My wife and I were recently married at the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel located in Chicago, IL. We knew that given this elegant venue, we needed a band that would compliment these unique surroundings. We had heard of the Gold Coast Orchestra and Prism Entertainment through a recommendation. Throughout the discussions leading up to us hiring the Gold Coast Orchestra, we were shown nothing but the kindest consideration. Before we decided to hire the Gold Coast Orchestra, we wanted to hear them play. So we crashed a wedding out in Lake Forrest, IL. We took a couple of seats in the back and enjoyed the show. Afterward we met with D Jay (band leader) who was aware that we might be stopping by. He was very gracious and went out of his way to learn about our upcoming wedding and the kinds of music we both enjoyed. The personal touch was something we felt every time we interacted with the staff at Prism Entrainment or TCGO. They were all extremely helpful in keeping us focussed on our wedding timeframe so that we never missed a deadline. They also understood our budgeting constraints. Prism worked with us and we were able to hire the Gold Coast Orchestra to play our wedding without breaking the bank. Leading up to the big day, we provided Prism with all the pertinent information regarding our bridal party, correct pronunciations of names, and of course our song selections. D Jay understood that we would have some seniors in attendance so the onus was to choose songs that were timeless and would get everyone out of their chairs. The strategy worked perfectly and we had a great mix of Mo-Town, Top 40's. classic bandstand tunes and current hits. I wish we had the room for longer so the hits could have continued on. We continually receive praise from our friends, guests and family regarding how enjoyable the Gold Coast Orchestra was to listen and dance to. We cannot say enough good things about them. I am already looking forward to hiring them for a big anniversary down the road. Congrats on another stellar performance GCO, and continue the excellent work. read more

When planning a wedding, many issues related to the music selection come up. We had the following issues: (1) I wanted to walk down the aisle to the gorgeous music of Penelope's Song, (2) my fiancé, now husband, and his mom were going to dance to a random, but amazingly beautiful, song I found on YouTube, (3) my fiancé and I wanted to be introduced during the reception with the song "With This Ring", (4) I wanted to sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with my college friends, and (5) my family wanted a good mix of Albanian dance songs played during the reception. How do you make all these things happen? You hire Dan Hayes Orchestra. I love Dan! Dan's patience and understanding is unsurpassed. Dan waited for my fiancé and I to make up our mind about our first dance, he waited for us for months to give him the list of songs to use during the ceremony, and he did not get our list of Albanian songs until the day of the wedding. And you know what? You would have never known that the Albanian songs mixed into the reception had not been planned or listened to in advance. The songs were beautiful and wonderfully incorporated into the reception music. And both sides of the family danced all night long and loved the music. Dan and his band learned how to play "Penelope's song" as well as the mother-son song "The Man You've Become". The end result? We got everything we wanted and did not have to stress to get it. Dan handled everything on his end and did everything he could to ensure that everyone was happy, especially my fiancé and me. Dan Hayes Orchestra is a talented wedding band. Everything they played, they played beautifully. Some people even told us that they felt like they were at a concert. And most importantly, the dance floor was always full, and my husband and I, and our families, had the best night ever. At the end of the day, you cannot ask for anything more. read more

There is a five word phrase that i am going to use that describes the Dan Hayes Orchestra for your wedding day... "It doesn't get any better!!!" My husband Brad and I got married on Friday, December 27th 2013 at the Danada House in Wheaton. Dan Hayes and Prism Entertainment are more fantastic than words can explain. Before booking Dan Hayes, I'd only heard extraordinary things. And gosh darn it, every word I heard is the honest truth. The professionalism, dedication, passion and commitment Dan Hayes and Prism has for their brides and grooms is unheard of. My catholic church ceremony music to the cocktail hour, personalized Wedding party announcements into the reception, dinner music, my first dance with my husband (LIVE MUSIC), my daddy daughter dance and the entire night of non stop dancing and singing (literally, this was a live concert of everything you could dream of being played at your wedding) Dan Hayes nailed it. From the minute I booked Dan Hayes to the last song on my wedding night, I couldn't be more grateful and honored to have Dan Hayes as a part of my day. There is absolutely nothing like Live Music, and Dan Hayes performs nothing but perfection. Absolutely superb. My guests have raved about the Orchestra and mentioned that going to a wedding without an orchestra and live music will not compare to our wedding night!!! There is so much I want to say about Dan Hayes and his crew. My gratitude and appreciation for all of your consulting, advice, suggestions and hard work on our wedding is endless. Thank you SO much for being a part of our day Dan Hayes. Our wedding day would not have been perfect if it weren't for you. Forever grateful and with so much love- Emily and Brad Wallace December 27, 2013 Danada House, Wheaton, IL read more

Dan Hayes did an AMAZING job at our wedding! The dance floor was filled the entire night and we kept hearing for weeks (even still!) after the wedding how much fun everyone had (which I'll attribute mostly to Dan Hayes!). We did a "New York Style" wedding (where people start dancing as soon as they enter the reception) and as I was waiting downstairs for my new husband and I to be introduced, a bunch of people were coming up to us and saying how the band was KILLING it! 5 minutes into the reception, that's a pretty amazing thing to hear. A couple of key pointers: - If you let Dan know the kind of music you and your parents like, he'll do a great job of picking out the songs -- I mostly just said what the "definitely not" songs were! - They were even generous enough to learn new songs that weren't on their song list for us for both the ceremony and reception! This was super important to me and made Nate and I extremely happy with the results! - Dan is pretty opinionated about the way he thinks the timeline should work so be prepared to fight the good fight for the timeline you want (if that's important to you!); We went back and forth a lot because he thought mine was way too tight but it turned out perfectly and ran on schedule all evening! - Make sure if you want more "real time" current hits that you have them on your phone or a playlist for the band breaks; We put on Justin Bieber's "Sorry" after we'd heard a lot of oldies in a row and the crowd loved it but it's not something Dan Hayes will have on hand! They do learn current day stuff but it's obviously a little harder to learn every new song on a regular basis =) All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better band and Dan is definitely an expert in throwing a party! read more

This Band is excellent! If you are a planning a Wedding or a really fun Event, then you need to book the Dan Hayes Orchestra. My Husband and I recently had Dan Hayes Orchestra perform at our Wedding and all that I can say is our Guests were dancing their feet off all night long. From the moment we first booked Dan Hayes to do our Wedding, he was extremely professional, organized, and enthusiastic. He provided us with an extensive list of music to choose from which varies from every era you can think of. He was always upbeat over the phone and in person when we met him. You can tell he really loves what he does and has a lot of fun energy! Dan Hayes took every extra step he could to help make our Wedding day less stressful. He was able to communicate effectively with our Wedding Planner and Hotel Coordinator which was extremely helpful. Dan can customize any song to your liking so that it is perfect for YOU. He has performed at thousands of weddings and events and is certainly knowledgable of what guests like to hear to ensure they have an awesome time. Since our Wedding, we have received hundreds of compliments on how amazing the Band was and how much fun everyone had. My Husband and I couldn't be happier with our decision to have Dan Hayes Orchestra perform at our Wedding! read more

When we started planning our wedding, my husband and I both agreed that we wanted a band. My husband had seen Dan Hayes Orchestra before at another wedding and thought they were great! He loved the energy and great music they played--so obviously we had to inquire and we were so happy to find out that they were available for our wedding date! We had a great meeting with Dan to discuss the music and flow of the evening. We chose a Dave Matthews Band song as our first dance and Dan and his band members were very open to learning the song. It turned out beautifully at the wedding. He was also very flexible and open to our other song requests. Throughout our wedding, the dance floor was packed! The Dan Hayes Orchestra did an amazing job at playing a combination of oldies and modern songs. A packed dance floor was a true sign to us that everyone was having a great time. Even a month later, we are still hearing from our family and friends about how amazing the band and music were at the reception. This is how we want our family and friends to remember our wedding, which is why we are so appreciative of all the hard work and dedication that the Dan Hayes Orchestra band has for what they do. We are very excited to attend another wedding and see the Dan Hayes Orchestra band! read more

Can not say enough wonderful things about Dan Hayes and his company. He is incredibly professional and supportive throughout the planning process. Dan was willing to meet several times before our wedding, and even drove out to our apartment a week before the wedding to run through the timeline and music choices. Dan is personable and so experienced. I know this is work for him, but he makes it seem effortless and fun! We trusted him to keep the atmosphere appropriate for our ceremony and reception. Dan was great! We love the Beatles, and he made great suggestions to incorporate into our ceremony. It was the perfect combination of romantic and fun - just like we wanted. When it came time for the reception, he was a fantastic person to have leading the night. He knew the perfect songs to play all evening to keep everyone on the dance floor. During and after the wedding, we heard back from so many guests who loved the music. It's no easy task to please everyone at a wedding, and Dan definitely did just that! He kept our friends and family dancing the night away - from my 80+ year old grandparents to our 20 something year old friends. Dan made our wedding a night to remember for everyone involved, and I can't thank him enough. I HIGHLY recommend him!! read more

My husband and I knew the one thing we definitely wanted at our wedding was a band and a lot of dancing. Since we had an off season wedding (early April), Dan was able to give us a great rate for a half the orchestra. Dan was probably the most responsive of any of my wedding vendors. Quickly responding to emails and calling me directly for follow-up. That is really a huge plus when in the middle of wedding planning chaos. A few months before the wedding Dan provided me a list of songs in which he had recorded the full band and could use as a background track to make the 7 piece band sound like the 12 piece. I totally trusted Dan that it wouldn't sound pre-recorded and it didn't! It sounded great! So many of our guests just raved about how energetic the band was and how great they sounded. Dan also had no problem including our really random request to play the instrumental to "Be Our Guest" during the champagne parade. Another great plus was that he asked for a list of "ipod" songs to play during breaks - we used this as an opportunity to play songs that were just released or really need to be sung by the specific original recording artist. It was a really great option. Dan was great and I highly, highly recommend him! read more

Thank you so much to Dan Hayes and the entire band for making our wedding so memorable and FUN! My goal was to have a packed dance floor, and they were AMAZING! We have received so many compliments on the music, and the hora was especially so much fun -- I think every single person at our wedding was up on their feet! Dan was extremely fun and professional to work with. Very responsive, positive/upbeat, always calm and patient. I loved working with him - he had an awesome attitude and every conversation was really pleasant. I knew we were in good hands, and that he would do everything possible to make sure our wedding was perfect. We didn't give a ton of direction on the specific music because wanted the band to read the room and play whatever would get the most people on the dance floor. They knew EXACTLY what to play at different times of the evening, and everyone had a great time. Thank you again, Dan! read more

Dan Hayes Orchestra came highly recommended by friends and family and after meeting the band leader (Dan) and seeing some video/audio, we decided to hire them for our wedding for New Years Eve. Dan was SUPER easy to work with and very responsive through phone and email. They were absolutely awesome and we couldn't be any happier. Their great music and high energy level kept our guests on the dance floor the ENTIRE night and well onto the New Year! We highly recommend Dan Hayes Orchestra because not only will your party rock, but Dan is really cool and easy to communicate with and worked really well with the hotel and our coordinator. They really understand the type of music we liked and the vibe we were going for and it kept everyone out of their seats and onto the dance floor! I get compliments all the time on out band and I love that because you know everyone had a great time! Thanks Dan!! read more

The Dan Hayes Orchestra was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding! We wanted people to have FUN and dance all night, and the DHO was absolutely instrumental in making that happen! They have the best sound and energy, and absolutely shine on the 50s-80s music we wanted to hear. Every guest commented on how fantastic and fun they were - and their Motown Medley was a particular favorite! They also went above and beyond to learn our first dance song, which we so appreciated. On the prep side, working with Dan was great. He is professional, responsive, and pleasant - even other vendors were pleased to hear he was our band! He is also very informative and patient, talking through various options as your planning progresses. I knew my entertainment was in good hands with the DHO - such a relief when planning a wedding. Thank you, Dan & the DHO! read more

We were lucky enough to have The Dan Hayes Orchestra play at one daughter's wedding this year, and another daughter's the year before. They were absolutely incredible. Prior to the ceremony Dan worked with both couples so that everything went off without a hitch. Dan was awesome as the master of ceremony, and was just so professional getting all the details taken care of. And then there was the music itself...absolutely great. The band and singers performed flaswlessly and did everything from jitterbug to hip-hop. The kids were thrilled. I can't tell you how many people came up to us saying it was the best band they had ever heard or danced to. The dance floor was packed right through the final song. I would recommend this organization to anyone who wants an incredible and easy experience. read more

When planning a wedding it is so important to understand that it is the music that creates the greatest impact on the enjoyment of the event. The music at the ceremony sets the tone for the wedding, the music during the dinner enhances the meal, and most importantly the music at the reception is what makes or breaks the evening. Personable, professional and extremely musically talented-Dan Hayes and his orchestra are completely zoned into keeping the chairs empty and the dance floor fully covered with guests during the reception. Dan has a sixth sense of reading the room and the experience of knowing what music works. They'll be talking about your wedding long after it's over because of the band! Highly recommended by guests from ages 18-80. Believe me they were all dancing :-) FUN. read more

Without hestitation I strongly recommend booking Dan Hayes Orchestra for your wedding or event. They make the party. The DHO has incredible sound. They put on an amazing show. They had our guests on the dance floor all night. Working with Dan was a seamless experience. He contacted us multiple times throughout the months before our wedding to find out how we envisioned the day to go (musically). He checks and rechecks every detail imaginable to make sure things run smoothly and are executed exactly as you want them to be. He did a fabulous job with our ceremony music (3 strings and a piano) and even played guitar on some of our songs to create a better sound. The DHO is first rate. Simply fantastic. Of all our wedding purchases, the DHO was our best investment. read more

Prism Entertainment is dedicated to assisting their clients with every aspect of the event planning. Their professionals orchestrate the perfect wedding. When it comes to your wedding day they guide and assist every detail beginning with the ceremony music, continuing to the cocktail hour, elegantly announcing the bridal party, superb dinner music that leads into the bridal couple dancing their first dance. Their professionalism keeps the night alive and the dance floor swinging. Our daughter's wedding on Friday, December 27th at the Danada House was a five star elegant event. And the Dan Hayes Orchestra set the tone for the spectacular evening. The bride and groom and parents could not have been more pleased with Prism Entertainment. read more

The Dan Hayes Orchestra made my wedding the best dance party EVER! My husband and I crashed a number of weddings, standing in the corner, checking out bands... When we checked out the DHO, we were dragged on the dance floor by the guests. We danced the night away and were in that wedding's pics! They do an amazing job of playing oldies that I would never have guessed would keep people on the floor all night! One of my 60 y.o. guests had so much fun she said, "I'm taking out a life insurance policy to have the DHO play when I die... We're going to call it The After Party!" Dan, My only regret is not having a videographer. You guys were amazing. Thank you. Nicole (Maniatis) & Mike Cooper read more

We had 3 sets of parents planning a wedding. Many opinions on every topic but we were all together on our love of Dan Hayes orchestra. They were amazing, people danced all night. The music was fun for the 20's, 50's and 70 year old. They were intuitive, great voices, range and mix. Many times Dan just jumped off the stage and come onto the Dance floor. So many of my guests asked who they are and asked for contact info. If you want to have an amazing wedding/ party, call them. They will not disappoint. We have just hired them for our 2 nd wedding 6 months from now. Love love love them Kim read more

Live music is where it's at!!! If you're looking to throw a wedding that is unforgettable, spend the money on the music. From the church to the reception, this group is incredibly talented. They work with the bride, groom, & their families, to create the experience and entertainment you are looking for. The reception will be nonstop dancing and at points in the night you won't believe it's live because they are that good. Studio recording good! Dan Hayes is worth it. This was one of the best, if not the BEST, weddings I have ever been to. It's a spectacular group and company. read more

We had the Dan Hayes Orchestra at our wedding in April of 2014 and they were unbelievable!! Dan was very communicative during the weeks leading up to our wedding, which made me feel very at ease. I don't think our guests got off the dance floor the entire night -- we received SOO endless compliments from our guests at the wedding. They were able to play such a variety -- which was the one thing my husband was worried about -- but they exceeded any expectation we had. read more