families and friends were just as big of fans of the Fighting Irish as they were. I found two great gifts I thought they'd really enjoy. One was a book all about Notre Dame Football. It's packed with photos, stories, stats and trivia all about what makes N.D. one of the greatest tradition in sports. The other gift was a Monopoly game for fans of the Fighting Irish called Irishopoly. The game is based on everything about Notre Dame. I loved doing detective work to find creative gifts that have a special meaning to the wonderful couples we play for!

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  Mike and Laura dated the entire time they were in school at Purdue University. They were both BIG fans, so for their gift I went to a store in Water Tower Place called Campus Colors. They have a wide variety of college gifts. I like finding items that their guests can sign. That's what makes the gifts REALLY special and one of a kind. I bought them two wipe boards, which all their 260 guests signed with a special Sharpie permanent marker. We also learned and played the Purdue Fight Song. BOILER UP!!

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  Jon and Pamela were huge fans of our World Champion Chicago Blackhawks. We gave them two Stanley Cup T-Shirts and a matted group photo of the team right after they won the cup. All the guests signed the T-Shirts. Several of them thought it was such a fun personalized idea. They seemed to loved signing the shirts as much as the bride and groom did receiving it. From one celebration to another... This was a championship wedding!!

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  Amy and Andrew commute together every day to work. I wanted to find something they could use and also bring them great memories of their special day. I did some research and came across these commuter cups. They look just like paper coffee cups, but are actually made of high quality ceramic. All their guests signed them. I hope they smile each time they use them.

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  Quinn and Lynette are a great couple with different tastes in entertainment. Lynette loves Audrey Hepburn classic movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's. I gave her a beautiful photo book with about Audrey and her movies which all their guests signed. Quinn on the other hand likes the T.V. Show Dirty Jobs. So he got the first three seasons on DVD. They are both big Blackhawks fans so we learned two Theme Songs, which really got the crowd pumped up!

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  Anna and Jeff just bought their first house a few weeks before their wedding. They were so excited about it! I found a wonderful book called "The HOME BOOK" It has hundreds of great design and decorating ideas, photos and step by step methods for a wide variety of home improvement projects. All their guests signed the book. Family and Friends turn a house into a home.

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  Nicolette and Jim were big fans of movies and movie stars. They also own a dental supply company. So I thought a book about movie stars smiling would be perfect! I had all their 260 guests select their favorite celebrity and sign the page. Once all their guests had signed the book, I presented it to them as a special gift. We learned four brand new songs they requested and played three more which the guests requested that night. After the wedding, we donated their flowers to a Nursing Home just in time for Mother's day.

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  Jessica and Robby were from different cities. She was from Cincinnati, so we bought her DVDs of the First Season of TV Show "WKRP in Cincinnati". We also played the fun theme song. He was from Chicago and was a big fan of the Bears so we gave him a DVD titled "The History of The Chicago Bears." We played "Bear Down Chicago Bears" for him too. Since they were both Jewish, they also got a huge book of Jewish stories and art work. All their guests signed the book which they also got as a personalized gift.

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  Michelle and Vince love to travel together. They have done quite a bit both in the U.S. and Europe. So, I bought them a book entitled, "The Travel Book: a journey through every country in the world." It included gorgeous photographs and information about what makes each country unique. All their 190 guests signed various pages throughout the book and I presented to them as a gift. They were excited to get something that was filled with beautiful photographs and wonderful words from the people they care about most.

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  William K. Kellogg III - is the grandson of the founder of Kellogg's. Our band played for his 80th birthday party. I wanted to create something special for him. I found an antique shop that had magazine ads from the 30s and 40s. I found two ads for Kellogg's Corn Flakes. I went to a framing shop and had them spray mount the ads onto black cardboard. To make it extra special, I brought a sliver Sharpie so all his guests could sign the ads and give it to him as a gift. He was both thrilled and amazed!

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  Loren and Matthew - are both professional Violinists with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. I went to Orchestra Hall where The Chicago Symphony performs. In their gift shop, they had this beautiful China plate. It was perfect for them. They LOVED it! We did a special arrangement of "My Girl" which her dad sang with our orchestra. After the wedding they donated all their flowers. I brought them to the Sunrise Nursing home the next morning. Another great wedding!!

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  Samantha and Jeff - Sam worked for the Cubs so I purchased a 24x36 color poster of Wrigley Field. I had it mounted on foam core and asked all their 250 guests to sign it. We learned and played, "Go Cubs Go" and even bought them a Cubs Monopoly game. As a lifelong Cubs fan, that was fun for me too!

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  Alicia and Ryan - They both went to school at University of Iowa. We played 3 U of I fights songs while all their friends sang loud and proud along with them. I brought them his and her Iowa baseball caps and had their bridal party sign them. I even bought them a mini Iowa football. A few months, later I saw that the Iowa Hawkeyes were on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I mailed them a copy of the issue. They loved it!!

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  Sarah and Ray - Sarah was from Chicago and Ray was from Philadelphia. For their special gift I purchased a Cubs and a Phillies hat and had all their guests sign them. Since Ray was from the hometown of Rocky Balboa, we learned the theme song to Rocky as a special surprise. He ran to the middle of the dance floor and jumped around with his hands in the air. My friend in Philly got me a Rocky t-shirt. They loved it!

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  Katie and Perry and their families were huge Beatles fans, so we learned 9 Beatles songs for their big day. I also bought them a Beatles anthology book, which all their guests signed. At the end of night everyone sang arm in arm, "We all live in Yellow Submarine." I found out that they met at Dirkin's bar so I went to the bar and bought them T-Shirts. They also said it was Perry's sister's birthday. So we played "Happy Birthday" and even gave her a birthday card.

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  Amber and Joel - Joel is a professional poker player, so "Luck be a Lady" had a special meaning. They said they favorite T.V. show was also one of mine, "The Family Guy." We learned the theme song, which we performed live at their wedding. We even gave them the lyrics. Boy were they surprised!!

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  Emily and Mark - Mark was from Brazil, so we gave them our Brazilian percussionist for free. He sang played all night. We learned and played 10 Brazilian songs, which he sang in Portuguese. Mark was also an aspiring guitarist, so as a gift our guitarist/arranger, Jeff Sanders, gave him a private lesson for free. Mark even played with the band at the wedding. Emily was just as excited to see him play as he was to get to play with us. He was the Guitar Hero that night!!

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  Sean and Brittney met while in school at Notre Dame. He was originally from a small town called Castle Martin in Ireland. We learned 15 Irish jigs, four Notre Dame Fight Songs and even played the Irish National Anthem. I studied some Irish traditions and found out the horseshoe is a sign of good luck. I happened to have a framed horseshoe which I had had since I was 9 years old. I gave it to them as a special gift. They were touched. I was David O'Rothstein that day!

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  Todd and Lauren - Todd is a professional singer/songwriter. He even sang one of his songs at the wedding. They said they were HUGE fans of Ray LaMontagne. Not only did we play 3 Ray LaMontagne songs, but I also purchased 2 tickets to see him in concert when he came to Chicago two months later. They couldn't believe it!!

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  Antonella and Brendan - Antonella's family was from Italy. She said 30 guests were coming to the wedding from Sicily, so I purchased a book titled, "Italian Americans." It had beautiful photos and stories about life in Italy during the turn of the century, Ellis Island, and what life was like for Italian Immigrants in New York. I had their guests from Italy sign the book in Italian and gave it to them as a gift. We also learned the North and South Tarantella. Congratulazioni!!

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  Amy and Paul - One of their favorite things to do together is watch "The Simpsons." They knew everything about the show. We learned and played The Simpsons theme song, which was VERY difficult. I also bought them a Simpsons trivia game. What a FUN surprise!!

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  Ren and Jim - Jim said he played blues guitar and sang so we created the sheet music for 4 songs. He was great! When he sang and played the wedding guests went wild. They loved it. I even bought him a box set of Buddy Guy.

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  Nate and Lisa met at Marquette University, so we learned the Marquette Fight Song and played it when they were introduced. I even rode my bike downtown and bought them his and her MU baseball caps, which they put on while we played the fight song!!

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  Sara and Andrew - The bride's sister, Lisa said she played clarinet. I thought it would be great for her to play a song with our band as a special surprise gift for Sara. We created a special arrangement of a Benny Goodman song, "Begin the Beguine" for her to play with us. The bride was so surprised and thrilled!

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  Carl and Rebecca - Carl was from New Zealand so we learned "Land Down Under." We even used the flute to make it authentic! It was one of the highlights of the wedding! Also, since Rebecca was Jewish we added our Jewish ensemble for the Hora dancing to bring the even more excitement to the dance floor!