See the original post about this wedding. If you are looking for a Mackinac Island harpist to provide the perfect and elegant musical backdrop for your ceremony or reception anywhere on the island, visit my website: Mackinac Island Wedding Music.
Showing posts with label mackinac island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mackinac island. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Mackinac Island Wedding ~ Ceremony with Harp Music at Mission Point
Professional pictures from Paul Retherford Photography from a wedding ceremony I played at Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island on June 9th, 2012.
See the original post about this wedding. If you are looking for a Mackinac Island harpist to provide the perfect and elegant musical backdrop for your ceremony or reception anywhere on the island, visit my website: Mackinac Island Wedding Music.
See the original post about this wedding. If you are looking for a Mackinac Island harpist to provide the perfect and elegant musical backdrop for your ceremony or reception anywhere on the island, visit my website: Mackinac Island Wedding Music.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Mackinac Island Harpist ~ Wedding Music at Mission Point Resort
I love playing for weddings on Mackinac Island! Everyone is so friendly and relaxed that it has made every wedding I've been the harpist for come together so smoothly. Last Saturday, I played for the ceremony of Jessica and Michael at the gazebo on the grounds of Mission Point Resort.
Jessi chose me as her harpist because my extensive repertoire list allowed her the creative freedom with her music to bring together her Australian/Jewish - and classically trained musician - family with Michael's American/Lutheran one. There is nothing like music for bringing families together and for celebrating different heritages! She wanted to be sure that all of her guests would hear something they would recognize and appreciate.
Although Jessi is originally from Australia and Michael is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they met while they were both living in Hawaii. Their friends and family traveled from all over the world to attend their Mackinac Island wedding. It's a perfect place for a getaway, family reunion, and wedding all wrapped up together!
As guests gathered at the gazebo on the shores of Lake Huron, I played several folk songs and classical pieces, including "The Lark in the Clear Air," "Dedication," "Prelude in C," "Finlandia," and the "Jupiter" theme from The Planets.
For the processionals of the bridal party and bride, I was joined by Derek, a friend of the bride who has a degree in vocal performance, as he sang Ben Folds' "The Luckiest" to harp accompaniment. When you have a sung processional, rather than a purely instrumental version, it can be tricky to time everything so that you don't have to stop in the middle of a verse or other awkward spot. At the rehearsal the night before, they had worked out the timing and lyric cues for the wedding coordinator to send the bridesmaids down the aisle. Apparently, everyone actually walked at the same speed, because it worked out perfectly!
Once the officiant presented the newly married couple, Derek and I again collaborated on the recessional. This time, it was the Peter Gabriel version of "The Book of Love" from the movie Shall We Dance. I kept playing postlude music as the guests walked across the lawn, through the receiving line, and on to the tented reception.
Having played for several Mackinac Island weddings, I've become very good at getting the harp around the island! If you are planning a wedding here, please contact me at 1-877-HARP-578 or visit my website ~ Mackinac Island Wedding Harpist ~ for more information. I'd love to add harp music to your romantic and magical Mackinac Island wedding!
Jessi chose me as her harpist because my extensive repertoire list allowed her the creative freedom with her music to bring together her Australian/Jewish - and classically trained musician - family with Michael's American/Lutheran one. There is nothing like music for bringing families together and for celebrating different heritages! She wanted to be sure that all of her guests would hear something they would recognize and appreciate.
Although Jessi is originally from Australia and Michael is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they met while they were both living in Hawaii. Their friends and family traveled from all over the world to attend their Mackinac Island wedding. It's a perfect place for a getaway, family reunion, and wedding all wrapped up together!
As guests gathered at the gazebo on the shores of Lake Huron, I played several folk songs and classical pieces, including "The Lark in the Clear Air," "Dedication," "Prelude in C," "Finlandia," and the "Jupiter" theme from The Planets.
For the processionals of the bridal party and bride, I was joined by Derek, a friend of the bride who has a degree in vocal performance, as he sang Ben Folds' "The Luckiest" to harp accompaniment. When you have a sung processional, rather than a purely instrumental version, it can be tricky to time everything so that you don't have to stop in the middle of a verse or other awkward spot. At the rehearsal the night before, they had worked out the timing and lyric cues for the wedding coordinator to send the bridesmaids down the aisle. Apparently, everyone actually walked at the same speed, because it worked out perfectly!
Once the officiant presented the newly married couple, Derek and I again collaborated on the recessional. This time, it was the Peter Gabriel version of "The Book of Love" from the movie Shall We Dance. I kept playing postlude music as the guests walked across the lawn, through the receiving line, and on to the tented reception.
Having played for several Mackinac Island weddings, I've become very good at getting the harp around the island! If you are planning a wedding here, please contact me at 1-877-HARP-578 or visit my website ~ Mackinac Island Wedding Harpist ~ for more information. I'd love to add harp music to your romantic and magical Mackinac Island wedding!
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Mackinac Island Wedding Music ~ Mission Point Resort
I first met Gina & Joe when they attended a harp concert I gave in March at the Chicago School of Hot Yoga. It was the perfect opportunity for them to hear the harp in person, and imagine how well it would fit in with their wedding plans! Although they both live in Chicago, they were planning a destination wedding on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan.
The island has no cars, so the only transportation is by bike or horse-drawn taxi. Since it was a beautiful day, and Mission Point isn't too far from the ferry dock, Jeff and I decided to walk there. We got lots of stares from people as we pushed the harp down the street!
We arrived at Mission Point about three hours before the wedding was scheduled to begin. Since we were dealing with ferry schedules, no car, and the Fourth of July weekend, we allowed a lot of extra time. It was a perfect day to spend some time sitting under a shade tree, enjoying a good book. This time, we were so early that we arrived before the first wedding of the day at the resort. It's not often that we just get to observe a wedding (from a distance, of course), without concentrating on the music!
The weather was beautiful for the outdoor ceremony at the gazebo. For the entrance of the families, I played "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music. This was a special song for them, since the groom first met the bride's mother when they attended this musical. The bridal party processional was "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", and the bride's entrance music was "Canon in D". During the unity sand ceremony, they requested the Josh Groban song "You Raise Me Up". The recessional was the traditional Mendelssohn "Wedding March".
Gina & Joe departed the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage, and their guests went up to the resort for the cocktail hour. It was nice enough out that they were able to enjoy drinks and appetizers on the porch - as long as the seagulls stayed away! The wedding coordinators and banquet staff loved the harp, too, and had their pictures taken with it before the guests arrived. Mackinac Island resorts and hotels hire from all around the world, and there were several young men from Jamaica who especially enjoyed the music!
As I was playing for the cocktail hour, the flower girl and ring bearer came over to see the harp up close. I also gave them the opportunity to sit behind the harp and give it a try - a great photo op for the parents (and maybe inspiring another future harpist)!
Music for the cocktail hour was a variety of popular pieces, including a reprise of "You Raise Me Up" and "Somewhere in Time" ~ no Mackinac Island wedding would be complete without it!
Like my wedding on Saturday, their colors were gray and yellow. I especially loved their cake set up in front of their sweetheart table.
As soon as you walked in the reception room, you could smell the Asiatic lilies in the centerpieces. The ones we have in our backyard should be blooming soon!
Of course, while I was busy playing, Jeff walked back downtown to pick up some of the famous Mackinac fudge (chocolate for him, pumpkin pie for me - but I'll swipe a bit of his chocolate, too!). I was so pleased to be able to provide harp music for this wedding ceremony and reception. If you are planning a wedding for Mackinac Island, I'd love to be your harpist as well! Just visit my website:
Mackinac Island Wedding Music
for information on how I can make your Mackinac Island destination wedding even more romantic with elegant harp music!
Monday, September 06, 2010
Mackinac Island Wedding Harpist
There is truly no more romantic wedding destination than Mackinac Island. Situated in Lake Huron, it is accessible only by boat or airplane, and there are no cars allowed on the island. Transportation is on foot, bike, or by horse-drawn taxi. It's a wonderful place to get away from modern "conveniences" and have an old-world elegant wedding!
I was so excited to have the opportunity to play for this ceremony and cocktail hour at the Inn at Stonecliffe. Away from the downtown strip, and past the magnificent Grand Hotel, it is a secluded venue that offers a view of the Mackinac Bridge from the backyard ceremony site.
The logistics of getting the harp to the island took a little extra planning, but everyone was very helpful and accommodating. Before boarding the ferry in Mackinaw City, we triple checked to make sure we had everything we could possibly need for the wedding. This is one place you can't just run back to the car to pick up something left behind! We wheeled the harp down the ramp onto the boat, and the ferry was on its way.
After grabbing lunch downtown, we boarded the Inn's shuttle - horse-drawn, of course! They were also hauling up the flowers, and I met the wedding coordinator, Anne Coulter (who is super-organized and did an amazing job). The harp was placed in a cart behind the shuttle, and plastic wrapped to the sides. With every bump we hit along the way, Anne and I swiveled around to make sure we still had a harp!
We passed the Grand Hotel on our way up the hill, and we became a bit of a tourist attraction ourselves. There are several other visitors who have pictures of my harp precariously wrapped to the cart!
We arrived at the Inn at Stonecliffe, cut through the plastic wrap, and set up the harp. We had arrived about three hours before the ceremony was scheduled to begin (you never know about those horse taxis!), so we had some time to relax on the back porch and enjoy the view ourselves. Jeff got in a little practice time, too.
The florist set up the aisle decorations a little too soon in the sun, so Anne moved them off to the porch. We were able to hang them on the harp cart, so they wouldn't get smashed. This must be the month for hydrangeas - one of my favorite flowers.
The bride's only music request was that I play Enya's "Only Time" as she walked down the aisle. She allowed me to recommend pieces that went well with it, and we decided on "Hymne" by Vangelis for the wedding party processional and the Czech/Bohemian folk song "I See You, My Beloved" for the recessional.
During the cocktail hour, I played a variety of upbeat, popular selections, including "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", "All You Need is Love", and "Hey, Soul Sister". No Mackinac Island wedding would be complete without "Somewhere in Time", made famous by the movie of the same name filmed at the Grand Hotel.
The taxi back to the ferry docks didn't have a cart, so we managed to slide the harp under the back bench seat, and secure it with the rain flap. Another wedding adventure, and we enjoyed every minute of it!
We are available for weddings and parties anywhere on Mackinac Island - visit http://www.theclassicharpist.com/ for details.
Mackinac Island Harpist
I was so excited to have the opportunity to play for this ceremony and cocktail hour at the Inn at Stonecliffe. Away from the downtown strip, and past the magnificent Grand Hotel, it is a secluded venue that offers a view of the Mackinac Bridge from the backyard ceremony site.
The logistics of getting the harp to the island took a little extra planning, but everyone was very helpful and accommodating. Before boarding the ferry in Mackinaw City, we triple checked to make sure we had everything we could possibly need for the wedding. This is one place you can't just run back to the car to pick up something left behind! We wheeled the harp down the ramp onto the boat, and the ferry was on its way.
After grabbing lunch downtown, we boarded the Inn's shuttle - horse-drawn, of course! They were also hauling up the flowers, and I met the wedding coordinator, Anne Coulter (who is super-organized and did an amazing job). The harp was placed in a cart behind the shuttle, and plastic wrapped to the sides. With every bump we hit along the way, Anne and I swiveled around to make sure we still had a harp!
We passed the Grand Hotel on our way up the hill, and we became a bit of a tourist attraction ourselves. There are several other visitors who have pictures of my harp precariously wrapped to the cart!
We arrived at the Inn at Stonecliffe, cut through the plastic wrap, and set up the harp. We had arrived about three hours before the ceremony was scheduled to begin (you never know about those horse taxis!), so we had some time to relax on the back porch and enjoy the view ourselves. Jeff got in a little practice time, too.
The florist set up the aisle decorations a little too soon in the sun, so Anne moved them off to the porch. We were able to hang them on the harp cart, so they wouldn't get smashed. This must be the month for hydrangeas - one of my favorite flowers.
The bride's only music request was that I play Enya's "Only Time" as she walked down the aisle. She allowed me to recommend pieces that went well with it, and we decided on "Hymne" by Vangelis for the wedding party processional and the Czech/Bohemian folk song "I See You, My Beloved" for the recessional.
During the cocktail hour, I played a variety of upbeat, popular selections, including "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", "All You Need is Love", and "Hey, Soul Sister". No Mackinac Island wedding would be complete without "Somewhere in Time", made famous by the movie of the same name filmed at the Grand Hotel.
The taxi back to the ferry docks didn't have a cart, so we managed to slide the harp under the back bench seat, and secure it with the rain flap. Another wedding adventure, and we enjoyed every minute of it!
We are available for weddings and parties anywhere on Mackinac Island - visit http://www.theclassicharpist.com/ for details.
Mackinac Island Harpist
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