4.9
Verified reviews from real couples
High Energy Live Music to Pack Your Dance Floor!
Performing throughout the Southeast!
Service area
Emerald Empire was absolutely amazing and was the highlight of our wedding day! We couldn’t have asked for a better band and reception experience!
Kirsten B.
5.0
This band is a MUST if you want your wedding reception dance floor to be lively all night!! This group was amazing at feeling out the vibe of the crowd and were amazing performers. What a night, highly recommend this group
Caroline C.
5.0
Richard
MANAGER
Typically responds within 24h
AWARD WINNER (7X)
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 Aretha Franklin, Bruno Mars, Greg Allman, Janelle Monae, Jay Z, Martina McBride, and Stevie Wonder, 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. You can tailor the dream band to suit your style and budget. Choose your band size then fully customize your booking with our Add-Ons, including a Cocktail Hour Band, DJ Services, Lighting & Sound services. You’ll benefit from a designated producer to help with planning and promptly answer any questions you may have along the way. We also provide you with your very own band planning page, making the experience a breeze. Reach out to get started!
We also offer Photo & Video services!
With Lightwave Event Artists, we provide Photography and Videography services that are fully customizable to your needs and style. We make it easy to capture your most precious moments by matching you with the perfect team based on your event, vision, and budget. Select your base package and choose Add-Ons from there to create a bespoke experience. Get in touch with us for a personal consultation! SPECIAL OFFER! Get 10% OFF on select Photo or Video options when you book with Emerald Empire Band & Lightwave Event Artists.
Event Lighting Services
Elevate your event with our full range of customizable lighting options for every occasion. We offer room lighting to highlight your venue, cake lights, elegant uplighting, custom gobos with monograms, images, or designs, and stage and band lighting to keep your guests dancing all night long! Visit our website and make an inquiry to learn more. Plus! Get 10% Off our basic lighting package when you add it to your band booking. *T&C's Apply
No business details yet
No team details yet
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
7-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2025.2023.2019.+4 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
Meet the team
Richard
Manager
Please reach out with any questions or to begin your booking!
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.0308 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Emerald Empire Band delivered energetic, professional sets that kept guests dancing all night and were the highlight of many weddings. Reviewers praised their musicianship, varied song selection, seamless planning, and clear communication. Many called them excellent value and highly recommend booking them.Michelle M
Highlighted review.
5.0
11/08/2022
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! They made our wedding night so much fun for everyone! Everyone was up dancing all night long! All the musicians were so talented! I would hire them all over ag...
ain! The planning process with Ward was great and he made sure the band knew what genre and songs that we really enjoyed! I can't say enough great things about them! Emerald Empire Band is a MUST at your wedding!!!
Kirsten B
5.0
6/24/2026
Emerald Empire was absolutely amazing and was the highlight of our wedding day! We couldn’t have asked for a better band and reception experience!
Any questions?
Caroline C
5.0
5/26/2026
This band is a MUST if you want your wedding reception dance floor to be lively all night!! This group was amazing at feeling out the vibe of the crowd and were amazing performers....
What a night, highly recommend this group
Avery W
5.0
7/06/2025
Choosing Emerald Empire Band for my June 2025 wedding was the best decision! Mike and the rest of the band put on a fabulous performance. I felt so confident going into my wedding ...
day knowing that Mike was handling the music and MC duties. My guests danced all night long, and they continue to talk about how great the band was. Highly recommend!
Mary K
5.0
5/22/2025
I can’t imagine there is a more talented and professional band out there one could have at their wedding. My wedding really was the best day of my life, and Emerald Empire’s perfor...
mance throughout the night was one of the most memorable parts!
They are every penny and then some. They are easy to communicate with, quick to reply, and I could tell took seriously that they were the main event for what is one of the most important days in a couples life!
10/10 would sign them on again in a heartbeat!
Kelsey L
5.0
4/29/2025
Aisha and the Emerald Empire Band were absolutely amazing at our wedding this past weekend! They had all the guests out on the dance floor all night long! Great energy and sound! G...
uests couldn’t stop complimenting them!
Hans E
5.0
3/26/2025
Working with Emerald Empire Band was an incredible experience from start to finish. Their planning process was seamless and their customer experience was second to none. We worked ...
with David throughout our wedding planning and he is the man. So positive, thoughtful and experienced. His energy throughout our wedding planning was infectious and it showed on wedding day. We received so many compliments about the music and the dance floor stayed packed the entire night. Their music during our ceremony was also incredibly special. Just an awesome experience throughout. Highly highly recommend this group! Thank you again for everything.
Alex H
5.0
12/05/2024
I HIGHLY Recommend!!!!! The band was so talented, had so much energy, and truly made our wedding so much fun! I loved the wide range of music and how all of our guests stayed on th...
e dance floor the entire night. We received so many complements on the band!!! (and their outfits were incredible). They also had great communication leading up to our wedding!
Madison S
5.0
11/06/2024
We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding band! They were absolutely amazing and kept the energy high all night long. So many guests have come up to us since the wedding, raving ...
about how great they were. They played all the songs we wanted and really knew how to get everyone on the dance floor. Working with Ward, our producer, was also a fantastic experience—he was professional and attentive to our needs. Thank you for making our special day unforgettable!
Anna M
5.0
10/23/2024
They were INCREDIBLE. A true highlight of the night. Their level of talent and skill far exceeded our expectations and was an excellent value. I’ve attended weddings where the band...
was $20k+ and they were just as good, if not better. Numerous guests commented on how great they were during and after the event. 1000/10. Book them, book them now. Don't skip the brass section.
L L
5.0
7/17/2024
BOOK THEM! They played at our annual franchise seminar event in Savannah, GA and were a hit. We received so many compliments on them. They were very professional and I did not h...
ave to lift a finger to make sure anything was ready before. So easy to work with, you will love them.
Adrienne L
5.0
7/08/2024
Emerald Empire Band is AWESOME because there are so many choices of instruments and artists. We worked with the producer, Ward, who made great song suggestions and we were able to...
stay within our budget. The #1 priority for our wedding was a super fun and energetic band with a variety of songs that all ages would enjoy. Ward made this happen!
Guests of all ages were out dancing during the ENTIRE reception. My uncle said he couldn't remember the last time he danced so much! Guests sang & danced until the very end. There was a perfect mix of songs & energy for our crowd.
We had so many guests and staff at the wedding come up to us saying that was the most fun they've ever had at a wedding. They couldn't believe the enthusiasm of the band.
On a side note, they were also very timely and professional. We couldn't have asked for anything better!
Blair J
5.0
6/18/2024
The number one compliment we received from our wedding guests was about the band!! They were incredible! And could play much more than your typical wedding catalog. Truly amazing m...
usicians and we were so lucky to have them as part of our event!
Henry S
5.0
5/13/2024
My wife and I found Emerald Empire online, and after a consult with Andy, we chose them for the band at our wedding. Throughout the planning process, the EE team was happy to answe...
r any questions and was extremely helpful. On the evening of our event, the band was AMAZING! Due to restrictions at the venue, the band had to stop playing at 10pm. If it was up to me, I wouldve had them playing until 2am! the music was amazing and we couldnt have been happier with our choice. Thank you Andy and the entire Emerald Empire team for making our night special!
Barbara M
5.0
5/15/2023
Emerald Empire Band did not disappoint! Our dance floor never emptied the entire reception. They were so fun to work with and I will definitely be using them again!
Sally W
5.0
5/09/2023
The Emerald Empire Band and Ian Michael Bruh brought the house down at Legacy Point at Lanier Islands on April 22, 2023!! Unbelievable musicians! Fantastic performance!
Erika B
5.0
2/19/2023
Emerald Empire Band was absolutely incredible on our wedding night! Communication leading up to it was smooth too. Would absolutely recommend!!
Kaylin J
5.0
1/14/2023
The Emerald Empire Band saved my wedding! Only 2 short months before my wedding my original band, Legacy, said they were going out of business. So I called up my wedding coordinato...
r and she highly recommended this band. And man were they clearly the better option! Thank goodness they had availability for our date because they really delivered! Everyone was on the dancefloor and enjoyed the live music!
Nene D
5.0
12/31/2022
Ward, our band manager helped every step of the way in planning! I was a little worried about a live version of our first dance song, A Thousand Years but the female lead singer na...
iled! She was fabulous! They performed exactly as we asked-softer music at first then gradually ramping it up! We and our guests had so much fun!! We highly recommend them!!
Elle S
5.0
4/22/2022
SO GLAD WE USED EMERALD EMPIRE. I live in Colorado and got married in SC so was unable to see the band play before the wedding and was slightly. nervous. I had heard great things, ...
but ya never know! I was NOT AT ALL disappointed. They were AMAZING, my guests still are talking about them weeks later, and Ward made the whole organizational process so easy! Highly recommend!
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 08/25/2022
Hey, Elle! We're so glad you used us, too! Thank you for trusting us to play at your weddi...
ng. Wishing you all the best!!
Rachael C
5.0
2/05/2022
The band was excellent. The planning process was easy and they gave us a show to remember.
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 08/25/2022
Thank you so much, Rachael! :)
John S
5.0
1/08/2022
I have used Emerald Empire Bands twice. One daughter got married in 2019 and our youngest tied the knot in 2021. Both times they exceeded expectations!
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 08/31/2022
Thank you so much for using us twice and keeping us in the family, John! We appreciate thi...
s so much.
Andrew W
5.0
10/11/2020
The Emerald Empire Band was amazing and made our wedding night even more special. The band was so much fun and knew exactly what we wanted! I cannot thank them enough!
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 12/16/2020
We really appreciate it, Andrew! Thank you for having us!
Alexa P
5.0
9/24/2020
Wow. These musicians were absolutely amazing for my wedding. I'm a musician myself and I can say these guys have so much talent. Mike cared about what type of music we wanted, play...
ed it all, helped setup music for our ceremony, took song requests, and did everything I could have hoped for in a band. I got so many compliments on this band, saying how amazing they sounded the entire night from my guests. I would highly recommend using this band for your wedding.
Response from Emerald Empire Band on 12/16/2020
Hey Alexa! We had such a wonderful time playing at your wedding!! Thanks for passing alon...
g those compliments; it means a lot to us! :)
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!
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!
Contact
Curious to learn more?
Start the convo
*=Required
Use this secure form to reach out and share your wedding vision.
Emerald Empire Band
Richard
|
Manager
Typically responds within 24h
Wedding vendors in Savannah
Emerald Empire Band
Why use The Knot to message vendors?
Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure. Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place. Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go. For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.