The LustreLights is a dedicated group of professional musicians and entertainers who have performed in a variety of musical settings. Whether it be a ceremony, a reception, an outdoor concert, or a corporate function, The LustreLights will always bring audiences to their feet. From pop, rock, and dance, to classical and jazz, our versatility and years of experience will ensure that your event will be the talk of the town.
Mission
Band Leader – Kara Baldus
Kara has over eighteen years of experience playing in some of St. Louis’ most popular event bands. She has used this expertise to assemble a group of talented musicians who she has worked with frequently throughout the years. All of the musicians in the band have degrees in music and are well-respected throughout the community. Kara has been a full-time instructor of jazz piano at Washington University in St. Louis since 2005. Building on her valuable knowledge and versatility she and The LustreLights are confident that they can deliver an event for you to remember!
Social
The LustreLights were our "priority vendor" and let me tell you - it was worth it. Being a professional musician myself, it was a no-brainer to have this talented and fabulous group of musicians play at our wedding. We hired the full band with horns, and we had a jazz trio play for cocktail hour. It was perfect. Totally worth every single penny! All night long my family and friends came up to me to tell me how awesome the band was. It really tickled me seeing how happy and excited they were about the band! Nothing beats a live band for your entertainment! They brought the party, interacted with the wedding guests (at a safe distance #covid), and kept everyone dancing with high energy. Not only was our wedding night amazing and fun, the whole process leading up to our day was smooth. Communication with the band was very easy, which was especially helpful when we had to reschedule due to Covid. The LustreLights are incredibly professional, not only in how they perform, but also in how they run their business. 1000% recommend!!
Lustre lights is AMAZING! Weeks later and I'm still getting notes from my guests telling me how incredible they were. They kept the energy in the room high all night long and the lead singers were the best special event performers I've seen (I plan events for a living). My husband and I planned out a choreographed dance for our first dance and the band was super accommodating and learned the song in the correct BPM to sing it live for us. It made it all the more special. The gist is they are worth every penny, every bride deserves them, if you want to have a high energy, fun wedding you found your key.
My family and I absolutely LOVED the Lustrelights!!! Kara , the band leader, was so sweet and amazing to work with. The two lead singers are incredible!! And the band as a whole is so interactive with the guests, we just cannot say enough good things. We had so many compliments at the end of the night. The Lustrelights truly made our wedding the best day, even during COVID season. They are the best wedding band in St.Louis!
The LustreLights absolutely MADE our wedding reception! They were so good at every detail from the introductions to the last dance. The bride and groom and all of our guests couldn’t get enough of the band all night. Their energy and love for our party are their secret ingredients for making our wedding reception so memorable! Our friends and family can’t stop talking about how awesome Kara, Dan and everyone with the band was on our special night. Thank you LustreLights! Also, thank you Contemporary Productions and Gretchen for making the planning so easy!
We found and booked the LustreLights before their first live performance, August 25th 2017. Our immediate reaction: “Holy crap, this is our band!” We had so much fun listening and dancing the night away that night, that we kept coming back, each time with more friends and family, to show off their amazing talent! Working with Lauren has been seamless and her response time was always very quick and professional.
Kara, you are so amazing! You always made us feel so special at all of your shows and we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding reception! From the Jazz at dinner, the horns accompanying the father/daughter dance, to the whole band rocking the house the entire night, we wish we could re-live it every single weekend!
If you’re on the fence about live music vs a band, we would always recommend live. And if you’re picking out a band, we would 10/10 recommend LustreLights!! I promise, they will not disappoint!
Well, what can we say. LustreLights absolutely rocked our wedding! We cannot possibly recommend them highly enough. Here are some things you should know about LustreLights:
1. Kara, Dan, and the whole band are total pros. Not only incredible musicians but also so courteous and respectful and willing to dial-in a set list and create a vibe that works with YOUR wedding.
2. There was never an air of "you're just another wedding for us". With LustreLights, they wanted to be there, they wanted to make it a special night for us. They did not act as if this was just another gig to get through and get paid.
3. LustreLights really listened to us and made every effort to accommodate song requests, timing of dances, and anything else we wanted to hear/do for the night. You will be in VERY good hands with them.
All in all, they helped make our wedding absolutely unforgettable and would recommend them to anyone out there looking for a band that can play damn near anything you're looking for. We had a mix of Motown, soul, country and pop and they nailed all of it.
THANK YOU for helping give us the wedding of our dreams. You made the weekend and we cannot get over how incredible you were. Your energy, charisma, helpfulness, attentiveness, spunk, and talent truly turned the weekend into the best of our lives!
Our guests have not stopped commenting that you were the best wedding band/DJ they have ever seen. I feel so very lucky that we found you. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.
The Lustrelights are by far the best wedding band I've ever experienced! They were extremely professional and the nicest group of people. They said yes to all of my crazy bride requests like: Can my best friend sing with you? Is it OK if I sing with you? Can we shoot off confetti canons at 10:30pm sharp? Our wedding reception was amazing but The Lustrelights made it 100% unforgettable!!!
As a first time groom and long time musician performer, I was keen in having an exceptional group play at our wedding. LustreLights is that exceptional group of musicians whose sole purpose is a successful event. Their repertoire consists of all the great songs plus your Requests! Their sense of volume vis a vis the space is excellent. Everyone could converse without yelling over the music. The one constant comment I got during the reception was » awesome band!
One of the best elements of the wedding. So easy to work with from booking to performance. Guests of all ages were able to enjoy their incredible talents. They even let my brother join them for a song on the drums. Many guests have asked us about them and said they were their favorite wedding band. Can't recommend them enough!
The LustreLights were absolutely fantastic; the dance party was nonstop! The ensemble has a diverse list of songs that cater to all ages across many genres. They have great sound, groove, passion and energy and their performance was lively throughout the night. The use of their 3 part vocal harmonies was stellar. We used Kara, the keyboard player, for our ceremony and she was very talented and able to replicate a difficult and meaningful song for our procession. Everyone from the band manager to the band members were prompt in their communication, flexible with last minute changes and very professional. Our guests are still raving it was one of the best weddings they have been to and an unforgettable night of fun while on the dance floor. Thank you LustreLights!!
Where do I begin?! We can not recommend The Lustrelights highly enough! Their energy, performance, and musical talent was the best I have ever seen at a wedding. In addition to every musician/singer being extremely talented, the band was wonderful to work with- flexible, professional, helpful, and friendly. Our guests are still raving about the Lustrelights and how much fun they had dancing and singing the night away. The Lustrelights put their heart and soul into making the dance floor and vibe come alive at our wedding- we are forever grateful!
The LustreLights played our law school formal ball and everybody loved the band! They were professional, amenable, and so very much fun! Starting the night with a Stevie Wonder classic was brilliant! Very highly recommend.
[The LustreLights] were FANTASTIC! Easy to work with, very professional, the crowd loved them, they sounded great -- I only have wonderful things to say!
I'm sure I'll be reaching out to you to book them again in the future :)
The committee really enjoyed the band and heard a lot of great feedback from the crowd. “What a professional and engaging band” was said more than once. Lots of compliments for both of the lead singers – but big raves about the lead male vocalist! I must say – the help they gave me and those who used the stage and their microphone was the best.
They were truly just great people! Thank you for suggesting them.