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Weddings

The Smokin' Section Reviews

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Reviews

4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
48 Reviews
99% recommend it
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Awards

48
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2009 Winner
  • User2499475 Sent on 01/09/2016
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    Wonderful talented band! Thank you Mike! You guys rock!
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    Carly Sent on 01/03/2016
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    Mike from Smokin Section was so helpful thought the entire process. Any request we had we gladly met. We had so many compliments on how good the band was and they had everyone up on the dance floor all night long. I would 100% recommend the Smokin Section!
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    Amanda Sent on 07/14/2015
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    The Smokin Section provided amazing entertainment for my wedding this past May 2015. Each member is so talented and had our guests up and dancing the entire time. Mike was a pleasure to work with leading up to the wedding and made me feel very comfortable that all my needs would be met. He is extremely personable and had everything in order for me. I highly recommend the Smokin Section for any event that needs great live music.
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    Katrina Sent on 03/17/2015
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    The Smokin' Section is absolutely amazing. I first heard them at my brother's wedding, and then at my sister's wedding, and I knew exactly who to contact when I was planning my wedding!!!

    They kept the dance floor filled all night and hit all of our requests. The band sounded amazing, and they looked amazing too! Everyone danced -- from my 90 year old grandma down to the 4 year old flower girl. The Smokin' Section has a huge range of music in their repertoire, playing the perfect mix of classics and modern hits. Mike was great at communicating and was extremely responsive throughout the planning process. There's a reason the Smokin' Section has been at three of of my family's weddings!
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    Tamar Sent on 07/16/2015
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    Mike was a pleasure to work with. He listened to what we wanted and did his best to accommodate. We had a bunch of special requests that they worked with us on. I would recommend Mike and the Smokin Section.
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    Annalisa Sent on 12/27/2013
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    Excellent band! We heard them at a friend's wedding and booked them immediately. We were very happy with our decision. Everyone at our wedding raved about the music. The band made the party and got everyone out on the dance floor! Great job reading the crowd and playing the right songs.
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    Christine Sent on 12/17/2013
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    They were great, easy to work with, and definitely made our wedding a blast!
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    Corey Sent on 11/28/2013
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    The Smokin' Section was a true highlight at our wedding. Everyone I spoke to had great things to say. They listened to our requests, took our direction and felt the room appropriately during the the entire event. They performed the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception in great form. You could tell they enjoyed themselves and it carried over into their performance. They were easy to work with, responsive and at a competitive price. I've never scene a better wedding band. It was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. I'd recommend them to anyone who wants a great band at their event.
  • User2013769 Sent on 01/18/2015
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    The Smokin' Section was above and beyond amazing! The music was wonderful, varied and great for every generation. Mike was very personable, flexible and worked closely with us to ensure everything was perfect and perfect it was! The band made our day extra magical and special, everyone loved them and we would highly recommend them. - Dominique & Geoff
  • User1495910 Sent on 01/05/2014
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    The Smokin Section was a hit at our wedding! They played everything we asked for and more! They really know how to read a crowd too. My friend loved them so much, she booked them for her wedding, and, once again, they were fabulous! The Smokin Section is THE band to book for your event. You'll be glad you did.
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    Sara Sent on 12/17/2013
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    Mike and the Smokin' Section were so great to work with. They sounded great and were friendly and accommodating in the months leading up to our wedding. Everyone loved the music, and our guests danced all night! We were extremely happy to have such a talented group of musicians play at our wedding!
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    Joe Sent on 12/17/2013
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    The Smokin' Section absolutely made the night, and the compliments on the band have not stopped - even more than a year later! From our friends and family to our parents' friends - multiple generations and age groups - there has truly been nothing but rave reviews. The mix of songs played was EXACTLY what we were looking for - and the packed dance floor ALL NIGHT proved that it's what our guests were looking for, as well. Everything sounded great with the jazz trio they put together for the cocktail hour, too. It just sounded so smooth...so classy.

    As a drummer, it's rare that a fellow drummer lets you use his gear to fill in for a song. No issues there with these guys. They allowed me to play a song - Stevie Wonder's "Boogie On Reggae Woman" - with the full band. The guests loved it and I loved it. That is true flexibility in a band.

    We had an incredible, unforgettable night - and we couldn't have done it without The Smokin' Section Band.
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    Alex Sent on 12/12/2013
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    I am a little late in writing this review - but this should go to show how great the Smokin' Section was: me and my wife still talk about how perfect they were on our wedding night! Even more, our relatives and friends still ask us who the band was at our wedding and comment how they never had so much fun dancing etc., than they did at our wedding (we usually get these comments at other weddings or parties hahaha). Mike worked with us and played a great mix of music that suited both my wife's family and mine. They played everything from Latin to classic rock, old hits and new....it was unreal. Mike and the Smokin' Section even learned how to play a new song just for us - and they did it great! For any bride or groom to be that is worried about picking the perfect band, I can say this: I am extremely picky and want everything to be perfect, and Mike and the Smokin' Section delivered, and delivered at a fair price. We are so happy we chose them...Thanks Smokin' Section!!
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    Jen Sent on 12/17/2013
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    We used The Smokin' Section for our wedding last Oct. 2012 after I reviewed many bands online for our wedding. The many bands I reviewed online didn't meet our standards and I was about to give up on the whole band thing (most of the bands online were so cheesy and tried to do covers the way the original bands/singers did them). Then my cousin suggested The Smokin' Section: they truly made the tunes their own and did covers justice!!

    They went above and beyond and made our day even more unforgettable!!

    From the beginning, Mike was open to communicating and talking about any details that were important to us. He was patient when there were changes and additions and in accommodating the songs that we requested the band learn for our special day. I am a musician as are many of my friends who attended our wedding. The band was very generous in allowing my friends to sit in on their respective instruments which really made our day even better! They also graciously accommodated my request to friends play samba music in the beginning while the wedding party was announced and walked in.

    Our first dances were done so well; they played the Pretenders, Tina Turner, and Billy Joel with their own special spin. Later on and at our request, they played soul and motown flawlessly; the Bruce Springsteen renditions were awesome as were the 80's tunes they played. We specifically didn't want any pop music from the radio and they were fine with accommodating this request as well. I love salsa music and they played this too!!

    They kept our dance floor packed which was great since the heat lamps at our reception didn't fully keep everyone warm. The hottest place to be was on the dance floor!

    I could go on and on….our reception was great and the Smokin' Section truly made it unforgettable. You will not regret having them at your special occasion!
    I would love to have a 10th year anniversary party and have them back!!
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    Suzanne Sent on 12/17/2013
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    I really loved working with this band. Their sound is amazing. They were 100% responsive to what we did and didn't want played. They were flexible with timing on the day of the event, which wound up being much longer than they'd planned for. Our guests raved about the music, and I would absolutely recommend them/hire them again.
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    Erik Sent on 01/02/2014
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    We cannot recommend the Smokin' Section enough! They were professional, arrived on time, provided live music during the entire wedding (which many bands do not do) and, best of all, had our guests dancing non-stop. Some more accolades - they sounded great, were very nice people to work with and even learned new songs that we wanted played at the wedding. They are also gay-friendly. You won't be disappointed!
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    Danielle Sent on 05/11/2012
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    We were married in Manhattan on a Saturday night. I saw the Smokin Section about 7 years ago and never forgot them. I referred them to a close friend, and got to see them perform at her wedding also. They are awesome. They were also insanely awesome at my wedding. Everyone was dancing all night and raved about the band. The price point (if you read my other reviews you will see I am really into value for the cost) was fabulous. They may be from Jersey, but they are just as good, if not better, as the big NY bands and cost less. 100% satisfied.
  • User1496390 Sent on 01/06/2014
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    Then Smoking Section was awesome. Our wedding was three years ago and people still tell us on a regular basis that it was among them best weddings ever. We highly recommend them
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    Chris Sent on 12/18/2013
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    I highly recommend the Smokin' Section to play at your wedding. They were absolutely wonderful, everyone at my wedding loved this band. I had variety of age groups attending and the old and the young enjoyed the band very very much. Mike Kaplan, who is the person in charge of the band is so pleasant to work with. The band even learned three different songs for us and were glad to play and sign them on our special day. They were so lively and upbeat everyone danced throughout the night. I am Polish and my husband is Italian, they played music to satisfy both of our backgrounds. They very reasonably priced, considering that it is a 9 piece band and normal bands of that size are a couple of thousand dollars more. If you choose the Smoking Section, I promise you will not be disappointed, in fact, you will get many compliments from your guests as how awesome the band was. My husband, especially liked Tommy, the black guy, his voice is beyond amazing. Tommy sang our first song "Always and Forever" and sounded just like Luther Vandross. The Smokin Section will absolutely do an incredible job performing on your special day!
    THEY ROCK!!!!!!!! The best band I have ever experienced. Such a talented group of people.
  • User1494729 Sent on 01/04/2014
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    Amazing band!!! Kept the party going all night and my guests all thought they were incredible!! Highly recommend them!
  • User1476392 Sent on 12/18/2013
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    Great band. Everyone had a blast
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    Alicia Sent on 12/12/2010
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    We can not say enough great things about this band... they have a fabulous sound, extentive song list, high-energy, accomodating to last minute requests, easy to work with, and willing to learn a new song for our first dance. Months later, we are still receiving compliments on this band.
  • User1494540 Sent on 01/04/2014
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    The Smokin' Section is an amazing band. People didn't want our wedding to end because their overall enjoyment was enhanced so much by the band's top notch music and entertainment. We would recommend them to others with the highest endorsement!
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    Monica Sent on 09/23/2010
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    My husband and I are both musicians and would settle for nothing but the best- and the Smokin' Section is it! Mike absolutely GOT US and what we were looking for. They learned two new songs for our first dance (which was a slow song with a fakeout into a bust-out Salsa dance) and they totally nailed it!

    Mike and the Smokin' Section were spot-on, stuck to our preference list, and Mike checked in with us periodically (but not too much) to make sure things were going they way we had hoped.

    The latin unit is fantastic; however I wish the sonero would sing songs more like they are done by the original artists, I felt as though he had butchered our bridal party Salsa song by changing the timing- they couldn't get into a rythm of it. But, it was a song that he had learned for us, and he got the first dance Salsa and all of the songs on their repetoire were fabulous.
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    Jennifer Sent on 08/06/2010
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    They were the best!
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