Together we make more than beautiful music

Carol Ann Drescher and Robert McMahon Carroll were musicians from the same wedding band more than a year before their own love story began.

Both joined Hankrane Music's Dane Light Band, a production company that coordinates live bands in April 2019, and met their first gig that month at an apartment complex in Oyster Bay in Woodbury, New York.

“We were filling the gap for the two members who married each other and moved,” Drescher said. “He was very stoned and had some tattoos, so I found Rob to be intimidating.”

However, Carroll was drawn to Drescher. “When I saw Carol Anne, I was like, 'Um, I'm in trouble.' ”

“Every time I tried to talk to Rob, he gave me a single answer, but he wasn't involved,” Drescher, 32, said.

Carroll, 33, said he felt that Drescher “moved too far forward and loud.”

They became friends when Carroll drove Mr. Drescher into an apartment in Manhattan's Washington Heights area during a three-hour ride after his wedding job in Montauk, New York.

(Click here to read this week's featured couples.)

They started chatting outside of work by text and phone. It was usually late at night. “We would send memes to each other and exchange names of cool books we read,” Drescher said. “Rob became a part of my everyday life and eventually we started hanging out in person.”

Drescher recently moved to New York from Annapolis, Maryland, where Carroll, who lived in New Hyde Park, New York, helped her explore her new home. “Rob would take me to museums like Mama and his favorite bars and restaurants,” she said.

Carroll and Drescher performed together at social and corporate events under the name Dane Wright, who has nothing to do with their roles in wedding bands.

Their relationship became romantic on December 15, 2020 when they attended a mutual friend's birthday party near New Hyde Park. “It was too late for Carol Anne to take the train in Manhattan, so I offered her to spend the night on my couch,” Carol said. “When we got to our place, we couldn't speak, talk, get enough of each other.”

At one point, Mr. Drescher grabbed Mr. Carroll's hand and leaned forward to kiss him. “I was worried about ruining our friendship, but it felt very strong,” she said. “Fortunately, Rob was accepted and passionately kissed me.”

Drescher wanted to marry Carol after seeing Chris Stapleton Country Love sing “Tennessee Whiskey” at his January 2021 wedding. “His voice looked beautiful and very sincere.”

Growing up in Annapolis, Drescher is a full-time musician who sings and plays several instruments, including piano, drums and bass guitar. She holds a bachelor's degree in music from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the other in nursing from Farmingdale State University in Long Island.

Carroll is also a full-time musician who sings and plays several instruments, including piano, guitar and drums, and performs at Catholic masses and funerals in Long Beach. He holds a bachelor's degree in music performance from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

When the wedding season was late in February and March 2021, the couple got closer, but kept their courtship a secret from their bandmates. They spent their days at Mr. Carroll's house, cooking, watching movies, and reading books. “Carol Anne lived with me without it becoming official,” Carol said. “It was clear we were soulmates.”

When the wedding was featured again in late April and the two had no doubt about their commitment, they put their bandmates in their romance. That same month they moved to an apartment in Westbury, New York

They got engaged on August 14th, 2023. Drescher entered the living room and found Mr. Carol holding a box with a diamond ring he had chosen a few months ago.

In May 2024, the couple purchased a nursing school graduate at another milestone as “Dress House,” a waterfront three-bedroom colonial in Lindenhurst, New York. She plans to pursue a career in this field while continuing as a musician.

They got married on March 7th, and 140 guests were married at an apartment complex in Oyster Bay, where they performed together at their first wedding. The event was hosted by Michelle Larosa, who was appointed to the ministry for weddings outside of business hours.

During the reception, Carroll surprised Drescher and the crowd with a slow, love-ballad recording that called him “The One.” “The song is about finding that perfect person that Carol Anne is,” Carol said.