Weddings & Events
Weddings
The perfect dress hangs in the closet. You have chosen menus, flowers, worked with the photographer and picked the band or DJ. What remains to make your wedding both beautiful and memorable? Why ceremony music, of course. This subtle, yet all-important element will create the mood you desire as you make those time honored vows.
Having played hundreds of weddings, I have come to understand how important my years of experience are to my clients. Being familiar with different liturgies and types of services and settings means I can advise the bride about suitable musical choices and help her plan her walk down the aisle so that it is perfect. Only the experienced live performer can be sensitive to the intricate and essential art of timing the processional, the recessional and the service music so that your ceremony proceeds flawlessly.
Regardless where your ceremony takes place, you need prelude music while the guests are being seated, twenty to thirty minutes before the ceremony is due to begin. You may choose a special piece as the mothers are seated. Then it is time for the processional. Often there is one piece of processional music played while the attendants walk down the aisle and another piece just for the bride. You should take special care to choose these pieces as they set the mood for the whole service.
Music during the ceremony will depend on both you and the officiant. Music is often used between readings, during the candle lighting ceremony and during communion, should that be part of your service. A joyful and commanding recessional at the end of your service signals that it is time to celebrate this new union!
If you are to be married in a church or temple, the simplest choice for a musician is to use the church or temple organist. To set your ceremony apart, however, you might consider hiring a harpist to play the wedding party down the aisle. Nothing is more elegant than a harpist with her golden harp. And what could be more romantic than walking down the aisle to the lovely strains of the harp!
If your wedding takes place outside or in a function hall or hotel, then hiring ceremony musicians is a must. Harp music carries beautifully in these settings. It is easy to move the short distance to the cocktail area, and so for very little extra cost, why not consider having harp music for both ceremony and cocktails.
The cocktail hour is another place where harp music can enhance your day. Once the corks pop and the party begins, the music, too, should change from the classical music used for the ceremony, to lighter fare. Jazz tunes, standards, and current hits are in order here. The sounds of the harp in the background are always delightful and never overpowering. It is with this repertoire that the harp really shines as we play Beatles and Bachrach, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gershwin, Cole Porter, and perhaps even a chorus of “Stairway to Heaven.”
One final thought: years later, it is the unique touch that will stay with your guests. They won’t remember the menu, or the flowers, but they will remember what was unusual and what was beautiful. Choose your music and musician carefully and make yours a wedding to remember!
Other Events
- Receptions
- Christenings
- Cocktail Parties
- Open Houses
- Intimate Dinners
- Store Promotions
- Fashion Shows
- Museum Affairs
- Gallery Openings
- Women's Clubs
- Funeral Services
- Retirement Parties
- Corporate Luncheons
Music for Every Taste
From classical to pop ... from the drawing room to the board room ...
- Classical
- Sacred
- Celtic
- Popular
- Jazz Standards
- Showtunes
- Country
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