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Tuesday, September 12, 2006

A Three-Wedding Weekend

What a weekend! Three wedding ceremonies & several students crammed into just a couple of days. What can I say - I love to stay busy!

On Friday, I played for a wedding in a small country church. The late mother of the groom was a harpist, so the bride's family hired me in her memory. It was a beautiful ceremony officiated by the father of the bride. The music included:

First Arabesque (Debussy)
Canon in D (Pachelbel)
Bridal Chorus (Wagner)
All I Ask of You (Webber)
Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)

After teaching a lesson after the ceremony and getting back to South Bend around 11pm, I was back on the road to Northwest Indiana early Saturday morning. My first wedding of the day just booked about a week ago - so it is never too late to check and see if I have your date available! The weather was gorgeous for an outdoor morning wedding. It took place at the hall where I had my wedding reception, so it was fun to go back and see everyone there that had to deal with me when I was a bride! The music for this ceremony was also very traditional: Bridal Chorus & Trumpet Voluntary.

Between my two Saturday weddings, I had the pleasure of teaching a harp lesson. I spent the rest of the afternoon in Valparaiso, leerily watching the sky fill with grey clouds. Of course, my evening wedding was outside!

I set up at Coffee Creek with my waterproof harp cover within arm's reach. Fortunately, the weather held for the ceremony! The amphitheatre is a stunning location for a ceremony with the geyser-like fountain in the background, but it can be very windy - one of those places where I'm afraid to ever take my hands off the harp! It also requires that I use amplification because the wind carries the sound away from your guests. The colors were perfect for a Fall day - dark brown, orange, and yellow. The music the couple selected:

All I Ask of You (Webber)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach)
Bridal Chorus (Wagner)
Wedding March (Mendelssohn)

Throughout the ceremony, I played light glissandos that fit in perfectly with the outdoor setting - it sounds like musical wind!

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