E3 Detroit/The Dan Rafferty Band

to finish!! To say they did not disappoint is an understatement. From our very first conversation to their live performance, the E3 team and Mark made us feel like their #1 priority. They were on top of every email, every question, every need almost immediately. Which, as a totally Type A bride was BEYOND appreciated! From a performance perspective, you would not believe how many compliments we received from our guests saying "your live band is AMAZING!" But, we already knew that going in. ;) They truly put on a spectacular performance and learned all of the songs that were special to us for that day. Even during challenging moments trying to corral guest (due to the size and layout of the venue) Mark and his team had it covered. Please do yourself a favor and hire E3 to play your wedding!!! It will be a party you won't forget.

io of musicians for our ceremony that played beautiful arrangements of Make you Feel My Love and All you Need is Love. They started playing towards the end of dinner and artfully got everyone on the dance floor so when they announced us for our first dance, we came through the doors to all cheering and standing around us!! It made for magical first dances!! The whole night the dance floor was full!!! Whenever we asked (or people freely shared) what their favorite parts were- almost all said the band!!!!!! Seriously as the bride I never wanted to leave the dance floor, though had to at times to “make the rounds.” I have vivid images of me hearing the song they were playing and sprinting down the hallway and jumping onto the dance floor. Towards the end of the night, my wedding planner came to get me on the dance floor and told me it was time to change into my exit dress. I looked her in the face and said, but I can’t stop dancing. All this to say- best band ever!!

n the keyboard for a song :) Our guests are still complimenting the band over a month after our wedding. They created a wonderful playlist of songs, incorporating all of our requests, and we especially loved their live hora. Thank you, Dan Rafferty Band!

th and made us feel so special. When it came to the big day....WOW! The entire band, the singers, Derrick, everyone was amazing and so talented. One of the common themes from our wedding guests was that they LOVED the band! The energy and the vibe was on point for the entire night. And they played all of our songs! Danced with us! Cheered us on! We all had so much fun. HIGHLY recommend!

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ade our wedding reception one for the books! He arranged multiple zoom calls, was very thorough and professional, and very quick to respond. The band was very accommodating to all of our needs and they worked hard to accomplish our special requests. Mark even customized our entrance and first dance songs with his DJ skills! We added on a trumpet player last minute and we were also able to have him participate in our ceremony. Every person in the band was so talented and clearly passionate about what they do. From the cocktail hour trio, to our bridal party introductions, to our special dances, to surprising us by learning one of our favorite songs, to having a new equally talented vocalist sub in last minute, to coming down onto the dance floor and singing/dancing with all of the guests, E3 Detroit absolutely crushed it!!!! The dance floor was full all night and the energy was out of this world! Tons of our 300+ guests came up to us and said it was the best band they have ever heard at a wedding! Thank you so much to Mark and the entire E3 Detroit band for celebrating with us in Grand Rapids, Michigan and giving us the show of a lifetime! We love you guys! ~Paul and Allison

l in finalizing the details of our bride and groom. Their music was fantastic and they certainly kept the party going all the way until the end of the night. Looking forward to working with them again in the future!

band with Mark as emcee and we could not have been happier with how every part of it turned out. The ceremony music was beautiful and they played our requested songs perfectly. The First Call Crew was energetic the entire night. Our guests didn’t want to leave the dance floor, because they were having so much fun. The band actively maintained their sound levels so every song was exactly as loud as it should be and engaged with our guests. Mark was an excellent emcee. We could not recommend The First Call Crew enough.

nd create the event you've been dreaming of. My now husband and I also had songs we wanted the band to learn for our first dance, mother/son and father daughter dances. Both my father and maid of honor said Derek was so good at hyping them up before their toasts and the communication the night of the reception was so good. Most importantly, the band was so stellar. We added the horn section (a must) and the talent of this group was incredibly premium. Even my dad who does not dance was out on the dance floor watching and enjoying the music - that's when I knew it was a good party. Thank you so much to the team for creating the reception of our dreams!

e band honored our original contract and was flexible and supportive throughout the process. During the planning process, the band requested we fill out a comprehensive form and then during our phone call, Mark showed up on time and having thoroughly reviewed the form ahead of our call so that we could be effective and efficient with our time. Not every vendor respects your time during wedding planning, so this was very appreciated. Mark and the band were very receptive to our "must plays", genre requests, and "please do not play" list. They also coordinated well with the our planner and the staff at the Garden Theater to ensure they had everything they needed. Baraat (Indian Pre-Ceremony Ritual): We asked Mark last minute to be the DJ and MC for the Baraat part of our Indian wedding. Even though he'd never done this before, he embraced the opportunity. We had a call to align on the details of what was expected of him, what music to play and what equipment would be needed. He dealt with a mini-crisis before the Baraat when the mini-iPad we were supposed to use for the music overheated, but he was able to cool it down quickly and get the Baraat started on time. He did a great job MC'ing and leading the Baraat. Ceremony: Part of the band played during our ceremony and their instrumental covers of Maggie Rogers "Love You for a Long Time" and Post Malone's Cover of Hootie & the Blowfish's "Only Wanna Be With You" were the perfect renditions of songs for my wife and I to walk down the aisle to. Cocktail Hour: Part of the band played upbeat jazzy music during our cocktail hour which was a really great way for folks to be entertained and get excited for the reception. Reception: Mark was a great MC, lead for the evening, especially considering he had to help us deal with a mini-crisis as one of our wedding guests had a medical emergency during the reception. While my wife and I and the venue staff dealt with the medical emergency, he worked with our planner behind the scenes to come up with alternate schedule options for the remainder of the evening in case the reception was still going to move forward. The show did go on (our guest was okay) and it was in large part thanks to Mark and the rest of the First Call band. Mark brought great energy throughout the early parts of the reception and he's a huge reason why everyone was on the dance floor right when it opened. Most importantly, the band was absolutely incredible. Every single one of our guests had the highest praise for First Call. They played a variety of classics and modern hits, came onto the dancefloor to join the party and even had a Michael Jackson segment where one of the band members did an entire MJ dance routine. Everyone had great voices. The music wasn't too loud. They also embraced Jewish + Indian cultures amazingly. They played the Hora to get the dance party started and during the first band break, Mark DJ'd a 15 minute Indian setlist where he studied the songs ahead of time and mixed it live. He'd never done this before but embraced the opportunity with open arms. We can't say enough about how incredible it was to work with this band. We'll always remember them being a special part of our wedding weekend.

, cocktail hour and reception. We were thrilled with all of it

hour was also lovely. We had the best night of our lives thanks to these guys!

est time at all of them so when we got engaged I KNEW I had to hire them! We actually chose our wedding date partially based on their availability... The entire process working with them was seamless. Derek talked us through the band package options and let me know the band had performed a ton of weddings at the Inn at Bay Harbor which made us feel so at ease that everything would run smoothly. As the wedding got closer, we worked with Mark on all of the day-of logistics, song choices, entrances, etc. - he was so patient with us...I think we chose our Father/Daughter dance song and switched up the order of events ~6 days before the wedding – he was super flexible and pulled everything off without a hitch. He even coordinated a last minute request from our MOH to play a song during her speech. The band was INCREDIBLE, up beat and so fun – the dance floor was full the entire night!! Every person we talked to after the wedding said it was the most fun wedding and could not stop raving about the band. Our #1 hope for our wedding was that people will remember it as FUN and First Call helped make that a reality for us. THANK YOU Derek, Mark and the entire E3/First Call Crew!!

dance floor until the sun came up, we would have. It's been over a month since our wedding and our guests can't stop talking about how amazing the band was, and neither can we. They made the party everything we wanted it to be and more. If you're thinking about hiring DRB, DO IT! You won't regret it, I promise.

loor but they absolutely NAILED it. The perfect mix between classics and more current music and were super flexible and willing to do anything we wanted. By the time the wedding was ending, everyone was still out on the dance floor and all of the guests starting chanting "ONE MORE SONG" and didn't want the band to leave! They played us one more song and it was a hit. I will NEVER forget having this band at my wedding! Thank you E3 you guys are amazing!

yond what I ever imagined. The energy could not be beat! Melody from E3 Detroit was the violinist for our ceremony and she was also amazing. Her music truly made the ceremony walk-ins/outs feel so much more special! I am forever grateful that we chose E3 Detroit for our wedding.

and easy to work with. The Motown segment was so fun and perfect for a Detroit wedding. We received lots of compliments on the band and many people were asking for contact info after. Highly recommend!

e water. From the cocktail hour music to the packed dance floor - we are so grateful. Every musician was so talented, and Derek was the best emcee. Meeting with Derek before our wedding gave us complete peace of mind - these are the experts.

lpful as we planned and rescheduled during covid, and made sure our wedding ran smoothly. They exceeded all our expectations! Derek and the band kept the dance floor packed and guests continue to rave about the music, even a month after the wedding. Thank you, DRB & E3 team!!

rty going all night long. I was truly glued to the dance floor I was having so much fun with them I couldn't leave! They were also great to work with leading up our wedding and easily accommodated many requests to make the show special. The best!!