I cannot recommend Blue Wave. Unfortunately, they lacked the preparation and professionalism expected of a wedding band, and their behavior put a damper on what should have been a joyful day. They failed to uphold parts of our contract and even introduced new "policies" not stated anywhere in writing in an effort to charge additional fees. A few specific issues: Last-minute demands: On the morning of our wedding, the first thing I experience was our wedding planner knocking on our door to tell me that the band was refusing to play our pre- ceremony music. (!!) unless we paid extra--despite already being paid to run the ceremony sound, having received the timeline weeks earlier, and previously agreeing to do so. This was not the way I wanted to start my my wedding day. Missed cues: They failed to play the correct recessional song, and when asked, instead played music that was meant for our first dances and cake cutting. We had to send my brother-in-law to DJ the post-recessional music from his Sportify. Refusal to make announcements: They declined to do our wedding party announcement, again citing a "policy" about hours worked that wasn't in the contract. We had to draft one of our cousins to do this at last minute notice. Technical mistakes: They mishandled the start of the dancing--an especially disappointing moment since our extended family of 40+ had rehearsed a choreographed routine--simply because they didn't load the correct Spotify link we had sent in advance. read more

A shocking lack of professionalism. The band did not follow virtually any of the terms agreed upon before the wedding. It seemed like they just showed up without any awareness of our run-of-show and tried to figure it out on the fly. I ended up having to DJ the recessional because the band failed to do so read more

Had Blue Wave play at our wedding, and they were great across the board; from the ceremony to the reception where they had the whole place dancing, they took our playlist and made our wedding a day no one will forget! Especially since their videography created amazing videos enabling us to relive each moment any time we want! read more

We hired Blue Wave Band for our wedding at Columbia Gorge Hotel a couple weeks ago, and they were phenomenal! Initially, we had a few concerns after seeing some recent negative reviews online, but once we reached out to our main contact, Marc, he quickly put our minds at ease and addressed everything with professionalism and care. The music throughout the evening was perfect. The classy trio set the tone during cocktail hour, and the full band brought incredible energy to the reception with every classic wedding song--they had everyone on their feet and raving! We even requested that they learn "Mr. Brightside," and watching everyone jump and dance during the last song was unforgettable--a true core memory. To wrap up the night, Marc DJ'd inside the hotel ballroom, and the vibe was just like a college frat party from 2012, which was exactly what we had envisioned. Every detail exceeded our expectations, and I couldn't imagine a better atmosphere for our celebration. read more

After our experience with Blue Wave Band--and especially with its owner Marc--I feel compelled to share in hopes of helping another couple avoid the stress, frustration, and heartbreak we experienced. Our issues didn't start on the wedding day; they started well before. Communication from Marc was inconsistent and at times completely absent. He asked us to complete an outdated, time-consuming questionnaire on his website (which my partner spent two hours filling out), only to then request all new music links via email just one week before our wedding. Why not say that earlier? The most devastating mistake was during our reception when they played the wrong wedding song (first dance)--even though we provided the exact link in advance, twice. Marc's excuse? "The link might've had ads." If that was an issue, why wasn't it addressed before our wedding? There was no quality control or system in place to ensure our most important songs were correct. We also paid an extra $900 for a string quartet and ceremony microphone, and this part was particularly heartbreaking. The quartet showed up late because they "didn't account for traffic" from Portland to Hood River on a Friday afternoon. There was no apology, no introduction, and no communication before or after they performed. Worst of all, no one could hear them during the ceremony because they weren't mic'd. Despite Blue Wave Band claiming they were familiar with our venue and the outdoor setup, they made no adjustments for the wind--something we had expected them to be prepared for. When we brought this up to Marc, his response was simply: "They're never mic'd." If that's their standard, why didn't he advise us before we booked them? We would've made a very different decision. To make matters worse, the ceremony mic didn't work properly either. So between that and the inaudible quartet, we essentially paid extra for a completely failed ceremony sound experience. Don't worry, Marc's excuse was, "one mic worked, the one that didn't was free and we usually charge for it"... uhh?? The DJ was also disappointing. He never introduced himself to us, asked once if dinner music was okay, and that was the extent of our interaction. Our wedding coordinator couldn't find him multiple times throughout the night--he was inside the house, eating and drinking, instead of at his post. When we brought this up, Marc defended it as a "break" and said the DJ prefers to "stay in the background" to avoid outshining the couple. Yes, everyone deserves a break, but how many? That's not how a professional DJ should operate. After the wedding, we reached out to share our concerns--calmly and in good faith--hoping for accountability, empathy, or at least a gesture of goodwill. Instead, Marc responded defensively, blaming everything from spam folders to "standard practices," and claimed the contract had been fulfilled. There was zero accountability, no ownership of the mistakes, and no effort to make things right. As our wedding coordinator later wrote to Marc: "Instead of working toward a solution, your response shifts the focus to assigning blame--which is not constructive or aligned with the collaborative spirit that wedding professionals should uphold." That says it all. I would never recommend Blue Wave Band to any couple. Between the communication issues, broken promises, and complete lack of accountability, they were easily the most frustrating part of our wedding. I wasn't a bride with a long list of must-haves--I didn't care much about flowers or décor. The one thing I truly looked forward to was walking down the aisle to a live string quartet. And no one could even hear it. Save yourself the stress. Choose vendors who communicate, take responsibility, and care about your day as much as you do. Blue Wave Band is not that vendor. read more

Blue Wave Band was crucial to achieving the wedding of our dreams. We wanted the dance floor to be alive and packed from the first song to the very last, and they delivered!! Not only were they A++ day of (with ceremony sound, MC during the dinner and toasts, and full band on the dance floor), they were incredibly professional and easy to work with leading up to the event. As a type A bride, this made my life so much easier and calmer. I can't thank them enough. read more

We had five band members play at our wedding. Amazing musicians! They did a fantastic job. Can't rave enough!

Blue Wave lacked preparation and professionalism that brought a damper to our wedding day; they failed to meet the terms of the contract and created new 'policies' not written in the contract to attempt to charge additional fees. A subset of grievances include: 1) Telling us on the morning of our wedding (!!) they would no longer play music before the processional (as simple as playing a playlist), unless we would pay additional fees, citing a new policy around hours worked. This was despite the fact they were already paid to run the ceremony sound system, had the wedding timeline weeks prior, and had agreed to do this. 2) Failing to play music in the recessional (and when asked, instead played music saved for our dances and cake cutting). 3) Refusing to do our announcement (citing similar policies around hours, again, not in the contract). 4) Botching the start of the dancing for which our extended family of 40+ people had practiced a choreographed dance, by failing to do something as simple as loading the right song on Spotify that we had sent the link to. While the band itself did a good job, it's difficult to overcome the professionalism. We cannot recommend Blue Wave under any circumstance. read more

My wife and I hired Marc because he was recommended highly by The Knot website. We were very pleased by his performance and knowledge of music. He is very professional, dressed the part and our evening went off without a hitch, (pun definitely intended). He immediately assessed our guests and knew exactly what to play to make sure we had an incredible reception. I recommend his services without any reservations. I would hire him/Blue Wave Band for any and all dance party/ reception needs without a second thought. read more

My wife and I recently had Blue Wave Band play at our wedding. Their performance is what brought our wedding to life! I am still hearing from family and friends about how wonderful they thought Blue Wave was, even two months after our wedding! Great selection and variety of music, beyond A+ music talent, great MC work, willing to work with us on timing/location/add ons etc. We are grateful to have had Blue Wave Band play at our wedding. read more

Blue Wave Band was a highlight of our wedding! They had the dance floor rocking all night - our guests are still talking about how fun they were! We also had a string trio for our ceremony and jazz trio for cocktail hour - both were excellent! David is easy to work with and was so helpful during the planning process in managing all our sound for the day (mics for the ceremony too!). They invited my husband up on stage for a cameo drumming which was so fun and we will remember forever! Absolutely recommend Blue Wave, they helped make our day so special. read more

Poor communication, no follow-up; requested music was not played because of this. Extra paid for sound which didn't work during the ceremony. Phone call at almost midnight the night before because he didn't have a signed contract. The update with an additional $900 was never received. DJ was not engaged and spent lots of time indoors and the playlist was not as requested. Very disappointed and blame was passed on without apologies. Our wedding was small (65) and elegant. With all the contracts signed, I wish there was one to protect the customer. I would NOT recommend them. read more

We hired Blue Wave Band for our daughter's wedding on 6/1/24. We had a keyboardist play the music during the wedding and a 6-piece band for the reception. We also rented their Photo Booth. All I can say is that the band BLEW AWAY my expectations. They were sensational. Our family & friends raved about them. Many said this was the best wedding they had ever attended, and I give a lot of the credit for that to Blue Wave Band. Marc was so pleasant & easy to work with. I cant recommend them enough! Book them fast! read more

The Blue Wave Band played at our wedding as both a jazz combo and a six piece band, and they knocked it out of the park. They are extremely talented and creative musicians that know how to start a party and keep the party going. Everyone got up to dance and sing together to crowd favorites, and many guests remarked on how uncanny the band's cover renditions were of the originals - they put a lot of attention to detail. Our point-person, RL, was very communicative and helpful throughout the planning process, and he was fantastic on guitar. The band was also super receptive to our music likes, dislikes, and special requests. I'm a musician myself, and asked the band if it would be possible to learn a song of mine to play together on stage, and they were happy to accommodate! I was blown away - we'd never played before at all, and I'd only sent along some sheet music and a reference recording, but they played it flawlessly. Long story short, booking BWB is absolutely the right call. But if you want to hear them for yourself, definitely go to one of their showcase performances! That's where we first saw Paige (an awesome vocalist and frontwoman) and Cliff (an unstoppable sax player) and specifically requested them for the wedding. We really could not be happier with the band's professionalism and performance, and can't recommend them enough. read more

I had my wedding at Waverley Country Club on Saturday, July 26, 2025 and we hired the Blue Wave Band for our wedding and they were phenomenal! From the first contact to the last song of the night, they were professional, responsive, and incredibly talented. They worked closely with us to tailor the setlist to our tastes just for our big day. The music was flawless--everything from the romantic ceremony pieces with the strings to the upbeat reception dance hits that kept our guests entertained and on the dance floor all night. So many of our guests came up to us raving about the band and asking where we found them. Their energy, sound quality, and stage presence were top-notch. You can tell they love what they do, and it made all the difference! If you're looking for a live band that will elevate your wedding to the next level, Blue Wave Band is it. Thank you again for making our night unforgettable! read more

Loved every interaction with this group! Very prompt, professional and talented! Thank you , Dave and the entire Blue Wave Band!!!

This review is long overdue, because my wife and I hired them to play at our wedding back in 2020 (which then became 2021 thanks to COVID), but better late than never. Hire this band for your event. They are fantastic in just about every way and completely worth it. Book early. We reached out to them roughly a year ahead of time to get information about how they worked. They responded immediately and provided us with samples of their performances of various commonly requested wedding songs and information about instrumentation and pricing options. They also invited us to come and watch a live performance at a venue down in SODO. We were blown away by how talented everyone was and by how much fun everyone was having playing, exactly the sort of band you'd want at a party. Once we booked them, they sent us a link to a page where we could fill in all of our music preferences, it was very easy to use and very well organized. They will let you pick every single song if that is what you want, or they will let you tell them preferred types of songs/genres if you want them to help put together the set list. You can also identify songs you do not want played. Depending on your budget and what you are looking for, they can provide a variety of instrumentation/vocalists. You can get whatever fits your event. They were very responsive to email throughout the process. Additionally, the band is on board with special requests. We made multiple and they accommodated everything, and were even excited about them. They let us make a special request for a song they did not have an arrangement for as part of a dance number we wanted to do. They wrote it themselves, and it was a highlight of the evening for everyone involved. At our request they also arranged for my wife and I to be able to sing a duet number with the band as backing, which was incredibly fun. We ended up having to reschedule our wedding reception due to the COVID pandemic and they were extremely accommodating about our rescheduling. Though all wedding vendors were hurting during that time, they did not raise any fuss about rescheduling and did not charge us anything for moving the date. During the wedding everything involving the band was smooth sailing. They brought all their own equipment and set up everything themselves. Their performance was fantastic. Many of our guests commented to us afterwards on how awesome the band was. They were a blast and I will definitely be hiring them again in the future for other parties if I ever have the chance. read more

This wedding band is the absolute BEST and they know how to throw an amazing party! We and all our guests were raving about the band. They have such amazing talent and made the party incredible. We couldn't recommend them enough! read more

Blue Wave played at my wedding and was AMAZING. I was not sure what to expect from a live band at a wedding but they really exceeded my expectations. They really got the guests up and dancing and everyone had so much fun either dancing or just watching the band. It really took our wedding to the next level. Blue Wave has some amazing artists. You can't go wrong with hiring them for your event! We had a keyboardist for the ceremony which was beautiful and a 6-piece band for a wedding with 75 guests. It was perfect. read more

The band was so professional from start to finish. They have great planning documents, phone calls, etc. to guarantee to get exactly what you want. I really appreciate the professionalism and delivering on all promises. We hired them for our pre ceremony, ceremony, cocktails and reception. Definitely get as many instruments as you can, it really made the difference! They were so talented and our biggest regret was not having them play longer! read more

Everything about the Blue Wave Band came off spectacularly at my Son's wedding. It was exactly the live music experience that they hoped for to make the evening very special and memorable. There was nothing but high praise from all who attended, many who danced to the bitter end. The music was fantastic, with a stellar professional line-up. And the booking and planning stages went so incredibly smoothly, what a bonus!! I would defiantly book them again, and highly recommend the Blue Wave Band for your event. read more

The Blue Wave Band just played at my daughter's wedding in Sunriver, OR. They exceeded my expectations in every way. Marc is very organized and detailed. He works with you ahead of time to get everything nailed down. They did the PA system for the outside ceremony and then used our playlist for the cocktail hour. Sarah MC'd the reception and was flawless. By the time the reception started, I know their planning was great but once they started playing, their musicianship blew us all away. They can play just about anything and play it well. I lost count of how many people told me they were "the best wedding band I've ever heard." If I had another wedding to plan I would not hesitate to book them - in fact I'd go as far as to check with them to make sure they are available before picking a date. read more

The Blue Wave Band played at my wedding and provided an incredible experience from start to finish. If you have the opportunity to book them, jump at the chance. read more

Absolutely perfect planning process, performance, and overall experience for our wedding!

The band played for my company holiday party and it was so much fun! Having a live band really made a difference to our party. The communication thru the whole process was great. I would highly recommend them! read more

To summarize: While the musicians were generally great, Blue Wave Band did mess up nearly everything we asked them to do at our wedding. If you have any specific requests or visions for your wedding music, we strongly suggest finding another band (especially for the cost). When looking for a wedding band, BWB seemed awesome, and the reviews online were nearly perfect. They have a relatively high-tech website and our point of contact, David, was more-or-less responsive (at least compared to most vendors). We were spending a lot of money on them (more than any other vendor) but we were ok with that because the music was really important to us, and they are a "premium" band. - For the ceremony: the string quartet that BWB provided played all three songs incorrectly; BWB provided a mic stand with a boom arm extension, which is obstructive for a wedding ceremony because it sticks out far forward (it interrupted our 'I Do's); BWB put the mic stand in front of the altar and not on the altar, so our officiant had to move it up to the altar herself live, and it ended up being off-centered as a result. - For cocktail hour: we walked out to join 30 min after cocktail hour began and didn't see any of the horns that we requested. - For the reception: we gave them clear instructions that they were to begin playing immediately after the speeches ended, but when the speeches ended at 8:55PM, the band was nowhere to be found, and they didn't start playing until 9:10PM; the band on several occasions awkwardly paused in between songs because they didn't know what songs they were supposed to play, despite the fact that I had given them a list of songs weeks in advance, and I asked David for a set list a few weeks leading up to the wedding but he refused to provide one, saying "I don't really have a full list since we'll have a lot of singers with us (awesome!)"; the band leader harassed our DJ that she had played two of the band songs, but upon clarification, the band leader was wrong. - For the videography from BWB: the videographer failed to capture one of the three dances. When I initially brought these issues up with David, I asked for our full tip amount back at the very least (we had already given the tip to the band in advance). He apologized for my unmet expectations and offered 40% back, and he said that some things were out of their control, claiming that the venue did not provide adequate dinner meals (why they were 15 minutes late to the stage) and that covid had caused some last-minute substitutions (why they had multiple pauses). I responded saying I did not think that was fair. After back and forth, David revealed that the string arranger had in fact "missed the finer details" and that the videographer missed a dance because he "had a lot going on", and that they were both sorry, but gave no other explanations for the other issues. He then agreed to refund the full tip amount (nothing more) and again apologized for my feelings. After we received this, I then made it very clear to David that I didn't think that this was enough given their reputation and cost, and stated that if I were in his position, I would have offered a more significant refund given how much stress BWB caused us during our wedding and also the days after on our honeymoon. I told David that I was going to post this review online in 7 days unless they offered at least a 50% refund and to also please let me know if anything is not accurate. He did not respond. read more

Hire... these... people! Seriously these guys are amazing. The Blue Wave Band is a conglomeration of musicians who make an impromptu grouping depending on what the client is looking for. So, if you're doing a corporate event and want a 4-person string quartet the musicians who will play your event will probably be different than if you requested a 20-person rock band with a full horn section for a gala. My husband and I booked a 5 piece rock/pop band for our June '22 wedding and we worked with an amazing producer from the group named RL who was so easy to talk to, always responsive and just generally awesome. They have an online client portal and the more detailed you are the better the producer can do. RL pulled together THE MOST AMAZING band who couldn't have been a better fit for us or for our guests. The singer the band brought was top of the line, amazing, gifted... we can't say enough! She even learned 2 songs - one for our ceremony, the other for our first dance and sung both beautifully. While we understand if we hired Blue Wave Band again, we'd likely have a different band, we have little doubt whoever they would bring would be amazing! read more

We had a wonderful experience working with the Blue Wave Band from start to finish! Leading up to our big day, they helped guide us every step of the way to curate and create the exact vibe we were going for, and I felt so confident that they understood what we wanted. We started with a string quartet for the ceremony and we were able to proceed into the ceremony to some of our favorite songs played on the string instruments. They played great music for the cocktail hour and dinner, and played our requested songs for our first dances. Then it was time for them to shine during dancing. The dance party was absolutely epic and we had the best time ever. They struck the perfect balance between playing the classics and more recent hits. They also did a great job MCing throughout the evening and that made for a smooth run of show from beginning to end. Thank you Blue Wave Band! read more