Have you played weddings at The Pfister Hotel?
Yes. Dream City Strings has played The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee 6 times, most recently in 2026.
Yes. We've played 6 events at The Pfister Hotel: weddings in 2019, 2022 (two), 2025 and 2026, plus a cocktail hour in 2026. A quartet, trio or duo can play your ceremony and cocktail hour. Call 414-253-2504.
How we planned a recent Pfister wedding
Here is what came up on the planning call for a 2026 Pfister wedding with a full quartet:
- The rooms. The day used the Imperial Ballroom on the 7th floor, with cocktail hour in King's Row, a long open hall.
- Getting there. The hotel elevator works for our instruments.
- Chairs. The Pfister set up the chairs: four in each spot, one per player.
- Sound. The DJ offered a stand mic for cocktail hour in King's Row, and we agreed it was a good idea, with the chairs set around it. The DJ felt the ballroom sounded fine without one.
- Song count. Cocktail hour ran 90 minutes, so the couple needed about 30 songs instead of the usual 20, plus 10 songs of prelude.
- Timing. The musicians were set to arrive at 3:00 for a 3:30 prelude, about 30 minutes ahead as always.
One move is easier than two
If the ceremony and cocktail hour are in different rooms, we'd rather move once. Each move means the players settle into new chairs and may need to retune, and we never want that to hold up a processional. For a long line of attendants, we can repeat one song rather than switch songs mid-procession, because every switch means turning pages. How many processional songs to pick.
The musicians wear suits and ties or black dresses, and don't need meals.
Booking works the same as anywhere else we play. A 50% deposit in your BookLive client portal holds the date, the balance is due a week before, and song picks are due about two weeks ahead. If you'd rather not pick every song, tell us the feel you want and we'll fill in the rest.
What couples say
These reviews are from other Wisconsin weddings.
★★★★★“On the day of the wedding, we had 3 professional musicians perform for us and they showed up on time to set-up! We provided them with a playlist via their portal which they followed to a tee.”
★★★★★“We were especially thankful that they allowed us to request new songs, which they performed expertly.”
★★★★★“This is the 2nd time we have hired them for a wedding and they play beautifully every time!”
Pfister Hotel questions
Who provides the chairs at The Pfister?
At our most recent Pfister wedding, the hotel set them up. We need one chair per player in each spot, so four for a quartet.
Can you get the instruments up to the ballroom?
Yes. The hotel elevator works for our instruments.
Will we need a microphone for cocktail hour?
For a long, open space like King's Row, borrowing the DJ's stand mic is a good idea. We play acoustic otherwise.
How many songs do we need for a 90-minute cocktail hour?
About 30, compared with about 20 for a one-hour cocktail hour.