Piano Wars!

Piano Wars! - Premier Dueling Pianos -- Delivered! Dave Caruso Entertainment Director

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Piano Wars! was proud to have the opportunity to entertain the guests at Jeff and Danielle's beautiful wedding reception in Bath, Michigan.  Eagle Eye Golf Course was decked out for the 148 guests in attendance.

After cocktails on the balcony -- overlooking the golf course, Danielle & Jeff opted for less traditional reception fanfare, instead moving straight to dinner and then on to Piano Wars! dueling pianos plus DJ dance entertainment.

Congratulations, Jeff & Danielle!

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"Thank you! I appreciate you working so well with the vendors and keeping everything moving along.  Your playing was fantastic as well.  I got lots of compliments on you guys and everyone had a great time.  It was a huge success.  We're so glad we were able to book you.  Thank you again!"

Jeff & Danielle / 10/02/21 at Eagle Eye Golf Course

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Piano Wars - Premier Dueling Pianos & Pro DJ Entertainment spent a satisfying Saturday rockin' out at the Kendler-Gelety wedding ceremony and reception, at the resplendent Castle Farms in gorgeous Charlevoix, Michigan. This reception was two years in the making!  We celebrated with almost a hundred of the bride and groom’s closest friends and family, in perfect weather for an outdoor ceremony and cocktails, then we all moved indoors for dinner and dancing, the latter of which was literally non-stop. In addition to working with the always-excellent castle staff members, Rebekah Moser and Madison, we also had the pleasure of supporting wedding planner Tanya Renee, photographers Molly and Elizabeth, Katie and staff from Grey Gables Inn Restaurant & Catering, and Amy and Paige from Happy Snappy Photobooth. The guests not only danced all night (even when the room was still bright with outdoor sunlight), but many of them sang pretty much every word to any song we threw at them, from any era, at the top of their lungs.Other highlights include the hora dance, plus the groom demonstrating his own piano prowess on the Peanuts song, “Linus and Lucy,” and dueling with us on “Great Balls of Fire.”Fitness Steps: 15k. If that wasn’t already a perfect night, it was all over by 10 pm.  (How perfect is that?) Mazel tov, Courtney & Steven! ==== “I cannot express how happy we are with Piano Wars! and their performance at our wedding at Castle Farms! You were great to work with leading up to the wedding and were always available to answer any questions. You were so good at reading the room and getting everyone on the dance floor. Our guests are still talking about the big day and you are a big part of that. Thank you so much!!”

Courtney & Steven, Married 09/18/21 at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, MI.

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Piano Wars! entertained at our final wedding of the decade on Saturday, 11/09/19 at the Garden Theater, on Woodward in midtown Detroit, Michigan.

Dakota & Kennedy’s ceremony took place inside the theater with the bridal party on the stage. Their faithful rescue pup, Marty, assisted as ring bearer. Marty was always on his best behavior, whether his leash was being held by a family member or Jennifer the wedding planner.  Jennifer was an absolute breeze to work with and she was on her game.

The hitching went down without a hitch. Afterward, BJ, the theater’s expert team leader, led the Garden Theater staff in flipping the room for the reception while the guests enjoyed cocktails in the theater atrium and mezzanine, where we provided pre-recorded cocktail music.

An outstanding dinner was prepared and served by the on-site catering staff. Everyone enjoyed a plated salad with thinly sliced strawberries, with a main course choice of tender filet of beef, salmon, or a vegetarian ravioli, plus mashed potatoes and asparagus spears.

Following dinner, the toasts were unusually entertaining, combining genuinely funny barbs with warm congratulations and sincere well-wishes.

The bride and her brother, Gaaron, performed a rehearsed brother/sister dance to a medley of fun songs like “Uptown Funk” and “YMCA.” I had met Gaaron and some of the family before, when I accompanied him on piano for his school festival saxophone solo. His other sister and his grandmother had taken turns shuttling him to my house for rehearsals. It was nice to see everybody again.

Our interactive dueling pianos sets were a hit, and so were the line dances, which this group relished.

During one of our DJ sets, Kennedy and her grandmother danced together to Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight," with Kennedy singing the words to her dance partner. That little moment was one of many highlights of the evening.

Later on, we got a request to play Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” so we handed out pompoms to the bride and each of her bridesmaids who, along with a surprise joiner, led impromptu cheers, just like in the 80s music video.

We got several requests to sing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The guests gathered on the dance floor, along with several members of the bridal party, and sang along enthusiastically while some of the groomsmen jumped up on stage with us to carry on like rockstars.

Such a fun evening! Our congratulations to Kennedy and Dakota! Thanks for trusting Piano Wars! with your wedding entertainment! -- Dave Caruso / Piano Wars! Entertainment “You guys were awesome! Everyone has been telling me how much fun they had with you guys! It was a blast, thank you for everything!” -- Dakota & Kennedy / Married in Detroit, Michigan

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Brian and Shayla liked Piano Wars! dance entertainment so much at Brian’s brother's wedding in 2018, they invited us to Bois Blanc island, Michigan on 10/04/19 for their own, two-day wedding event.

The northern Michigan leaves were only beginning to change colors, but we did get to see some sporadic amber, orange and red leaves on our way north. Bois Blanc Island is situated between the top of the mitten and Michigan's upper peninsula. We ferried our vehicles to the island from Cheboygan.

Brian and Shayla met us (and every guest) at the ferry and drove us to our lodging and to the multiple locations where we would be serving up their entertainment.  We noticed immediately that whether walking or driving on the island, everyone waves at you when you pass.

On day one, we DJ'd at their wedding rehearsal party, in a back yard tent of Brian's family cottage on Lake Huron.  Uncle Mark danced with the kids of different ages, egging them on to kick off their shoes or do sillier dance moves, while Brian's aunt danced the large serving bowls to the tables.  After dinner, there was more dancing and fireworks.

For day two, we returned to the cottage to play music for the wedding ceremony. Shayla's aunt officiated the wedding.  Then everyone drove to the other side of the island, where we had set up at the Wagner Room, attached to the old fire house.  There we provided emcee services, plus music for cocktails and a dinner of chicken and steak kabobs, followed by dueling pianos dance floor music and DJ entertainment for their reception.

They invited a nice crowd of about 115 family members and friends.  The bride and groom returned to the dock the next morning to say goodbye and see every guest off.  Such good people!

Congratulations, Shayla & Brian!

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On Sunday, 09/29/19, 130 friends and family gathered at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, MIchigan for Nick & Amanda’s wedding day.

Their ceremony was held in the Queen’s Courtyard and their reception took place in the King’s Great Hall. Piano Wars! coordinated and provided the live dueling pianos and professional DJ entertainment — from ceremony, cocktail and dinner music to the bridal set and the last song of the night.

Although Castle Farms is on the mainland, there is a scenic route on Lakeshore Drive which ends at a small ferry. It only transports a handful of vehicles at a time and it only takes a few minutes to cross. The new route and ferry ride was a nice change in our usual Charlevoix travel routine.

Ceremony highlights included a reading penned by a 13-year-old, explaining love as he comprehended it. Amanda chose a beautiful song for the sand ceremony: "I Will Be There" by Steven Curtis Chapman. In the title line, Chapman sings "I____" over a series of notes, as if he was singing "Amen."

Following plated salads, Catering by Kelly served up a fantastic buffet dinner, including baked chicken, roast beef, asparagus and mashed potatoes.

After dinner, there was plenty of dancing and fun, including a little girl who was eager to show the other dancers how she could use her long shawl like a jump rope. There were quite a few kids at the wedding, including four belonging to the bride and groom, who eagerly volunteered whenever we passed out percussion instruments, big plastic guitars, or other props. They had such a good time that they participated right up until the last song of the night.

Congratulations, Amanda & Nick!

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Dennis & Sabrina were married at an Air B&B in Whitmore Lake, MI. With only 15 guests, it was the smallest wedding I've ever been hired to play.

They chose a nice mix of live, instrumental piano for their ceremony, pre-recorded music for cocktails and dinner, and piano and vocal entertainment after dinner.

It rained throughout the ceremony, but thanks to Justyna and her team of wedding planners from Innes & Marie, the guests were able to sit beneath a tall, portable tent and I was provided a smaller tent to protect the music gear. In the very short time before the bride walked from the house to the ceremony area, I played The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”

The small group size allowed dinner to be served at a single table. Following dinner, I asked everyone to bring chairs and use the easy chairs and couches, spilling into a second room, and led them in singalong and played their requests. Most everyone stayed, even when I took a break in the middle, and reconvened without having to be invited back to the piano.

Because the rain forced everyone indoors, the entertainment gave the party a nice focal point after dinner.

Since the bride & groom had called off their first dance at the previously scheduled time (after dinner), instead of performing a finale, I asked everyone to lower the lights and we had them do their first dance to end the night. It was absolutely perfect.

Congratulations, Sabrina and Dennis!

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Cedarville, MI Wedding Reception

Cynthia & Dan tied the knot in Cedarville, MI. From start to finish, it was a unique wedding day.

The ceremony and dinner were at two different locations, one being on an island. Then the 123 guests were brought by a number of boats to a third location, Les Cheneaux Distillers, where Piano Wars! emceed the wedding reception and entertained them with live dueling pianos and DJ dance music.

Traditionally, the bride selects a group of bridesmaids plus a maid/matron of honor, while the groom chooses his groomsmen plus a best man. But this couple put ladies and gents in both groups of what the couple called their "wedding clan." Also, they had single ladies and men compete together in the bouquet throw.

The group loved the bride’s suggestion that we play some music from Disney movies and musicals, which had groups of people singing and doing interpretive dance. ‘90s music and boy bands were also hits on the dance floor, with everyone singing along. A requested Bollywood tune went over in a big way. There were some very talented dancers, including a few couples who could swing dance and a gentleman who free-styled with back flips.

Owner Jason and Manager Katie from Les Cheneaux Distillers did a fabulous job in providing a cool venue with a friendly and attentive staff, and in serving up Chicago-style hot dogs, poutine and beverages.

Nicole from Knots & Kisses was terrific as the wedding day coordinator.

Photogs Abby & Dave worked smoothly with us throughout the night.

Congratulations, Cynthia & Dan!

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Saturday, Labor Day weekend 2019 was an absolute love fest for the 120 wedding guests at Dave & Andrea's beautiful home, situated on the Anchor Bay shore line of Lake St. Clair. Piano Wars! was honored to provide live and DJ music, dance lighting and entertainment planning, from the start of their wedding ceremony, throughout the reception and into an hour of entertainment overtime. The barefoot-quality lawn in the couples’ back yard served a dual purpose as ceremony seating area and reception dance space.  After dark, I found that the textured surface of the grass also made an enchanting background for a light projection of the couple’s married initials and wedding date. The groom’s mother ran into us at the stage area and asked our names.  We introduced ourselves as “Dave” and “Paul.”  She said, “Those are my son’s first and middle names — Dave and Paul.“  She took that as a good omen for the party’s success.  With that in mind, later we snuck in the “Dave” and “Paul” reference a third time, while singing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” which mentions Paul (the “real estate novelist”) and Davy (who’s still in the Navy). A large tent was set up over their volleyball court at the side of the house,  where their guests enjoyed a wonderful buffet dinner of salad, dinner rolls, green beans, corn on the cob, potatoes, roasted chicken, pulled pork, kielbasa, and ice cream for dessert.  After coordinating the timing of dinner with the lead caterer, I asked him if there was anything else he needed from me.  He joked, “Yes, there is.   When you announce that the food is ready, please can you please play ‘Nobody Does It Better?’”  (Ha!) In the final half hour, a nice gentleman approached the stage, told me that he is also a DJ, and asked if I could play a Celia Cruz song called, “La Vida es un Carnaval,” an exciting latin-flavored dance song.  With our colored dance lights spinning and flashing at the darkness, he proceeded to step through a stately but exciting solo salsa, smiling with confidence as he moved.  It was one of the coolest moments in a very fun evening. As planned in advance by the newlyweds, their last song of the night was Semisonic’s “Closing Time.” Congratulations, Andrea & Dave!

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On Saturday, August 24th, Andrew and Chelsea were married at the Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton, Ohio. The bride and groom hired Piano Wars! for their ceremony music, live and DJ entertainment, emcee services and complete entertainment planning.  Several weeks before the wedding, we held two planning phone calls which were productive and fun, determining the timeline and particulars of their entertainment. The weather was warm and clear in the afternoon and comfortably cool in the evening for our second time playing at this outdoor venue.  Everyone in the bridal party looked sharp! We arrived early and set up in the tented reception area, with additional speakers aimed toward the ceremony and cocktail areas, located off two sides of the tent.  Heather and Jessica from the CIC did a fabulous job as lead venue hosts and we enjoyed coordinating with them. The ceremony was short and sweet.  The bride walked down the aisle to a violin instrumental version of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”  Later, after repeating their vows, their officiant introduced Andrew & Chelsea for the first time as man and wife, and strutted back down the aisle as Queen’s music jubilantly announced, “You’re My Best Friend.” After the grand entrance and toasts, the 172 guests enjoyed a delicious meal, catered by The Catawba Island Club.  Chelsea’s stepmom baked the delicious dessert cupcakes in multiple flavors and the small cake which the couple cut and tasted. One music highlight later in the evening was a request for “Oh, Baby, You,” (a.k.a. “Just a Friend”).  It’s a mid-90s novelty song by Biz Markie that people love to sing along with and this group sang it BIG!  The couple chose Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” for their last song, capping off a wonderful evening. The photos were screen-grabbed from video which we gifted the bride and groom. Congratulations, Chelsea & Andrew!

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On Friday, June 28th, 2019, Josh & Emily upgraded their couple status from “engaged” to “married.” Their ceremony and reception took place at the The English Inn, Restaurant and Pub, a spectacular stately manor in Eaton Rapids, Michigan that’s bursting with natural beauty, authenticity and character, and adorned with several gardens and ponds. Emily & Josh hired Piano Wars! Entertainment (PianoWars.com) to provide complete entertainment planning, plus live and pre-recorded music for their outdoor wedding ceremony, and dueling pianos and DJ entertainment for their indoor reception, with a party of about 50 in attendance. The ceremony pergola (think “roofless pavilion”) — located at the base of rolling green hills and stone walkway — was replete with grand white pillars, a raised patio for the guests, and surrounded by immaculately manicured greenery and trees, all nestled beside a softly rolling river. Ryan Makowski officiated their wedding ceremony by seamlessly weaving tidbits of conversations he had with the bride and groom into his narrative script.  This practice isn’t uncommon, but few officiants perform it as masterfully as Ryan did. The result was one of the most natural and original ceremonies I’ve ever attended. My friend, Paul Bickel, coordinated with Ryan and played the pre-recorded music while the guests were being seated.  Then, as requested by the bride & groom, I played “Canon In D” by Pachelbel and “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” made famous by Elvis Presley, live on piano. The wedding vows overflowed with happy tears from our couple, which quickly became contagious in the guests and ourselves. The cocktail area consisted of an outdoor patio in full view of the breathtaking grounds, along with an indoor area situated one floor below the banquet room. Highlights of the reception included the father-daughter dance.  Emily’s dad plays the guitar and has played the McCartney song, “Blackbird,” for her while she was growing up.  I was glad that they asked me to sing and play it live for their special dance, since it’s one of my favorites, too. During the toasts, the Matron of Honor (the bride’s sister), had spoke of the bride and her sisters playing a video dance game where they have to perform choreography to the song “Proud Mary,” as sung by Ike and Tina Turner.  It was fun to DJ that song and watch them recreate their super fun dance moves for their family and friends. At one point in the night, I followed up a slow song with Frank Sinatra’s uptempo (bouncier) version of “The Way You Look Tonight.”  Emily and her mom chose to dance playfully to that one together, and it was very moving. The staff at English Inn were top-notch in customer service and planning, led by Adrianna and Rebecca.  It was a real pleasure to work with them.  The meal consisted of a plated salad, followed by beef & chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes.  It was absolutely delicious.  I didn’t confirm whether Emily’s mom baked the cake, but she was the one who brought it in and set it up, and it was quite beautiful. Amber, Joe and Alex — The team from Auburn Muse Photography — did a fabulous job on a very warm summer day.  We enjoyed their company during dinner and coordinated with them as smoothly as if we’d all worked together many times. Note: The long / wide photos are not mine — they’re from the English Inn website. Congratulations, Josh & Emily! --- “We recently had Piano Wars! as our wedding entertainment. They played at the ceremony and the reception. They were awesome and I'm so glad we decided to go with them instead of just the typical wedding DJ. They were so fun, interacted with guests, and knew just what to do to get everyone on their feet. They were great in the planning process too - they communicated well, laid out the whole night in an organized way, and made sure everything was exactly the way we wanted. Thanks again!” -- 5-Star Review for Piano Wars! by Josh & Emily at Google My Buisness

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Chris & Heather called me several months ago to hire Piano Wars! to provide live and DJ entertainment and emcee services at their wedding ceremony and reception.  They were married last Saturday, June 1st, 2019 at one of our favorite venues, Fenton Winery & Brewery, in Fenton, Michigan.  

During the late morning, and even while I was setting up our equipment for the indoor reception, the area experienced fierce thunder, striking very close by.  Miraculously, the fireplace patio (where the FWB hold their outdoor ceremonies) cleared up in time for Heather & Chris to be married outdoors.  A few hours later, with everyone safe inside, rain returned and began pelting down, so the rain’s timing couldn’t have been much better.

The bride requested some of her favorite music to be played during the cocktail hour, including “I Want You To Want Me” (the awesome Kay Hanley / Letters to Cleo version), Tenderness (General Public), and Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order).  Although most of Heather’s music requests were for music from the 90s, she clearly had a lot of favorites from the 80s, too.

During dinner, Paul Bickel and I found that the bride and groom had left us each a little gift at our table settings — drinking glasses etched with a small keyboard and the words “Piano Man.”

One song the bride requested that we play during our live dueling pianos set was “If It Makes You Happy” by Sheryl Crow.  Since singalong is what we do, that seemed like a great choice to me.  She and her girlfriends belted out every single chorus from the dance floor.

While we entertained, two female guests danced kinetically on the dance floor, feeding off each other’s energy.  It was very entertaining for everyone watching.  Early in the night, I joked in the mic, “I’d like to hire you two as aerobics instructors.”  They kept dancing, hollered back, “OK!,” and we all laughed.  Then they said, “We’ll be out here all night.”   (Which was good for our business of keeping the dance floor busy!)

After playing what our couple had chosen for their last song of the night, we still had a little time left, so I played the only remaining request on my piano, which was for “any song by Queen.”  We sang Bohemian Rhapsody, which has seen a resurgence in popularity since the recent movie about the band was released.  While singing the opening lines, I got one of my fiendish and silly ideas to customize the last two words of the intro for our guests of honor:

“Any way the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me...   _______ski.”  

I had inserted their new shared last name.

Congratulations, Chris & Heather!

“We just wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for everything!  The whole day went smoothly and was perfect.  We got so many compliments about how great the entertainment was and our guests had a great time!” —Heather & Chris

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In addition to our private events, Piano Wars! has these 3 shows in 3 Michigan cities this summer, all open to the public!  Come on down!

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So proud of my company, Piano Wars!, for providing the entertainment for this event for the past nine years.  My thanks to Paul Bickel for being my awesome dueling partner at these shows, and thanks to all of the fantastic members of the Bowling Green Rotary Club!

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Recently, Piano Wars! played a show at a venue in Ontario where they had Tim from Crystalove Luxury Designs got to dress up the stage before we got there.  He did a fabulous job!

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Former Michigan residents Kris & Alicia are a loving and pleasant couple and it was so enjoyable to work with them. They were married at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan on October 20th, 2018. Piano Wars! helped them with all of their entertainment fun, from planning to ceremony to cocktails to last song.

The reception was held in the Knight’s Castle and the ceremony took place outdoors, in the castle’s courtyard. Autumn and Jeanne, two of the venue’s excellent coordinators, made sure everything ran smoothly from the venue’s perspective.

About a hundred guests were invited to witness the marriage, enjoy a fantastic meal from Catering By Kelly, and dance the night away to alternating live dueling pianos and DJ music sets.

The toasts to the bride and groom were as sweet as the dessert doughnuts. The couple also scheduled a late-night snack of sub sandwiches.

Congratulations, Alicia & Kris!

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!  You were great and totally made our day the best day ever!  You guys were amazing and I've heard nothing but great things from everyone who was there!"

--Alicia & Kris

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Travis & Alaxys exchanged their wedding vows during a comfortably cool afternoon on the outdoor patio at Little Turtle Golf Club in Westerville, Ohio on September 22nd, 2018.

Rebecca Teflinski did a fabulous job of coordinating and setup for the venue, while Piano Wars! coordinated the music for their ceremony and the entertainment for their reception, which was held indoors at the club. About 130 guests partied after dinner to our dueling pianos and DJ music.

Alaxys & Travis had one of the most unique and clever ideas for their grand entrance. First, their bridal party entered the reception to the song “Jump Around,” by House of Pain, and assembled in a "C" shape on the dance floor in front of the pianos.  At that moment, we cued the bridal party to use their feet and hands to “stomp-stomp-clap, stomp stomp-clap” in the rhythm of “We Will Rock You” while we sang along. That was the bride and groom's cue to dance into the room, hamming it up on their way in with the guests cheering them on. It was cool and fun to watch!

We loved the venue and hope to play there more in the future. Travis & Alaxys could not have been any nicer to work with. We enjoyed being a part of their love-filled wedding day.

Congratulations, Alaxys & Travis!

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Brian and Shayla will be married at the beach in 2019 on Bois Blanc Island in Michigan.  Piano Wars! was hired for DJ entertainment on the day before their wedding, and we'll also provide ceremony music and live dueling pianos and DJ reception entertainment on their wedding day.  As always, we'll include our expert entertainment planning and coordination. We played Brian's brother's wedding last year, so the bride- and groom-to be are already Piano Wars! fans.  We're very excited to help them celebrate. Congratulations, Shayla & Brian!