Congratulations on your engagement! The following list has been compiled in order to answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding your wedding reception and the band. Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions you may have. We find that a wonderful way to start a party is to have the band playing as the guests enter the room or arrive at the party. This sets a stylish tone and is an elegant way to start your party. This means that the band must have a starting time that allows for starting before the guests enter the room. If you are planning on having a receiving line, you may want to consider having it at the church or Synagogue or as your guests enter the cocktail hour. This will keep the line moving and not detract from the flow of the party itself. Receiving lines at the reception are not popular at this time, as they are very time consuming and take away valuable dance time from your party. Should you decide to introduce the whole wedding party, please fill in the names exactly as you would like them announced (i.e. "Mr. John Smith" — groom's brother, etc.) on the STARDUST FLOWSHEET. The names will be checked for pronunciation when we talk through the flow for the party. The introductions are usually done at the start of the party after the photographs and before dinner. Again, introducing the entire wedding party takes valuable time away from the party itself and is consequently not "En Vogue" at this time. The current trend is toward introducing just the Bride & Groom and/or the Hostess & Host, or the Bride and Groom and their respective parents. We have a rather extensive song list and would like you to check off songs that you would like to hear at your party. Feel free to make margin notes and ask questions regarding songs that you don't see on the list — the list is not comprehensive and is constantly being updated. When you have finished with the list, please send or fax us a copy. On the night of your party, we will use the list as a "call sheet" to try to insert some of your favorite songs appropriately throughout the evening. Please understand that we cannot guarantee that we will play all of your songs. We will, depending on what your crowd is doing, fit as many song selections into appropriate places throughout the evening as possible. You must trust us to know where and when to place songs — it's what we do.
[back to top] Our song list offers a wealth of choices for first, parent, and last dances. If the special song that you are looking for is not in our repertoire, we will be happy to learn one special request for you. In order to do this, we will need from you: (a) a CD or mp.3 of the song, and (b) sheet music for the song if available. Please return these materials along with the STARDUST FLOWSHEET at least six weeks before the engagement.
Please consult us before purchasing sheet music or recordings. You can do the Hora anytime you prefer, but there are tried and true places in the evening where the Hora is most effectively placed. Some people prefer to start the party with the Hora instead of the first dance. This works fine, except it will take up the entire first part of the party and will usually be cut short by the maitre' d having to get the food out. If you would like a longer Hora, which seems to be the trend, we would suggest placing it either between courses before the entrée, or after the entrée when there is more time to do it justice. We can do a Hora of any length and provide lots of variety (we sing in Yiddish to boot!). A short Hora would be about 5—10 minutes, and a longer Hora would be 10—20 minutes. During the dinner portion of the evening, the band will perform live background music throughout the various courses until the main course is served. At this time the band normally breaks for dinner. Due to driving time, setting up, and playing during mealtimes, the band rarely has time to eat. This provision is in the contract to ensure a happy and energetic band. Performing is hard work and a happy band is a good thing to have. During a normal four—hour party, the band will customarily take two breaks. The dinner break will be the longest lasting approximately from the time your guests are served the main course until the tables are cleared (approximately 25 minutes). The next break is a short one (approximately 10—15 minutes) prior to the last hour of dancing. Please be aware that the break schedule is entirely dependent upon the Catering Staff and/or Room Captain. The flow of the food will dictate the band's break schedule We are especially conscientious about providing the maximum amount of dance time at your party, to make the party as good as it can be. Rest assured that while breaks are necessary and parties need to "breathe", we will make the breaks as transparent as possible and will never jeopardize the success of a party for the sake of a break. The band carries a state of the art sound system that enables us to play CD's during our breaks. There will never be any "down time" as there will always be music playing at your party. We would be happy to play your special disk should you prefer. The cake is traditionally cut after the main course is cleared. Cutting the cake after dinner flows very nicely in the evening as it serves as a prelude to the "rest of the evening". Currently, the cake marks the end of the bride's responsibilities for the evening and is followed by dancing for the rest of the party. The current trend is to cut the cake to light background music as opposed to the traditional sing along, "The Bride Cuts The Cake". Yes, people are still throwing their bouquet's, but only about 10% of them. The Bouquet is traditionally thrown near the end of the party (within the last hour). This traditional ritual has been loosing popularity recently mainly because of the time it takes away from dancing. The garter ritual is traditionally the next step after the throwing of the Bouquet. The bride sits down and has her new husband remove the garter from her leg. Again, this tradition seems to have gone by the wayside. We're not sure of the reasons, but time surely is one of them. The final part of this sequence is the placing of the removed garter on the leg of the recipient of the Bouquet. Similarly, this practice seems to have fallen out of favor. This sequence of events is orchestrated by the band MC and accompanied by music. We are happy to accommodate you should you wish to do any or all of this traditional part of the wedding reception. Please be aware that this entire event can take upwards of 15 minutes and usually falls into the last hour of the party.
[back to top] The last dance is a tradition that was born from the days when the Bride & Groom would change their clothes at the end of the party and then say goodbye to their guests before they leave. Although most modern brides are no longer changing at the end of their party, last dances are still popular. The last dance would be played at approximately 10—15 minutes before the end of the party. If you are changing clothes, we suggest you allow 30 minutes before your last dance to change. Donna Summer's "Last Dance" is an example of a popular last dance: it starts slow and then gets everyone on the dance floor for a lively finish to the party (see "last dances"). We prefer to begin dialoguing the event approximately six weeks prior to the event. It is necessary to begin our conversation at this time to ensure that any special song requests can be honored, and that the flow of the event can be properly planned and discussed. As a rule, at the beginning of your event week we will touch base as well. At this time we will review and confirm all information, discuss any last minute changes, and go through the flow of the event in great detail. The reason for this week-of-event check in is twofold: (a) it keeps the event fresh in our minds, and (b) most last minute changes have usually occurred by this time and we can account for them.
We are more than happy to hear from you any time regarding plans for your event. We understand that most people have little or no experience in planning a party or event. We, on the other hand, have a lot of experience and would be happy to share it with you at any time. Please don't hesitate contact us. After securing THE STARDUST BAND, we will be happy to assist you in planning both your ceremony music as well as your cocktail hour music. We can provide a large variety of ensemble choices as well as a substantial repertoire of music for this portion of the event. From strings & harps to brass quintets, whatever your tastes dictate, we can provide it. If you are interested in ceremony/cocktail music, we can send you a package with suggestions and recordings of available repertoire to help you in your choosing songs and instrumentation. If the event is a formal affair (black-tie), the band will wear tuxedos. This can be the black variety, or white dinner jackets. If the party is informal, the band will wear business attire (jacket & tie) at the discretion of the client. The suit & tie is a more comfortable look and feel and is the current trend. For your information: the band does not disrobe during a party (i.e. take jackets and/or ties off) unless there are comfort issues due to heat or other unforeseeable problems. Any changes to an existing contract must be in writing. Small changes are usually not a problem, and we will always do our best to accommodate you. A major time change may not be possible due to another engagement booked on that same day. We urge you to be certain that the time you wish the band to begin performing is correctly coordinated with your ceremony (if applicable) and the reception/party facility before returning the contract. Overtime is possible when the band does not have another engagement following yours. Overtime is usually done "on-the-fly". At approximately 15 minutes before the band is scheduled to stop performing, we will locate you to see what you would like us to do. If you would like us to continue, we will continue performing with billing done in 1/2-hour increments. If you know ahead of time that you would like to add overtime, please book it before the engagement, as this knowledge will enhance the flow of the party. "I went to a wedding and the band was so loud that no one could speak to each other"... This is a comment that we hear all the time from prospective clients. It is a comment that we never hear from our actual clients. Insensitivity to volume issues is a characteristic of an inexperienced band or one with limited repertoire. Because of the experience and considerable repertoire of the Stardust Band, volume levels are appropriate at all times. There is a time to dance and a time to dine and converse — we are hypersensitive to these concerns and well aware of appropriate volume levels. If, at your party you feel that the volume level is not agreeable, just ask us to turn down. Sometimes the venue can be problematic such as when the room is constructed of glass or marble, has unusually high ceilings or other acoustic anomalies. These super reverberant rooms can produce "echoic" and "louder" sound situations. Please be aware of your venue's limitations when you book it. Having said this, it has been a very rare occasion for us to find a venue that we can't make sound good. A deposit and signed contract are required. All major credit cards are accepted and all dates are secured on a first-come/first-serve basis. There is a 10-day turnaround for the contract & deposit and we are happy to work with you on your financing. Once we receive your contract and deposit the date is yours. We hope that we have answered some of your questions and that our experience and insight into your questions is helpful in the planning of your event. Thank you for choosing THE STARDUST BAND - we look forward to helping make your event a resounding success!
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