Emily & Jeremy -June 22, 2007

Emily & Jeremy were married earlier this year in a very small ceremony, but decided to throw a bit ol’ party for their friends and family at Laurel Creek Manor in Sumner.

It was a beautiful night, and I was joined by my partner-in-music Josh Rawlings on piano, Nate Omdal on bass and D’Vonne Lewis on drums. Sumner turns out to be a long drive from Seattle, but once we got there it was all worth it. The Manor is beautiful, and Al, Lauren and their crew were great hosts all night long. We played out on the terrace and got the people dancing under the stars.

Perhaps the funniest part of the day was stopping at a gas station in Sumner to get some water and lunch. We walked in in our black suits and ties and got the strangest stares! I don’t think the city of Sumner was expecting a recreate of Reservoir Dogs on a Saturday morning!

The following day I got this nice note from Diane Ridgeway, the wedding coordinator: ” I wanted to thank you and your men for your professionalism – you were great to work with Love the music and your talent! I have your card and will refer you, if you don’t mind! It would be great to work together again.”

Krista & Brook – September 20, 2006

I first met with Krista and her mother Mary Kay back in May. They came to my house to discuss Krista and Brook’s wedding with K&B’s adorable son Tylan in tow. Tylan kept himself busy (and Mary Kay, too!) while Krista and I went over the details.

She may not believe this, but Krista is one of the most prepared brides I’ve worked with. She had a book she was working out of to help her plan the ceremony, and by the time the wedding rolled around, had a three-page schedule all typed out with music cues and everything! She and Mary Kay put all the music they wanted for the ceremony on their iPod, and I sat pushing buttons behind the scenes, taking my visual cues from Sheri Nohle, Wedding Coordinator extraordinaire, and proprietor of Fleur de Lis Events. This was the first time I worked with Sheri, and I can’t say enough good things about her. She kept everything rolling and on track all evening long, and made my job much easier. If you’re looking for someone to help coordinate your wedding, I can’t recommend Sheri enough.

The wedding was at the Clise Mansion in Marymoor Park, which is a wonderful backdrop for a wedding. The set-up was a bit strange, and for dinner, we were playing in a different room, but it all went off without a hitch. After dinner the party moved into the reception room, where we were playing, and we got a few people on the dance floor! There was a young boy there, probably middle-school age, who kept requesting great songs like “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t got that Swing” and “Watermelon Man”. Krista & Brook had requested that we play “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” for their first dance, which is such a great song, and the first time we’ve been asked to play it.

Krista had asked me to MC for the evening, which I’m always happy to do. I was able to help the buffet line move smoothly by calling out the tables one at a time, and that seemed to work really well. This meant leaving the band alone for much of dinner, which was actually kind of nice for me because I got to listen to them play…and hot diggity did they sound good! It’s an honor to play with such fine musicians night after night.

I want to give huge thanks to Tim Kennedy for filling in on keys while Josh was playing a wedding with his other band. Tim is an amazing player, and a super nice guy, and it was an honor and a pleasure to have him in the band for a night…I hope we’ll get the chance to do it again! He is also very animated when he plays, and had all the little girls in rapt attention the whole night!

Krista’s cousin Bryan took photos and said he’d send me some, so I’ll post as soon as they arrive.

Susan & Keith – July 22nd, 2006


On what might very well have been the hottest day of the summer, we had the pleasure of playing for Susan & Keith at Susan’s parent’s beautiful home in Sammamish. The setting could not have been better, as the house backs up on some wetlands, and no neighbors are in view from the property. Despite the wilting temperatures, a good time was had by all!

It was quite a large affair, and gorgeously appointed in greens and whites. Susan looked fabulous, as did Keith in his tux, cowboy boots and hat (don’t mess with Texas!).

Josh, Troy and I were joined by Brad Papineau on drums, as Donovan was home taking care of the twins. We set up on the corner of the deck, overlooking the yard where the tent was set up. An old family friend joined us for a nice rendition of “All The Things You Are”, and we even had one of Keith’s nieces’ sing “Texas, Oh Texas!”.

I received this nice note from Susan: “Just a quick note upon return from our honeymoon to thank you so much for making our wedding such a success. You and the band were wonderful and we couldn’t be happier!! We appreciate it so much. We hope you are well and we will be sure to recommend you to others!!!”

All photos by Laura & Scott Schoeggl of Wallflower Photography.