About this vendor
Versatile, flexible, engaging, and easy to work with to create memorable events!
Imagine what it’ll be like to hear the perfect song played on my classical guitar as you walk down the aisle on your big day. Then during the cocktail hour, you hear the relaxing yet captivating sounds of my voice and guitar playing songs you picked from my huge repertoire. During dinner, you and your guests enjoy the strains of mellow music, either instrumental or sung. Finally, it's time for the dance party! You not only get to hear and dance to your favorite songs with your closest friends and relatives, but all your guests, young and old, have a great time as well because the band plays something for everyone!
In The Way Band, we pride ourselves on being very versatile & we love to access our extensive repertoire and decades of experience in knowing what to play when, and at what volume, for the ever-changing needs of a wedding. This lets you rest easy that the right mood will be set at all times. Whether it's strictly background music or in-your-face dance music, or any shades within those extremes, we are there for you.
Our commitment to being very accommodating means you’ll find the entire process of working with us seamless and enjoyable both before and during the event. Because we are flexible, it means you can customize the details: the instrumentation, the playlist, and even tricky set-ups such as different portions of the event being in different rooms or locations, or unusual outdoor locations.
The Way Band fosters a personal atmosphere, treating you like part of our own family. Our personalized, interactive, and family-oriented approach to live music gives you confidence that we can and will play something for everyone in your group, even despite very wide age ranges. It also allows for a group of people who don’t know each other well (such as a bride & groom’s families who live in different parts of the country) to come together easily through the all-inclusive nature and wide variety of the music.
We specialize in smaller events of 50 guests or less with our core trio, so if you have a only small party and want a band that will be fun but not overwhelming, The Way is a perfect choice. Having said that, we have also played many events of 200 or more guests and we sometimes add keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, or all 3 depending on the budget and what is most musical appropriate.
What sets us apart from other wedding bands is our love of spontaneity. Unlike cookie-cutter bands, we don't plan our set lists in advance, except for specific requests made in advance. We can pivot the mood on a dime, and we love interacting with the guests by taking requests, inviting musicians or singers to join us on stage, and even doing group karaoke with our wireless mic!
We love to help people celebrate their special occasions and make them memorable for a lifetime! And we do it every single time. That, to us, is "The Way."
Details
Instruments
- Bass
- Flute
- Guitar
- Keyboard
- Percussion
- Saxophone
Music Genres
- Classical
- Dance
- Jazz
- Latin
- Pop
- R&B
Music Services
- Live Music
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
- Ceremony
- Reception
Awards and Affiliations
3-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2025.2023.2022.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.028 reviews
Dennis and the Way kept our guests dancing all night! So glad we found him. Planning a wedding is stressful, but one thing we didn't worry about was the music. Dennis was extremely...
communicative and helpful throughout the entire process.
A quick google search for "finger lakes wedding band" will yield a number of results including Dennis. We chose him after discovering that many of the other top results were essentially businesses that contracted dozens of musicians all over the state, with many band members often meeting for the first time at an event. Knowing that Dennis was local and works with other local musicians gave us confidence in our choice and Dennis proved us right!
Dennis was a pleasure to work with. He was extremely accommodating to our small wedding. He learned 3 songs that were not part of his repertoire, and he did a wonderful job! He was...
able to MC our event and help us transition into different parts of our reception. Very grateful to have had him as he made our intimate wedding day so special!
Dennis and his Salsa Ithacana Band were the perfect addition to our wedding ceremony and reception. Dennis worked with us throughout the process to guarantee we got the music that ...
we wanted. He played acoustic guitar during the ceremony (including a wonderful rendition of Blink 182's "All the Small Things") and his salsa band got us in the mood for drinking cocktails. After dinner, the band played an eclectic mix of classic rock, pop, salsa, (and more) and got our guests on their feet for one of the best dance sessions I've ever seen.
I highly recommend Dennis for any of your party needs. He's an absolute professional who goes above and beyond to make your event special!
Thanks again Dennis!
We thank Dennis for playing the guitar at our wedding! He thoughtfully and patiently helped us with the upfront planning, logistics, and song selection. On the wedding day, we were...
able to rely on Dennis and his stellar guitar skills to set a great atmosphere for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour.
Dennis and the guys played at our wedding and were absolutely awesome! Our guests raved about their performance all night long.
Dennis was PHENOMENAL. Everyone loved his playing, and he really kept the “vibe” going. He learned and played our first dance and performed it better than the original artist! We c...
ould not be happier.
Dennis was easy to communicate with. Makes things simple...went with the flow of the wedding. And read the vibe of the event well, as far as where to stand and what music to play ...
at what time. Got quite a few compliments on the "guitar player"!
We had Dennis and The Way Band play at our wedding and it was a blast! Dennis is so professional and great to work with, he and the band have a large repertoire to choose songs fro...
m, which was the most fun part of the planning process. I'm so happy he played acoustic guitar for our ceremony and even agreed to learn a new song for my processional, it was perfect. Our guests had a blast tearing up the dance floor to their music, the band even learned 3 songs for the reception and also took requests from guests which was awesome. I highly recommend Dennis and The Way Band for your event!
The Way Band was absolutely amazing! So great to deal with from start to finish and everyone had an amazing time dancing to their music!
Thank you Dennis for making our wedding day so special! Your band delivered on everything we were hoping for and more. Highly recommend.
So many guests came up to us saying how im...
pressed they were with the band, Dennis on the jazz guitar and the other band member on the sax. Since our venue only allowed two musicians, we really appreciated Dennis' flexibility with the number of band members. In addition, he has a huge repertoire of songs to choose from. He even made the trip out to Saratoga. Best of all, he was professional and respectful and an absolute pleasure to work with. Thank you again Dennis!
Dennis went above and beyond to be accommodating and flexible for our wedding (10.08.2022). He was friendly, professional, and incredibly talented! Many of my friends and family ar...
e musicians, and it was incredible to have so many folks approach me to mention how much they enjoyed the live music for the guest arrival, ceremony, and cocktail reception. Like many brides, I was so overwhelmed the few days leading up to the wedding and the morning of - and Dennis made everything so easy and simple for us. With very little direction, he played music that fit the mood/vibe of our wedding perfectly. I have already recommended Dennis to a close friend who is getting married this year! If you are looking for someone talented, very reasonably priced, and a joy to work with, please contact him :)
Dennis was an absolute perfect addition for our 60+ at home outdoor wedding. His selection was perfect and he truly cared about what we wanted as a couple and also what the guests ...
wanted.
Dennis and his band were amazing for our wedding band! They put so much time and effort into learning our songs and putting together a playlist our guests loved. People were dancin...
g all night! Also Dennis, the band leader is great to work with and knowledgable about music. Picking them for our wedding band was such a great decision. The music sounded so great all night long!
Hi Dennis, you guys were awesome! The music was perfect and our guests raved about the band. It was everything we wanted and more. Thank you for helping to make the day a stress-fr...
ee breeze. You're the utmost professional and I appreciate how you needed nothing from me on the wedding day. I showed up and you were there and it was so easy! My only wish is that we spent more of the cocktail hour outside to really enjoy the music! Thank you for learning Frank Sinatra's My Way, Elton John's Rocket Man and Roxette's, Listen To Your Heart. We loved the songs and you did an amazing job with them. I wish I could go back and relive the whole day all over again!
I am a wedding planner in NYC and my clients hired Dennis for a rehearsal dinner at Dutch Harvest Farm up in the Fingerlakes. Throughout the process he was quick to reply and very ...
easy to work with! Dennis brought a fun energy to the event and the guests were raving about how great the band was. They did more of a jazz style ensemble for the welcome hour then played some easy listening hits for the rest of the evening. Our initial goal wasn't to strike up a dance party but a few guests couldn't help themselves because the band was just so great!
Highly recommend Dennis & any of his groups for your events!!
Dennis did a wonderful wedding. He played the guitar for our ceremony and what I did hear sounded beautiful. The guests spoke very highly or his music and enjoyed the instrumental ...
music while they were sitting and waiting. Dennis is easy to work with, good with communication, and talented. Highly recommend using him for any part of your wedding!
Dennis and his band provided one of the most memorable evenings for us. The jazz trio really brought the night alive. Everyone still talks about how great the party was and how exc...
ellent the music. Dennis and his band went above and beyond to learn a couple special requests as well. Thank you Dennis!!
Dennis and his crew were so amazing and accommodating. They learned songs like two weeks before the big day because of some changes and did not even blink an eye. They had so many ...
songs to choose from and they all sounded great! Highly recommend this band.
We hired Dennis and his band for our reception on The Judge on Skaneateles Lake. Dennis was extremely professional, accommodating and fun to work with. The music was perfect for ou...
r evening of dancing, with our guests' ages ranging from 21 to 92!! Everyone has a blast and remarked on how great the music was!! I would definitely hire them again.
Dennis Winge performed at our private party. He was professional, responsive and beyond talented. His music was the perfect background for our garden party. I highly recommend h...
im!!!
Dennis was so easy to work with! He is very friendly and knowledgeable. We hired him and his band for a backyard party and they did such a great job, we received many compliments. ...
They also learned a new song just for the occasion!! Highly recommend Dennis and The Way Band!
Have already hired him multiple times. Great music and great guy. Highly recommend!
Dennis is an incredible musician and person. He was quick to respond on emails, flexible during our pandemic postponement scheduling process, and willing to take our special reques...
ts for music. We received so many compliments from guests on Dennis' acoustic guitar during our ceremony and the band's renditions of hits from Van Morrison, Grateful Dead, and Eric Clapton during our cocktail hour. I would hire Dennis and his band again in a heartbeat. Here is a video of music highlights during our wedding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1uCQJ3dDCI
We hired Dennis and his band, The Way, for our party and they did not disappoint!! Super talented!! The variety of music was great, he was very engaging with the crowd and super n...
ice!!
We couldn't be happier with booking Dennis Winge as a one man band for a surprise 40th birthday party a couple weeks ago. Dennis is an extremely talented musician who played four h...
ours' worth of the guest of honor's favorite songs, including learning about 10 new songs, solely because Dennis knew they were the birthday boy's absolute favorites! We would absolutely book Dennis again for a future event - he is talented, professional, easy going, and an all around joy to work with. Thank you for a great night, Dennis!
Dennis played acoustic guitar and sang for our event. He was the perfect addition to the party. Everyone enjoyed listening to his music and singing along. He had an extensive list ...
of songs to choose from and he did his best to fit in all the requests. We would not hesitate to invite him back to another event
We hired Dennis for my daughters wedding (a-grand total of 11 in attendance). I were uncertain of the time frame I needed him, he allotted me the day although I was only charged f...
or his play time. He was most pleasant to work with and plays beautifully!
It was a little nerve wracking to hire a musician for my wedding - but Dennis exceeded all my expectations. I would rate him 10/10 and recommend to ANYONE looking for a wedding mus...
ician. Everyone at the wedding loved the music. Thank you for making our day awesome!
Here are the following reasons Dennis is fantastic:
1) Great communication
2) Friendly & easy-going
3) Flexible with requests (especially considering the current state of COVID19.)
4) Professional in both conduct and technical skill.
5) Detailed personal website and many samples on Youtube
Contact
Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Charleston...
Dennis & The Way Band