{Our wedding band!!!!}

My mom and I have been steamrolling most of the wedding-related decisions with our (very different) visions of how Tony and my Big Day should go down. (That’s a blog for another time. If I dare.) My dad quietly stepped in and asked Tony if there was anything truly important to him. Aside from his deep desire to rappel down a wall to the ceremony Navy SEAL-style, Tony’s other biggest wish was to have live music. Wang Chung, specifically. (Which, unfortunately, was not cost-effective, nor realistic.)

{With friends at a Wang Chung concert. Tony at his happiest.}

But then, we discovered an even better option… The Spazmatics! We saw them play at our friend Jillian’s birthday party, they killed it, and Tony and I became officially obsessed with them. Everyone was on the dance floor all night, having the time of their lives (us, in particular) – and if there is one thing I want for our wedding (besides, you know, the “getting married” part), it is that. No matter where your wedding is, it is costly for people’s time and wallets, and if our guests are going to go to all the trouble of showing up to celebrate us all the way in Lake Tahoe, I want them to have the best time ever. And with a band like this, I think that’s pretty much guaranteed. (Don’t believe me? Just watch them perform.)

{See how much fun everyone is having?}

They’re an ’80’s cover band, so they can play all the good stuff from that golden era of pop – not just Wang Chung’s hits (although there were many. Including “Dance Hall Days,” which was featured on the soundtrack of my favorite movie, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, which Tony and I watched on our first date. This was part of Tony’s pitch when trying to convince everyone Wang Chung should play at our wedding.) And if The Wedding Singer taught us anything, it’s that live music – specifically, from the ’80’s – really makes a wedding. (This movie also taught me that long hair on men is rarely a good look, but then Tony pointed out that the other great love of my life is Tim Riggins and thus he is keeping his flowing locks.)

My mom (who is not a fan of the 80’s, despite the fact that her favorite daughter was born in that decade), was even supportive of The Spazmatics playing our wedding! Despite preferring music that she can adjust the volume level so low only dogs can hear it, she happily agreed, suggesting we set out bowls of ear plugs with Tony and my initials on them. I count this as a win.

This band is fun, funny and stupidly talented. They’re so special because, on top of being kick ass rockers, they have this goofy, silly stage presence. So much of our wedding is going to be elegant and formal, I’m so excited that when it’s time to party, we’re going to party. Tony and I met performing at The Groundlings and, I may be biased, but we really do have the funniest friends alive. Comedy is such an important part of who we are, and our life together, so I love that this band infuses that into our wedding and is not only a reflection of Tony’s musical taste (and mine), but also a reflection of our personalities.

We’re so lucky that we get to have live music. While having a band doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank (my friend’s dad’s band played her wedding and it was awesome), it often is more costly than a DJ. The Spazmatics are a splurge we’ll have to shave other areas of the budget to accommodate, but Tony hasn’t asked for much and it’s so important to me that our wedding is about both of us. I don’t want him to feel like a guest at his own wedding! Plus, I will probably be the only one who notices whether we have gold or silver flatware – but everyone will notice and get to enjoy the band. So, it was the right and happiest choice for us. I got my Blue Moon theme, having our wedding fall on a blue moon weekend next August 1, 2015, and Tony got his “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” theme, ensuring all our guests will have fun by hiring this band. I can’t wait to hike up my skirt and hit the dance floor next summer!

{All Spazmatics photos via}