4.9
Verified reviews from real couples
High Energy Live Music to Pack Your Dance Floor!
Recently updated
This vendor updated their storefront within the last 15 days.
Serving North Carolina Statewide
Service area
I was skeptical on Emerald Empire Band at first, since they don’t have set band members for every event. Mike was a dream to work with and made me feel much more comfortable throughout all of the planning and was completely open to making any changes up to the week of. The band itself the night of the wedding was an absolute blast. None of my guests wanted to leave the dance floor because we were having so much fun. Not only did were they very talented musicians, but they involved the crowd and really catered to what we wanted. I am so thankful that we found them and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a fun wedding band!
Kate S.
5.0
Ridiculously amazing!!! They were so lovely and easy to work with beforehand! Our guests kept coming up to us the entire reception asking where we found them and saying how amazing and fun they are!
Kate G.
5.0
AWARD WINNER (5X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
We're live music experts, wedding enthusiasts, and party starters, infusing every event with energy and full dance floors. We're here to make your wedding the greatest party of your life! The Emerald Empire are a premium, customizable 3 to 14 piece band specializing in high-energy music–at a sensible price. Our talented and professional musicians have performed regularly with touring and recording artists including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Jay Z, Janelle Monae, Prince, Martina McBride, and Bruno Mars, as well as working and touring with numerous Broadway shows. Visit our website for upcoming showcase dates where you can see the band perform LIVE before booking. You can also tailor the dream band to suit your style and budget. Reach
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Details
Instruments
Accordion
Bagpipes
Banjo
Bugle
Cello
Fiddle
Flute
Guitar
Harmonica
Harp
Keyboard
Mandolin
Organ
Percussion
Piano
Saxophone
Steel Drum
Trombone
Trumpet
Ukulele
Violin
Vocals
Music Genres
Classical
Country
Dance
Disco
Folk
Hip-Hop
Jazz
Klezmer
Latin
Pop
R&B
Rock
World Music
Music Services
Live Music
MC Services
Recorded Music
Sound Equipment
Wedding Activities
Rehearsals & Parties
After Party
Wedding
After Party
Ceremony
Reception
Awards and Affiliations
5-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2019.2018.2017.+2 more.
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.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.0285 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
Kate S
5.0
12/22/2018
I was skeptical on Emerald Empire Band at first, since they don’t have set band members for every event. Mike was a dream to work with and made me feel much more comfortable throug...
hout all of the planning and was completely open to making any changes up to the week of. The band itself the night of the wedding was an absolute blast. None of my guests wanted to leave the dance floor because we were having so much fun. Not only did were they very talented musicians, but they involved the crowd and really catered to what we wanted. I am so thankful that we found them and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a fun wedding band!
Kate G
5.0
10/30/2018
Ridiculously amazing!!! They were so lovely and easy to work with beforehand! Our guests kept coming up to us the entire reception asking where we found them and saying how amazing...
and fun they are!
Any questions?
Caitlin G
5.0
10/29/2018
Talk about party starters!! I can keep this short and sweet - Emerald Empire Band me our demanding music needs and then some and kept the dance party going all night. Look no furth...
er!
Bailey L
1.0
10/29/2018
There was an issue with communication as the band was hard to get in touch with; however, we could have moved past that if our first dance hadn't been ruined. It was recommended to...
us that if we had a favorite version of our first dance song, that the band not play it themselves, but rather the recording. We decided to go with the recording of Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is" as we had taken dance lessons and loved the song. Unfortunately the wrong version of the song was played. While none of our guests knew it was the wrong song, it was devastating to us as now we will never think fondly of our first dance.
Fortunately, the rest of the music that the band played was great, and most people were on the dance floor. My husband and I just can't get past the first dance issue though and can never recommend this band to any recently engaged friends.
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 12/06/2018
Hi Bailey, thank you for your feedback. As I mentioned on the night, I am so so sorry abou...
t the first dance mix up. It was an honest mistake and I'm truly sorry that it affected your night. Unfortunately, I just hit the wrong song on the iPod and noticed about 10 seconds in that it was the wrong version. I realize now that I should have stopped the song right away and started with the Otis Redding version, but panicked in the moment as I've never had that happen before. I will definitely use this as a learning experience. I am happy that your guests had such a great time, but I can't apologize enough for the first dance. Wishing you and Erich all the best. - Josh
Brooks M
5.0
10/29/2018
Decided to go with EE for our 175 person outdoor wedding and they were AWESOME! They ended up doing ceremony music, cocktail hour, and reception for us. I picked them based on revi...
ews, and also after seeing their song lists and realizing that they matched our style pretty well. Specifically, we wanted a lot of R&B/Funk and not as much cheesy "Cupid Shuffle"/"All the Single Ladies" kinda stuff. The communication process with Richard was great - he was always available to answer questions but not too pushy - and that really helped alleviate a lot of wedding stress. The online form/website that they use is very easy to-to-use as well. I was nervous about the musicians because I know Emerald Empire is a group of musicians, and not just a single band, so there's a chance that they may not have played as much together...but that certainly wasn't the case with our group! They were VERY tight and the transitions between songs was great. They read the room well too and lowered it down when folks weren't dancing and picked it up when folks got back on the floor. A lot of our guests mentioned how amazing the music was!
Francesco Ria R
5.0
10/29/2018
Great musicians! We were very happy with our choice and all our guests were absolutely in love with the music.
Jodi N
5.0
10/29/2018
If you want a packed dance floor, then this is the band for you. EEB was super easy to work with; we visited them during one of their showcase events and knew they would be a good...
fit for my daughter's wedding. Kelly was fantastic to work with; he was very responsive with any questions and great during our planning phone calls as far as ideas and suggestions to make the reception run smoothly. They also provided emcee services and did our ceremony music which was a guitar and a bass. It was so nice to only have to deal with one vendor. We hired a 6 piece band for the reception and were so pleased. Everyone danced the night away. EEB was super fun; you won't be disappointed.
Preston P
5.0
10/25/2018
Emerald Empire Band was perfect for our wedding. Kelly was great to work with leading up to the big day - very responsive and extremely helpful in planning out the entire night. Bi...
anca and Stefan were amazing, wouldn’t have changed anything. Also very well priced! Highly recommend
Kelly K
5.0
10/23/2018
Emerald Empire Band was a dream to work with for our wedding entertainment. Mike and his team were incredibly helpful and responsive throughout the entire planning process. I had s...
ome things I wanted to customize as my date was approaching (ceremony AV, cocktail hour playlist, etc), and Emerald Empire Band gave me the flexibility and guidance to do these things without any extra stress. The day of the wedding, they were on time and so professional..not to mention amazingly talented! They listened to exactly what types of music we wanted, and made it so none of our guests left the dance floor the entire evening! I can't even tell you how many compliments we received from our guests on what a great band we had--I would highly recommend Emerald Empire Band to anyone looking for an amazing wedding entertainment with great value in the Charleston area!
Jane D
5.0
10/22/2018
FABULOUS dance band! Great concept. Organizing the band "à la carte" saved us money, too. We couldn't have been happier.
Michael R
5.0
10/20/2018
Ansley and her fellow musicians were nothing short of amazing. Pre-wedding consultation on playlist, set-up etc was extremely helpful. The night of the event was fantastic. MC w...
as spot on and really made the evening special from the introduction of the wedding party, through the traditional dances to the sing along at the end. Playlist was perfect for the audience and kept the party moving. Every guest who has spoken to me since has mentioned the quality and performance of the band.
Meredith D
5.0
10/20/2018
Emerald Empire was a blast! Our guests loved them!!! They sounded amazing and were such a good time. Their musical talents and DJ skills made our reception so unforgettable! So gla...
d we booked them!
Bobbi R
5.0
10/18/2018
Holy Guacamole!! Emerald Empire was seriously THE BEST. Everyone had the best time on the dance floor because of the band. Each one of them were extremely talented and together t...
hey were fantastic. It didn’t matter what they played, they killed it!
Jessica R
5.0
10/17/2018
The Emerald Empire Band was amazing. They kept the energy up all night long and everyone was dancing and having fun. I keep getting compliments from the guests who said it was the...
party of the year and that the band was AMAZING. They played all the songs we wanted to hear and had a good mix of other songs. The grooms family does a special dance to Shout and we made sure that they played that at a good time in the evening when everyone was good and buzzed. We had a string trio during the ceremony (who were amazing) and then during cocktail hour more musicians (which I didn't hear because I was taking pictures and with the groom) and then the band during the reception.. I was blown away an amazed and keep thinking back to the day. THANK YOU GUYS. I would highly recommend for any event.
Ashley O
5.0
10/14/2018
The Emerald Empire band knocked it out of the park!! My family enjoyed the vast array of music selection & communication with them was seamless. They sounded fantastic and the pric...
e was affordable!
David B
5.0
10/13/2018
The could not have been any better. Everyone was dancing the entire night and the jazz trio we used for the cocktail hour was a fantastic value and added to the evening.
Cate S
5.0
10/12/2018
Emerald Empire was amazing!!! They sounded so great and kept the energy level high all night long, they even managed to fit in some of our unique special requests!!! So many of my ...
guests commented on how much they loved our band. Mike (the manager) was also very easy to work with. We couldn't have been happier!
Ashton H
5.0
10/11/2018
These guys put on one helleva show! We used Emerald Empire Band for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception and they had our guests entertained the whole time. Everyone has been ...
raving about them ever since our special day. Mike and team were great to work with and even helped with making logistical decisions for my grandpa who sang during our ceremony. We cannot say enough about how awesome Emerald Empire Band was!
Hanna B
5.0
10/09/2018
Our experience with Emerald Empire Band from start to finish was incredible! We attended a showcase by them and booked shortly after. Our wedding was at a venue the band had not pl...
ayed at and they arrived early to check out the space and set up. We got compliments all night, the dance floor was filled and a friend even booked our exact band for their future wedding this year!! Richard was incredibly organized and checked with us before the wedding to make sure the ideas of the band matched ours. They even learned our first dance and performed it instead of using the recorded version. We added 2 horns and I would highly recommended. Thank you so much Emerald Empire Band, such a great time!!!
Haley K
5.0
10/06/2018
The band was one of the most important things to me for our wedding. We went and saw Emerald Empire Band play at a local bar and were definitely impressed. You can customize the ...
size of the band that fits in your budget (which was also a huge plus!) They were so organized when I reached out to book, which was one of the reasons that we chose them. We (and all the guests) absolutely LOVED them at our wedding. I highly recommend them!
Emily H
5.0
10/06/2018
As a wedding planner, part of my job is to recommend vendors to our couples. Emerald Empire always comes through for my clients and is at the top of our list for bands! Our Septemb...
er 15th couple, Jessie and James, had a wonderful wedding. The dance floor was packed all night. We highly recommend this band to all of our couples.
Lane H
5.0
10/04/2018
Emerald Empire Band is the BEST. We got a group together to attend an Atlanta showcase and even though we were getting married on Tybee and wouldn't have the same musicians, I kne...
w immediately that we had to have Emerald Empire- my brothers and I were up dancing at the showcase! I am so glad we chose to go with them- everyone at the wedding absolutely raved about them and they had the dance floor going strong. They even let one of our close family friends jump in on a song and jam out on a flute solo!! (Full disclosure- she is a professional musician and brought her own instrument). They were easy to work with throughout the entire process and while it was definitely a splurge for our budget to go with a live band, I'm so glad we did. Everyone was PUMPED all night, and even weeks after the wedding I am still getting comments from our guests about how much they loved our band. Thank you Emerald Empire!
Barbara B
5.0
10/01/2018
The Emerald Empire Band played for our daughter's wedding on September 8, 2018. Hands down this is one of the best bands I have heard at any wedding venue. As we were planning th...
e wedding, we started out planning to have a DJ. Then we started listening to bands and knew we had to have Emerald Empire. Ansley who handled booking the band and answering all my questions was truly a delight to work with. I received so many compliments on the band that evening and afterwards. They kept the guests energized and on the dance floor all night. The vocalists were wonderful. Guests did not want to leave ! I know people think bands are too expensive, but what we received was well worth the investment. Emerald Empire over DJ anyday!!!!
Ashley R
5.0
10/01/2018
The band kept our guests out on the dance floor until the very end. We received so much positive feedback and couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Paul T
5.0
9/29/2018
My daughter, Kelly, wanted a destination wedding in St. Simon's Island, Ga., since that has always been our families' favorite vacation spot. I assumed the responsibility for findi...
ng the band. Some internet searching led me to the Emerald Empire Band. Kelly and Stephen attended at least two of the band's "Showcase" appearances in Atlanta, and liked what they saw. The process of reserving the date and picking preferences in music could not have been any easier. I worked with Mike, and he helped me throughout the process. We ended up with an 8 piece band at what I considered a very competitive price. At the reception, they started out with a 3 piece ensemble for the cocktail hour, and the full band for the remainder of the evening. They promised to keep everyone on the dance floor, and they delivered. They were perfect with their choice of songs and they seemed to be enjoying as much as our guests. I have received unanimous praise from all 160 folks there on our choice of the band. I cannot think of one thing from beginning to end that could have been any better. I highly recommend!
Ashley F
5.0
9/29/2018
The best from beginning to end! Always very responsive, enjoyed seeing them at their showcases, and made things seamless the day of! From the beginning, a good band was at the top ...
of our list and we couldn’t have asked for anything better :)
Katie V
5.0
9/23/2018
Emerald Empire got our party started and kept it going all night long. They mixed with the crowd and literally got everyone on their feet! We wanted a party atmosphere and BIG ce...
lebration and EE delivered just that!
Margaret D
5.0
9/22/2018
We found Emerald Empire Band by selecting "bagpipes" as a joke while searching for bands on TheKnot. I'm so glad we did! Everyone still talks about how perfect they were. We loved ...
that they took the time to learn our first dance pick ("Wake Up" by Coheed and Cambria—not exactly a typical pick!). Book them right now if you can!
D C
5.0
9/16/2018
This band made my daughter's wedding. THEY ARE FABULOUS!!! I am picky about quality musicians, my dad and stepmom are musicians, so I know a little about that. If you are looking ...
for a band that gets everyone dancing, having a great time and have the chops to do it, then this is the band for you. Additionally, they were professional, on time and willing to take requests. I can't think of anything they could have done better.
Maria H
5.0
9/15/2018
The Emerald Empire Band was absolutely awesome . Everyone enjoyed the music ... The band was able to keep the entire audience engaged for the whole evening!
Lauren S
5.0
9/13/2018
EVERYTHING about working with Emerald Empire Band was INCREDIBLE! For my August wedding in Nashville, we were pretty set on knowing we would use a band and started the search with ...
fervor. After our wedding planner recommended Emerald Empire, we went to one of their showcases at South, loved their energy (even on a Monday night), filled out a form at the end of the night during their Q&A session, and the rest is history. The portal they give you access to is super easy and simple to use and really helpful in planning and communicating out your musical likes and dislikes to the band. We ended up going with a 5-piece band and a ceremony string-trio and YOU GUYS, they were so so good!! If you’re looking for people on the dance floor the entire not, you have to book Emerald Empire…I’m not kidding, our guests were dancing even to the house music when the band was taking their breaks! After we did our exit, one of our friends who recently was engaged texted us for the name of the band, hahah!
Leah M
5.0
9/10/2018
FANTASTIC BAND! My guests couldn't help but dance all night! They did our first dance song beautifully, amazing processional, GREAT hava nagilla dance, and all of the break music w...
as perfect. They arrived early, were beyond professional, and I could not have been happier!!
Michelle B
5.0
9/09/2018
Emerald Empire Band was easy to work with and played perfectly at the wedding! Took time to learn our tastes and specific songs we wanted. Couldn’t have been happier!
Carolyn E
1.0
9/08/2018
I’m writing to warn people away from booking services with this band. They are completely unprofessional and untrustworthy. They do not return repeated attempts to contact them. Th...
ey will charge you with fees that are in no way listed or noted in any sort of contract. They are completely unreasonable when it comes to making changes. My fiancée and I worked with Adam. I do not recommend speaking to him or doing business with him. This band has treated us absolutely awful only because we made a request to change our booking from a band and to a dj.
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 09/10/2018
Hi Carolyn,
I'm very sorry that you are upset with this situation; however, it is part of ...
our contract that, if you cancel within a certain time frame, we cannot give a full refund as we still need to compensate our musicians because of the short notice and work that has already gone into preparing for your event. Most vendors have similar cancellation policies. I know your decision to cancel the band was last minute, so I understand that that may be causing you some stress so close to your wedding. This was nothing personal, but simply part of our contract which you agreed to when you sent in your deposit. While I'm sorry that you cancelled the band, I know there are many DJ's in your area and we wish you the best of luck in finding one for your big day.
Olivia J
5.0
9/06/2018
Emerald Empire Band was AMAZING. I love the way they work with all budgets and wedding sizes. Definitely encourage going to a showcase to get a feel because they bring different mu...
sicians together to create the band. Working with Mike was easy and he was responsive and on top of our questions. On the day of, we had a jazz trio for our cocktail hour and we had a 4-5 piece band for our reception. They were a hit. Everything was perfect. I was super impressed and grateful we booked this company.
Mackensie H
5.0
9/03/2018
I was told to have a DJ and to be honest I am soooo glad I didn't do that. A band provides a different energy that makes everyone get up and dance - even an 86 year old at my wedd...
ing! From the minute they started playing people wouldn't stop dancing and having the best time! I found out about Emerald Empire Band by one of my friend's wedding. My fiance and I couldn't stop dancing the entire night; we knew we wanted them at our wedding. Richard was amazing at helping with song selecting song selection, despite me not giving him much info, he was organized and incredibly friendly/awesome to work with. I 1,000% recommend Emerald Empire Band to everyone!!!!
Joel M
5.0
8/26/2018
Emerald Empire was incredbile at our wedding in Charleston! I let them decide the playlist for the whole evening with minimal guidance and they crushed it. They easily set the to...
ne for the whole night and I am still getting compliments on the music months later (not sure why, I did nothing...). Mike was incredibly easy to work with and has some incredible vocals. Would recommend 100%
Cosette S
5.0
8/21/2018
Emerald Empire Band was amazing! Leading up to the wedding, Richard was very easy to communicate with. We received so many compliments on the band throughout the night. They sounde...
d amazing and brought a great energy. I was on the dance floor all night! If you’re getting married In Charleston, I would 100% recommend using Emerald Empire Band.
Lindsay H
5.0
8/17/2018
This band was amazing! The manager, Brandon, was very responsive to any questions we had leading up to our wedding day. The band played the perfect assortment of music during the...
evening. There was something for everyone! We received numerous compliments from our wedding guests regarding our band and if I had to go back in time and plan my wedding again, I would definitely still pick Emerald Empire Band.
Joanna M
5.0
8/13/2018
Emerald Empire Bane was amazing!! They kept the dance floor going the entire night. We were not ready for the party to end! Leading up to the wedding day they were very professio...
nal and detailed, and cater the event to the types of music you love. I have already recommended them to a friend and I would tell everyone else the same!
Michael M
5.0
8/09/2018
Kelly and Emerald Empire were top notch! They totally rocked our wedding and the guests were dancing from start to end. They are extremely professional and helped us at every step ...
along the way. Don't hesitate to book Emerald Empire for your event, you won't regret it.
Lauren Ashley J
5.0
8/05/2018
Emerald Empire Band was amazing! Honestly, we wish we could go back to our wedding day and do it all over again because of how much fun we had on the dance floor! One of our guests...
enjoyed them so much that she booked them for her daughter’s wedding. We had the 5 piece with female vocals and each one of them rocked! Communication and coordination was a breeze thanks to Brandon who put so much work into making sure everything was just the wat we wanted it. The musicians are PHENOMENAL and they offered so much flexibility to customize things just the way you want. They were all so kind and we really enjoyed having them as a part of our wedding day. Book these guys/gals you won’t be sorry!
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 11/15/2019
We had such a great time grooving with you all on your day, Ashley! We're so happy you had...
a great experience with us. Thank you so much!
Steven W
5.0
7/28/2018
Emerald Empire is THE best! From the beginning, Mike was so easy to work with and was available to answer any of our questions. He and all the band members went above and beyond t...
o ensure all details of the day were perfect. We used Emerald Empire for a string trio during the ceremony, a jazz set during cocktail hour, and to MC and play during our reception. Prior to the wedding, Mike talked with us and got to know our music tastes and what specific songs we wanted played. The band is amazing and had everyone on the dance floor the whole night! After the wedding, we received so many compliments from guests saying that was the best band ever and they had so much fun! We couldn't be happier with Emerald Empire and we cannot thank them enough!
Kelly S
5.0
7/21/2018
Great Band! Many of our guest at the wedding have asked where I found such an awesome band. They were professional and easy to work with during the planning phases of the wedding a...
lso!
Farrah L
5.0
7/18/2018
This band is the BEST! They are true professionals and had our guests dancing all night long. We also challenged them a bit with our song choices, and they can seriously play ANY...
THING and play it amazingly! Kelly was also great to work with throughout the entire planning process. He answered all of our questions, really guided us, and ensured we felt confident with how everything was going to go. The music is one of the biggest pieces that can either make or break the wedding day, and we are so thrilled Emerald Empire could help make our day PERFECT! Thank you guys!!! <3
Elizabeth B
5.0
7/17/2018
We can't say enough great things about Emerald Empire Band. Our wedding was amazing! We've received so many compliments from family and friends. The dance floor was full all night!...
! It felt like the band read the crowd and each song got us pumped up even more. Our wedding was a mix of Spanish music and typical wedding songs - It was so good everyone danced to everything! The planning process was easy as well, definitely something a bride needs!
Paige S
5.0
7/16/2018
Great band to hire for your wedding day! Everyone loved them and the music was perfect! They listened to our every question/idea/and musical preferences. Richard was fantastic to w...
ork with and very attentive! Overall, we loved the Emerald Empire Band for our wedding day!
Summer W
5.0
7/11/2018
The band was amazing! They had great energy and knew how to get everyone on the dance floor. They were so accommodating, too. At one point, one of my guests wanted to dance to P...
roud Mary and they made it happen immediately. Great band!
Lindsay L
5.0
7/10/2018
They were amazing! We had the best time at our wedding and the band was a HUGE part of it! Guests loved the band and we had a big party all night long. They were quick to respond ...
to questions, made the whole process feel like a breeze and the night went smoothly. Definitely professionals! Worth every penny!
Alex C
5.0
7/09/2018
If I could give them more stars, I would! Emerald Empire Band was beyond amazing - not only was Richard great to plan everything with, they put on one heck of a night for us! I tol...
d them that we just wanted to keep the party on the dance floor, play whatever will keep everyone dancing. I had SEVERAL guests tell me that night how good the band was, and how this was the most fun they had at a wedding in a while. I also got a lot of texts afterwards asking who our band was because they wanted to recommend them to friends. The top two things we cared about were having a live band a full bar - the band did not disappoint!! And they are so reasonably priced to boot!!!
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Emerald Empire Band
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