Dear Gary et. al.,


Jenn and I would like to offer a huge thank you to yourself and the rest of your amazing band. We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with. First, a little background...Jenn and I had attended two weddings in the Philadelphia within a few months of each other and what do you know, the same band played at both. Don't get me wrong, this band was very good, but there was something a little cookie-cutter about them. As we recall, the playlists were even nearly identical. We knew we wanted something different, so we started soliciting proposals.

CD's and brochures began to come in, but nothing jumped out at us until the PFA packet arrived. The cover photos alone screamed "We have a winner". I checked out the back of the CD and was amazed to see songs that I not only loved, but had always wanted to have played at my wedding. And I'm not talking about the same old "wedding standards". I'm talking about great party songs that people of all ages would love. Things were looking good, but when I played the CD, the case was closed. We were going to book PFA.

Here's where things really start to get good. Gary actually came to our home on a Sunday afternoon to begin initial discussions. Service like that is pretty hard to come by these days, so we were once again very impressed. We had one other face to face meeting at a local pub, where Gary picked up the check, as well as several phone and email conversations. Each one was filled with smart, concise answers to any of our questions, in addition to some great advice based on their prior expieriences. Things like the timing of the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances, as well as the speeches were something Gary really helped us figure out.

Finally, the big day arrives. So far everything had gone really well, and not surprisingly, PFA made the day even better. We had a Jazz trio playing during our cocktail hour that people really enjoyed. The music was relaxed, but upbeat and fun at the same time. It wasn't too loud, or too quiet, but just right. Next came our entrance into the ballroom, and once again, PFA delivered. They played a rousing rendition of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" as everyone from the bridal party was introduced and really let it all hang out when Jenn and I were introduced. It was awesome. It's always a great feeling to walk into a room full of applauding people, but PFA got everyone hyped up and really made it special.

Immediately following the introductions, Jenn and I had our first dance. We had gone back and forth on what song we wanted, but eventually chose "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. We had procrastinated on choosing a song for so long, that we didn't think we gave the band enough time to learn it, especially since it wasn't the "radio" version of the song but again, unsurprisingly, they put it together and did a beautiful job. It was perfect. They even had the foresight to shorten the number of chorus' so that the song didn't go it's full 5 minutes, something we really appreciated because we didn't want to be out there all alone for that whole time anyway. And besides, we wanted to get the party started as soon as possible.

The rest of the night was an absolute gem. The playlist was great, they communicated with us the entire time and really put on a great show, culminating with a huge group hug that was really cool. The compliments started coming in fast and furious about halfway through the night, and are still coming more than a month later. We can't say enough how much we enjoyed having PFA play at our wedding. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

All in all, the day was a complete success and all of our guests really enjoyed themselves, thanks in large part to PFA. So if you're planning a wedding and really want it to be a success/fun time, there are two things you need to do. First, pick the right partner. Second, book Philly Funk Authority!!


All the best,
Jenn and Ian Thomson
6/13/2009