Melissa Hansen
Jacksonville, FL 32259

September 29, 2011

Dear Greg,

Finally, finally, I am sitting down to write you this letter of thanks for all you did to make our daughter’s wedding reception so incredibly wonderful. I have many reasons and excuses for taking so long . . . . But I think the real reason it has taken me so long is that I’ve been frustrated with the lack of adequate words to express my gratefulness. But today is the day for me to at least try to tell you how much you and your awesome band meant to our family on Katy’s special day.

From our very first phone call when I had a thousand questions and just as many concerns, you made me feel at ease. You were kind and calm and confident in what you could provide. You were courteous and fun and kept your sense of humor when I couldn’t find mine. You took my worried “first time mother of the bride crazies” in stride and just let me ask questions until I was satisfied. You understood when I told you that the music was our daughter’s #1 priority for the reception. You were awesome.

When I asked to meet with you in person at The King and Prince with Scarlett Starr one month before the wedding, you didn’t balk even though you knew it was unnecessary. You came and let me talk through everything once more. You didn’t hurry me or laugh at my control freakishness. You let me go through every detail until at last I said something like, “1 just want the music to be wonderful.” I will never forget your response ... you looked me dead in the eyes, leaned across the table and said, “I promise that it will be better than you can even imagine.” Well, that did it. . . that was good enough for me and I just relaxed from that moment on about the music.

I want to thank you for keeping your promise. You were right ... You and your band, Spike at the Beach, were beyond amazing at the reception. From the moment we walked into The Delegal Room we were surrounded by gifts of your outstanding talent and professionalism. Once I got to the reception and heard you I never once worried the whole night about how things would go. The wedding was incredible, The King and Prince over the top ... but the MUSIC was the TALK OF THE NIGHT!!! I can’t tell you how many of our guests raved about YOU guys. We were so proud to have you as our band and it was obvious what a fantastic time everyone had dancing and enjoying your entertainment. You are spectacular.

You may not remember this, but you allowed one of Katy and David’s best friends, Christina, to get up on stage and sing with the band. Thank you for sharing your stage with her. What a fun, special memory for all of us! Another favorite memory will always be the encore (because somehow I missed it the first time!) of Georgia on My Mind at the very end of the night. It was a truly incredible rendition. . . you outdid Ray Charles, and Michael was beyond amazing. We had about 40 Georgia Bulldogs in the crowd, which made it even more special.

So, I guess in the end, I just want to make sure you know how much we appreciate all you did to make Katy and David’s reception so outstanding. I also want to remind you that we have another daughter... so one of these days I’ll be calling you again, I’m sure. I promise to have a lot more trust in you from the beginning, but I’ll probably still be a “control freak mother of the bride”!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Melissa Hansen

Ps. I’ve included some of our favorite pictures of the night. Our amazing photographers were Tim and Michelle Brown of Tim Brown Photography on St. Simons Island.