The beautiful flowers at my wedding on June 15th were done by the Flower Cart in Chesterton, Indiana. Although it was definitely on the warm side, Aberdeen Manor has a nice spot in the shade for the harp. The monogram made out of rose petals in the aisle was a theme that the couple carried throughout their wedding, from the programs that served as fans to the personalized hand towels in the restrooms!
A new wedding location for me: the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana. Another hot day! I also learned that I shouldn't wear high heels when playing on a slatted wood surface - it makes pedaling even more difficult! It was hard to keep the harp in tune due to the high temperatures, but we were able to stay inside until just before the wedding began. Makes for a short prelude!
The two weddings for which I played on June 9th were at a couple of my favorite locations - South Bend's Center for History Gardens and Valparaiso's Aberdeen Manor. The couple that got married at Aberdeen are also musicians, and picked some great pieces! They started with a prelude of all classical music, and then switched to popular and jazz for the processionals and ceremony. The recessional was a quartet singing "All You Need is Love", which I followed up with "Grow Old Along with Me."
I returned to Foster Park's Bridal Glen on June 2nd. The rain held off just long enough for the beautiful ceremony! That night, I got to play my Celtic harp for a birthday party in Valparaiso. It was a lot of time on the road! Fortunately, my wonderful husband and "harp roadie" was able to come along and keep me company - and of course, move the harps!
Memorial Day weekend was another busy one - four weddings! I played at Swan Lake in Plymouth, Indiana for the first time, and had the pleasure of working with a wonderful violinist. It was a bit drizzly, but the gazebo there provided plenty of shelter to keep the harp and violin dry. That night was a reception at Strongbow Inn where I got what I think was a compliment - I had just started, and a guest walked by and said "Oh, you're actually playing!" Perhaps I sound like a CD? I guess that's pretty good!
On the following Sunday, I had a ceremony and then a reception - both in Valparaiso. It was a busy weekend, but extremely enjoyable. Good thing I had my trusty roadie!
