This is a direct copy paste of an email I sent to the 45Riots team after my reception, which should provide a pretty clear description of my feelings towards the band:
Hi everyone...,
Now that the dust has settled, I want to thank you again for your performance at our reception and all of the hard work and coordination that went into it. As I probably mentioned during some of our initial calls, I spent hours and hours researching nearly 50 NYC bands to play our reception. I watched every video and recording I could find. I made it a priority to see live any band we thought might play our reception, so we went to a half dozen bars across the city and Long Island to do so.
When I found 45 Riots's content on YouTube, I was impressed. I was disappointed, however, when we were told that it was unlikely we would be able to see 45 Riots play live because of the artists' busy schedules. When we were given the opportunity to see the band play live at LPR, we jumped at the chance.
The live performance blew us away. With no exaggeration, within 30 seconds, I told my then-fiancée that we had to have 45 Riots play our reception. And it was the best decision we could have made.
Leading up to the reception, I was nervous and excited, since picking the band was my lone responsibility. I also had high expectations. Put simply, 45 Riots exceeded every one of them. The band played every song we wanted to hear, nailed our first dance, the father / daughter dance, and the mother / son dance, and kept the energy high all night. Our guests -- from 85-year-old grandparents, to 20-year-old cousins, and everyone in between -- still cannot stop talking about the band and their favorite moments on the dancefloor -- Gimme Gimme Gimme into Like a Prayer is at the top of people's lists, with Dancing on My Own and Simply the Best as close seconds.
The members of the band are professional musicians whose talent is obvious. We had an aspiring Broadway actor sing during our wedding ceremony, and he could not stop talking about how incredible the musicians in the band were! But more than that, the musicians seemed happy to be there and honored to play our reception when I introduced myself to them throughout the night. DR even came to our table to introduce himself to me, which I thought was such a classy and kind move.
All in all, our wedding day was one of the best days of our lives, and 45 Riots played a major part in that. So I just wanted to thank the entire 45 Riots team -- you were all incredible to work with, and Steph and I will be singing your praises to anyone we meet who is looking for a band. And please let us know if you play any shows open to the public -- we would love to come and support you, and I'm sure we can find some other wedding guests who would love to join.
Thank you,