About this vendor
Let us help make your wedding the memory of a lifetime! We will get you and your friends, cousins, and grandparents out on the floor dancing the night away! JPB also offers ceremony, reception, and cocktail music, and will customize our performance to suit your wishes and needs. Ask for a free quote!
Details
Music Genres
- Classical
- Dance
- Disco
- Jazz
- Latin
- Pop
Music Services
- Live Music
- MC Services
- Recorded Music
- Sound Equipment
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
- Ceremony
- Reception
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.027 reviews
John Paris Band totally came through for our wedding. All of our guests had a blast and we danced all night! John was so helpful in organizing the event and responsive to our requ...
ests and questions throughout the whole planning. I can’t recommend them enough!
We got nothing but rave reviews from our guests about the band. They did a wonderful job entertaining us and our guests. They were able to play our first song and it worked out won...
derfully.
Please note, if you want the band to also provide a dj service, just clarify in advance what music you want played and when. We had some songs repeated during breaks, some of which were meant for later in the night after kids leave. But the band did a great job and John is a pleasure to work with. You won't be disappointed.
I can't say enough about John Paris Band. They were professional, attentive and responsive. A wonderful group that had our guests dancing all night long. They have a great ability ...
to read the crowd. I received so many compliments from our guests about how amazing they were. As a bride they made the music so easy on me. You will love them!
We cannot thank the John Paris Band enough for making our wedding such a success. From the moment they started until the end of the night, the entire dance floor was full. John w...
as incredibly easy to work with and made the process exciting and fun. I highly recommend them to anyone planning a wedding. Every song they played was a hit and the talent the band has is beyond what we ever expected. Thanks again JPB for a wonderful night!
Look no further, this is your band.
My wife and I were married in June of 2018. Music from the John Paris Band was a highlight.
There are a couple key characteristics which set...
them apart from other bands we were considering. First and foremost was our relationship with John Paris himself. He received our initial contact about 7 months prior to our wedding, he answered each of our calls, emails, and texts in a timely fashion, he is easy to work with, and he made us feel that we were his top priority. Some points I will address later include the band’s amazing flexibility, ability to draw everyone to the dance floor, and keen sense of our vision, despite having a list of just 15-20 preferred songs.
The John Paris band is its own independent band, as opposed to a larger music organization. In such larger organizations, we recognized a lack of personal touch and quality, despite oftentimes being more expensive. When you interact with the John Paris band, you are speaking directly with John Paris. He manages his own team and it shows in the quality of his music.
I felt the John Paris Band provided *exceptional* value. We wholeheartedly enjoyed 8 musicians, including John Paris, who tore it up, and set the dance floor ablaze. They were with us from cocktail hour, through dinner and dancing. We were considering options that were as much as twice as expensive as the John Paris Band - you simply can’t beat the quality for the investment in your wedding. Looking back on it, I would have been willing to pay more for such outstanding music and quality of service.
Each special request we had for John was executed just as I wanted. He is a great listener, he is very articulate and organized. The band travelled up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to perform for us without any hesitation. I also played acoustic guitar as part of a 10 minute set during the band’s intermission. The band kept this a complete surprise to my wife and family, which was my intention. We even worked through a special request to allow my sister to sing a song with the band. They knocked it out of the park.
I did not know certain members of my family even had the ability to dance. The dance floor was on fire all night. The John Paris Band has a special ability to light up the room and make everyone have a great time. One thing my wife and I appreciated most was their ability to take a short list of recommended songs (15-20 songs) and round it out with similar and complementary sounds. They played such a great variety which resulted in something for everyone to enjoy.
One final small note is how much the band themselves enjoyed the music and the wedding. They were present with us from cocktail hour, through dinner, through dancing. Even during their final intermission, their lead singer took part in a shuffle as part of just 10 minutes of digital sound. Even during their breaks, nobody left the dance floor.
In closing, I could not recommend the John Paris Band highly enough. I care deeply about music, I wanted it to be a highlight of my wedding, and it surpassed my every expectation. John Paris was very responsive, easy to work with, very flexible around our requests, and provided an experience that my wife, family, and I will always cherish. Look no further, you have found your band.
Where do I even start with this review? Hiring the John Paris Band was hands-down the best decision we made in our wedding planning. We only have the most amazing things to say abo...
ut them.
My husband and I were first introduced to the magic that is the John Paris Band at a friend's wedding in October 2015 - we fell in love with their sound and energy - they had that group dancing all night long! When we got engaged, the first thing we knew, before we even had a venue or date, was that we absolutely had to have John Paris Band play our wedding. When we did pick a venue (Cafe Brauer), we realized that it had an exclusive vendors list for bands. We wanted John Paris Band to play at our wedding so badly that we subcontracted them through one of the bands on the exclusive vendor list and even paid a subcontracting fee. It was absolutely worth it. John himself met with us and our planner a few times before the wedding to get a sense of what we wanted and who we are as a couple. The band has an extensive song catalog, and they even learned a few new songs for us, which was so nice! We gave them a short list of "must-plays" and then the band took it from there - they played to energy of the crowd. We had a completely packed dance floor until the end of the night. The John Paris Band was the most complimented part of our wedding, by a long shot. I honestly think I got more compliments on the band than on how I looked, and I'm not even mad!
We also had the John Paris string trio play during our ceremony and cocktail hour. I'm a classical music nerd, and I was very specific with the string trio as to songs I wanted them to play, probably to a level that was somewhat irritating , but they were very gracious and worked with me on their song list. They learned a few new songs for us, too, which were very personal and meaningful to us, and had everyone in tears. They played absolutely beautifully and really set the mood for our ceremony. We got married in February, and our cocktail hour was on a heated, tented veranda...but...the heating shut down half way through the cocktail hour. The string trio quickly got their jackets and came back and played on. It sort of reminded me of that scene from the sinking Titanic.
My husband and I talk all the time about how we can't wait for our future children's bar/bat mitzvahs so that we can hire the John Paris Band again. Oh, and John Paris is a total steal at the prices they charge. You won't find a better band out there, at any price, but it's really nice that their pricing comes in at about 60% of what other Chicago wedding bands with the same number of instruments charge. Seriously, hire them for your wedding! Or for any event! You will not be disappointed. They will give you the best live music of your life!
We had the John Paris band for our wedding on March 25th and they were fantastic! John was great to work with and very responsive. We had a string duo for the ceremony, keyboardis...
t for cocktail hour and the 8 piece band. Everyone was great - the music was wonderful and all of our guests were really impressed and couldn't stop saying how great they were. I would absolutely recommend them.
We had The John Paris Band for our wedding on 4.1.17 and they were exceptional! They had the dance floor packed all night and the singers even came out into the crowd to dance and ...
sing with us, which everyone LOVED. It was so much fun! I was worried about my wedding "timeline" and John assured me it would go smoothly and he had everything under control, and he was correct. He let me know when it was time for our first dance and kept the music on schedule. We used them for live music for our entire day -during our ceremony ( a string duo and it was beautiful) for piano during our cocktail hour (amazing) a jazz trio for dinner (so classy and enjoyable for everyone) and then for the reception dancing. It was perfect, and they definitely helped make our wedding one to remember. All of our guests keep telling us how much fun they had and how great our band was. Literally every guest was impressed. I would recommend them to anyone, you won't be disappointed.
From the beginning working with John was nothing but a pleasure. He was pleasant every step of the way and very helpful with song suggestions. As for the day of our wedding, we w...
ere blown away. John Paris Band was amazing! They were so fun and kept the vibe going from beginning to end. No one stopped dancing. Everyone had so much fun. We had several guest tell us our wedding was the best wedding they have ever been to. Thank you for making our big day one everyone will remember!!
We are so glad we booked the John Paris band for our wedding! John was a pleasure to work with -- responsive, flexible and accommodating for our special requests :) The MC was grea...
t and their music had everyone (even people that haven't danced in 20 years!) dancing ALL night! They were fun, engaging and fairly priced compared with other large bands in Chicago. I would definitely recommend The John Paris band!
In helping the bride and groom plan for, design, and coordinate their wedding, we got the opportunity to work alongside the John Paris Band for the reception and majority of the ev...
ening. We communicated mainly with John and Shane, and both gentleman are fantastic! They are both very respectful, appreciative and professional and made the evening run smoothly. We knew we could rely on John, Shane, and the band to relay any messages we needed to get to the guests in an appropriate manner. The band itself is absolutely amazing! Immediately after the band began to play their first tune, we knew it was going to be an amazing night and that the guests would have such a blast dancing and watching. Such talented and entertaining performers. We hope to see them make their way over to our stomping grounds in Madison, WI. We highly recommend the John Paris Band for any and all of your music and entertainment needs!
Best,
Kirstie & Mallory
Elevate Events
www.elevate-events.com
The John Paris Band is outstanding! They played at my wedding on 7.4.15 and really got people dancing and having a good time which is exactly what we wanted. John Paris himself i...
s very professional, accommodating, and a pleasure to work with. I would not hesitate to recommend to a friend who is looking for a band for a wedding or other party. The MC for the evening was great too! I had him take requests during the cocktail hour which was alot of fun. The guests did have a list of suggested songs, but could request anything. The most memorable performance by the band was "Oh What a Night" when they split the crowd in half and had everyone singing and dancing. We were looking for a band that played many motown hits and they fit the bill with amazing performances. It was so fun. I can not believe how affordable they are when the talent they possess. I received many many compliments on them. If you are looking for a band for your wedding or party, do not hesitate. Thank you John Paris Band! xoxo Kenna and Mike Brody
We had a wonderful experience with the John Paris Band both before and especially during our wedding day. They were very professional and easy to work with in planning the recepti...
on. For an additional fee, they also provided an emcee and a DJ for the dinner. After reading all the rave reviews and checking out the videos, I was psyched to finally hear the band perform. They were every bit as great as I'd hoped. The band really kicked our reception into high gear and got (nearly) everyone up and dancing, clapping, and singing along. They even played "Word Crimes" instead of "Blurred Lines" for the English teacher groom. Their forte is classic soul / R & B, but they also play wonderful versions of jazz and songbook classics (Sinatra, Fitzgerald, etc.) as well as contemporary pop songs. Both lead vocalists have great voices and the horn section was dynamite. Many guests commented on how great the band sounded and I couldn't disagree. They turned a great wedding reception into an unforgettable one. Highly recommended. - Lon Wehrle
The John Paris Band had all of our wedding guests dancing all night! They knew exactly what songs to play to keep the crowd happy. To this day people are still talking about the b...
and and what a fun party it was.
John was so easy to work with and made me so comfortable during the entire planning process. He was quick to respond to emails and was happy to correspond with the venue since we did not have a wedding planner / coordinator.
I would hire the John Paris Band in a second in the future.
The John Paris Band made our wedding reception tons of fun! All of our family and guests absolutely loved them! They got everybody, of all ages, up and dancing! They were also ext...
remely professional and accommodating. They worked with me before the wedding to make sure they knew exactly what I wanted for the ceremony music, dinner music, and dance music, and that I was happy with everything. Everything went perfectly according to plan! I cannot say enough good things about them and would highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in booking a great dance band!
I'm a professional event manager. For the past seven years my one call for music for ALL my clients is John Paris. He listens to me and my clients and always delivers the right mus...
ic for the occasion. John is incredibly easy to work with, is flexible and things always go smoothly. Thanks a lot John … you help me look good.
We all know how important it is to have the right music for the "Big Day" and it can be a little difficult to choose or even know how to choose. I just want to say that The John Pa...
ris Band delivered everything I wanted, needed, wished and hoped for, etc. John helped me bring my vision to reality, and was super helpful and easy to work with. And the best part of all: the band was absolutely amazing. Everyone had such an incredible time dancing all night! Trust me, The John Paris Band is the best, hands down!
We worked with John Paris to create a spectacular evening of music. The John Paris Ensembles handled all of the music for our ceremony and reception, and I highly recommend them! J...
ohn is easy to work with and really went above and beyond to accommodate all of our requests. I can't tell you how many compliments we received on our ceremony music -- the vocalist has an absolutely beautiful voice. Everyone had a blast dancing at the reception, too! It was a perfect day. If you're planning a wedding, you want John Paris on your team. As far as wedding entertainment goes, this is as good as it gets!
The John Paris Band is AWESOME. We hired them for our wedding and absolutely loved every minute of their performance. All of our guests mentioned how amazing the music was and how ...
they were the best wedding band they had ever heard (I'm not exaggerating). Our dance floor was packed all night long thanks to The John Paris Band. We had such a great time. They played the perfect combination of oldies and new hits so that guests of all ages could enjoy. The singers and musicians are so talented and the energy they bring really gets the crowd excited. I would hire them again in a heartbeat and will recommend them to all of my friends. Definitely the best wedding band around.
We couldn't have been more pleased with JPB's performance. Their years of experience together is a huge advantage, and it shows! Not only do they never skip a beat, but they are ex...
tremely talented in reading and playing to the crowd. It's a real art to transition songs naturally and reflect the evolving mood of the guests, and they really nailed it! John was beyond professional and accommodating. Worth every penny!
We booked the John Paris Band for our wedding and they were wonderful! From the planning phone calls, to the actual event, everything went great. Everyone was asking us where we fo...
und the band, they told us we should hire them again for a party just because, told us they never dance but the band was so good they ended up dancing, etc. They allowed our little nieces to dance with them up in the performance area, which made their entire year. They also did a great job on all of the emcee work. Start to finish, we could not have asked for better wedding entertainment!
John Paris' band was nothing less than phenomenal at my wedding reception. I honestly did not expect for the band to be that great, judging from the band that played at my aunt's w...
edding this past July. But I have no regrets about coming to my cousin's wedding to help celebrate the most important occasion of her life. Not only was the music exceptional, the band was nothing short of professional in every way. I was told that they showed up to the location at a very prompt time, about two hours before the reception began. They also dressed appropriately for the occasion, all wearing formal pants, shirts and jackets. Never once was there a problem getting the band to start playing. I must add that in the beginning, when my cousin suggested that they have a band play at the wedding reception, I was not the most optimistic, considering the fact that they would be spending extra money on a band when in fact they could have hired a DJ for a cheaper price. However, there's nothing like the real deal baby! And John Paris' wedding band was the real deal and some. I would recommend these guys any day for a friend or family member!
That's all I can say. These guys (and girls) were absolutely amazing. They MADE the party. People were having so much fun that the dance floor was packed for three hours straight. ...
From the first song to the last, John was asking what we wanted, and taking control when we needed him too. I cannot recommend The John Paris Band highly enough. Bar none the best decision we made for our wedding!
We looked for a band for our wedding reception that focused on old school funk and R&B, and John Paris' 8-piece ensemble (plus a DJ for wedding party introductions, dinner music, a...
nd in between sets of the band) fit the bill perfectly at a very reasonable price. John himself took time to talk with us and meet with us in person to find out about our musical tastes and the feel we wanted for our reception. John also invited us to come see his group perform at another event.
John worked with us to make sure he had the playlists and the scripts for the DJ and band announcements down right, and all were executed flawlessly on the night of the wedding. Our guests were pleasantly surprised with the variety of songs and caliber of musicianship that John's band displaye, and the bride was thrilled that John worked with her on a song that she could sing with the band. The dance floor was jamming for three hours, and we even got an encore at the end of the night.
We would recommend anyone look into using John for their wedding reception! We were thrilled with the music and our guests reaction to it!
So, you want to hire a different band for your wedding? Don't do it! Get the John Paris Ensemble, get the tunes bumpin', and get the party started. I'm glad I did. I actually w...
ork part time as a wedding photographer and I've seen a ton wedding bands in and around the Chicago area. Some are OK, most of them are crappy. John's band truly rises above the rest and is really a great band plus they're good looking - jk :). They were the only one I wanted at my wedding so I'm glad they were available on my date.
Wow!! This band made my wedding night soooo fun. We were originally going to hire a DJ, but after we heard John and his band at my cousin's wedding earlier in the year, we knew w...
e had to have them. I would definitely recommend live musicians over a DJ to anyone looking for music at their wedding after-party. If you do go with a live band, consider the John Paris Ensemble 'cause they were awesome!
I don't normally write reviews, but these guys did such a great job at my wedding I felt like I should share my experience with everyone else. If you're looking for a band for you...
r wedding, definitely consider the John Paris Ensemble. They did a fantastic job and were super professional. The dance floor was packed nearly all night. John is extremely easy to work with and put us at ease all the way leading up to the wedding. Overall, we had such a great time that I'd highly recommend them to anybody considering a band for their wedding.
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Chicago and Suburbs
John Paris Band