JOAN HAMBURG SAYS- 'With over 17 bands and orchestras working for him, Stan Wiest can get you the perfect music for your wedding, and because he is a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, Wiest really understands the intricacies of wedding performances. The list of musicians he can get for you is enormous, since he handles everything from ballroom dance bands to steel drums, mariachi groups, bagpipes, bluegrass bands, classical groups, Greek bouzouki music, sitars, German Octoberfest and even DJ's. Go to his website and take a look at the music pages he has set up He's great to work with and an amazing wedding resource.

JOAN HAMBURG SAYS
'With over 17 bands and orchestras working for him, Stan Wiest can get you the perfect music for your wedding, and because he is a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, Wiest really understands the intricacies of wedding performances. The list of musicians he can get for you is enormous, since he handles everything from ballroom dance bands to steel drums, mariachi groups, bagpipes, bluegrass bands, classical groups, Greek bouzouki music, sitars, German Octoberfest and even DJ's. Go to his website and take a look at the music pages he has set up He's great to work with and an amazing wedding resource.

1.When most people think of wedding music, they think of DJs, tell us how you offer a unique and special alternative to the traditional

I offer a very unique service. I offer the Band-DJ combination; The elegance and excitement of a live band and the sound of the original artists on our DJ set up. The DJ set up is included within the band. Caterers love this-it does not take up twice the space. Everything is incorporated within the set up of the band. The client gets the best of all worlds.

2.In your opinion, is a band best suited for the cocktail hour or reception or both?

Cocktail hour should only be soft background music- settiing the ambience for the reception. Cocktail hour can be Strolling Violins, Harp, String Ensemble, Steel Drums , Mariachi performers (Mexican music),Sitar and Tabla (Indian music), Pianist, Flamenco Guitar, Accordion, Jazz Ensemble, Banjo Dixieland.

A bride can have a band for her reception or incorporate the DJ set up at no additional charge. This becomes very cost effective for a bride. This offers the opportunity of a smaller band (3-4-5-6 pieces) plus the DJ set up at a very economical fee.

3.Tell us about working in conjunction with other types of entertainment such as a DJ.

My office offers 17 bands and DJ's and combinations. I can provide a DJ or Band for the recpetion and strings for the ceremony and steel drums,mariachi,strolling violins or keyboard for the cocktail hour. This give the bride three differenct approach for her wedding. The more diversity the more successful the wedding.

4.What types of entertainment music do you offer?

I can provide the most exotic entertainmenet imaginable from 17 Bands and DJ's with 10 foot projection screens, Intelligent lighting, room lighting, Sitar and Tabla, Strolling Mariachi, Steel Drums, Flamenco Guitar and Dancers, Greek Bouzouki, Latin Salsa, Swing Music, Hawaiian Dancers, Banjo Dixieland, German Octoberfest Band, Bagpipes (Irish and Scottish), One Man Bands, Italian Accordion, Strolling Violins, 15 Piece String Orchestra, Sinatra Singer, Belly Dancers, Russian,Romanian,Gypsy, Persian, Arabic, Israeli, Middle Eastern Bands, Tradition Swing Bands, Country Western Bands, Line Dance and Square Dance Callers, Harp combinations, Ceremony Singers, Jazz Performers, Ballroom Dance Band, Trumpeters for ceremony, Walk Around Magicians, Children Entertainment as well as the service of myself as a Wedding Consultant, Wedding Planner and Wedding Day Coordinator. I am a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants.

5.Tell us about how you motivate the crowd and keep the party going?

I 'read the crowd' . The next song is only decided three quarters of the way through the previous song- the selection is made depending on what will motivate the guests at any given moment in the reception. It is a very fluid approach- performing according to the needs and enthusiasm of the guests at any given time.

6.Can couple’s customize their song list or do you have a repertoire they need to select from?

A wedding is the bride's day. I provided the music for the weddings of the editors of Red Book Magazine and one of the writers for the Wall Streel Journal. They gave me a list of the specific music to be played as well as to be avoided. We will customize each wedding- we literally do thousands of songs ranging from classical, to show tunes, music from every era from the gay 90's (1890'2) through prohibition to club music and current top 40.

7.Tell us what you can add to the wedding celebration.

I provide the knowledge and experience of over 30 years of wedding performances and wedding planning -eliminating the stress for a bride-creating a wedding where every guest says 'that was my kind of music', eliminating volume problems and enabling the bride and groom to only worry about enjoying themselves. I give seminar teaching how to create wonderful, stress free weddings for brides. I am regularly featured in national bridal magazine interviews as well as on WCBS News Radio and Channel 12 Television.

8. Give us some insight on what a couple should look for when choosing a band.

A bride and groom should be totally comfortable with the office providing the music. The company should be insured and familiar with the wedding reception location. Our policy-to guarantee client satisfaction- is that balance of payment is not due until the end of the wedding. That is the best guarantee possible for a bride and groom. Comfort, honesty and recommendations of other couples and venues are always something to look for.

9.How far in advance should a couple schedule a meeting with you?

As soon as the wedding date is set and the catering establishment is booked. Ceremony music should be contracted as soon as the ceremony arrangemts are confirmed.

10.How far in advance should a couple book with you?

Again -as soon as the date is set and the location is contracted.

11. What do you require for setup and is there anything they should inform the catering hall of?

Most catering locations allow at least one hour for set up time. Electrical outlets that are not connected to coffee urns etc. and easily accessible to the band, djs set up.

12. Is this something younger as well as more mature couples can take advantage of, benefit from and have fun with?

The music should be customized to the needs and requirements of each indivicual bride. The most successful weddings are when the music is diversified. Every guest should say 'that was my kind of music regardless of the age group. There should never be a volume problem. Guests should be able to converse and dance- grandma should not have to leave the room in order to talk to guests. Theme weddings portray a couple's personality but there should be some includion for guests' enjoyment also.

13.What are some of the most requested songs you can boast you do?

There are no longer 'most requested songs' Nowdays each bride wants to customize her wedding to reflect her personality and wishes

14.What, in your opinion is the developing trend in bands and wedding celebrations.

The current trend with bands is twofold -more requests for swing music and definitely a trend for the Full Band (with horns) and DJ combination

15. Are bands appropriate for both daytime and evening events?

A band is appropriate for both daytime and evening events. The band leader must realize that an afternoon wedding is treated differently from an evening wedding. The same way a Friday night wedding is different from a Saturday or Sunday wedding.

16.Besides the popular music most of us are familiar with what other types of songs or music do you do?

I can provide authentic Latin-Salsa-Bachata-Cumbia music, the authentic music of each section of Greece (over 20 different specific sections-each has their own music), authentic Mariachi Music from Mexico, Portuguese Music, Arabic, Israeli, Middle Eastern, Persian, Russian,Rumanian, Gypsy, Indian (Sitar and Tabla), Classical Music, Swing Music, Dixieland Jazz, Country Western, Caribbean Steel Drums etc.

17.Can you also play requests?

As long as the client approves we accepts requests that are within the parameters of the bride's selections.

18.Do you do any ethnic songs such as Italian, Irish, or Greek tunes to name a few?

I have lived in every county of Ireland except Donnegal and I played the wedding for one of the members of 'Riverdance' . Any Irish music can be provided. I also sing in Italian, can provide the music of every section of Greece as well as authentic Spanish and Protuguese music, as well as Irish, German, Polish and Austrian (where I have lived also), and the music of Brazil, Central and South America, Mexico and the Islands.

19.What can hiring a band add to the wedding celebration?

A band always brings elegance and excitement to a wedding.It is the level of excitement (as in seeing a play, game, competition in person) as opposed to a film or television presentation.

20.Tell us about some of the latest innovations and how you are keeping up with the market trends.

My bands and specialty music can be heard on line. We have 250 websites easily accessible from the main website www.stanwiest.com We provide CD's and DVD's upon request as many couples live in other countries and other states. We are open from 11 AM to 10 PM daily to cover world times zones, 6 days a week.

21.What kind of “sound” is your particular band most noted for? (jazz, swing, big band, etc).

I can provide the authentic sounds of the specific wishes of the bride. With 17 bands, orchestras and DJ's there is no limitation on what can be provided for a bride. We are specialists in providing music from almost anywere, and any time period