Leonard Neil Productions

Okay, so you’ve decided to have live music at your wedding. You may know which song you want to accompany you down the aisle, and which one you want played during the first dance. But where do you go from there? Straight to Leonard Neil. He’s a combination bandleader, musical advisor, coordinator and nice guy, who has a real grasp of THE BIG PICTURE. He doesn’t just concentrate on the music, he focuses on the flow of the whole event. And throughout the entire process he’s sensitive to your needs, putting his own ego on the back burner. As wedding planner after wedding planner told us: This is a man who never forgets that the day is not about him, it’s about the bride and groom.

His versatility is unmatched. No matter the size or style of your event, Leonard Neil will give you exactly what you want. You can engage a simple combo, or add a small horn section for a more exciting sound. If you prefer a big band for a larger affair, or a full orchestra with strings for an elegant soirée, he has just the right talent at his fingertips. Leonard is adept at bridging the generations, with smooth transitions from swing to rock, and Motown to contemporary hits. His vocalists are studio quality, performing accurate renditions of selections originally recorded by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey, The Temptations, The Beatles, The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and many more. But versatility alone isn’t what makes him so special.

He hires only the best. His musicians have worked with Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Phil Collins, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick and Elvis Presley. “His expertise far exceeds what would normally be needed for a wedding,” says another wedding vendor. But even that isn’t what makes him so special.

What really sets him apart is the extra care he takes to make sure your day comes out just the way you want it. “When you hire Leonard for an event, he’s really THERE,” says one wedding coordinator. But, for Leonard Neil the process begins long before the big day.

He starts with the most important song of all: the one you want for your first dance. Weeks before the wedding, he sits down at the piano with the soon-to-be bride and groom, and plays their chosen song at various tempos while he watches them dance to it, determining the precise tempo that will show them off at their best. He and the happy couple go on from there to plan the whole set. “It’s not just a matter of stringing tunes together,” he says. “My goal is to have everyone out there dancing and having fun. Ideally, each set should build to a musical climax.”

The climaxes are designed to segue seamlessly into the traditional wedding highlights, like the best man’s toast, the “father/daughter” dance or the entrée being served. To ensure that the music and the highlights coincide as planned, Leonard is likely to duck into the kitchen to check with the caterer about the ETA of the food. Whether it’s running late or it’s ahead of schedule, he can adjust the set to accommodate any change in timing.

Or he might be in the back of the room, personally inspecting the sound system….or checking in with the bride and groom to make sure everything is going exactly the way they wanted. Wherever he is, he’s always paying close attention to the floor, constantly fine-tuning the music to make sure everyone is having as good a time as possible. To him, pacing and momentum are everything.

“It’s like having another event coordinator out there,” one wedding coordinator told us. “People should take advantage of what Leonard has to offer. He’s not just a band leader. He offers a lot more.”