Jeff's August Weddings

My husband, Jeff, is also a harpist, and had a busy month of August, too. He started off with a Catholic wedding at St. Gaspar Church in Rome City, Indiana, where he played:

• Canon in D (seating of the families)
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (bridal party processional)
• Trumpet Tune (bride's processional

On August 8th, it was a double wedding day. His first ceremony was at Centennial Park in Munster, Indiana. The bride chose:

• Romance without Words (seating of the families)
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (bridal party processional)
• Canon in D (bride's processional)
• Trumpet Tune (recessional)

Once that one was complete, it was back in the car and off to the Center Meeting House (formerly known as the Morris Chapel) in Niles, Michigan. They chose the traditional wedding music, including:

• Canon in D (seating of familes & bridal party processional)
• Bridal Chorus (bride's processional)
• Trumpet Tune (recessional)

Amy Straka was their photographer, and you can see some beautiful images on her Facebook page. Be sure to become a fan - she's fabulous! Jeff then had to drive to Bristol, Indiana, and rescue me from the flat tire I got at the wedding I played!

The next weekend was at the Lane Place Pattison Pavilion in Crawfordsville, Indiana. His favorite request from that ceremony was "Stairway to Heaven"!

Want the best wedding music?

Let your professional musicians pick it for you! If you don't have strong feelings about your wedding music, leave it up to their judgment. I have been playing weddings for years (over 300 of them!), and definitely have my favorite pieces. They sound perfect on the harp, and my love of this music shows in the way I perform it.

While the traditional music is beautiful, there are so many lesser-known selections that will make your wedding unique. If you have hired professionals, they will also be able to choose music that works well on their instruments, and fits your wedding theme, venue, and level of formality. I love it when a bride gives me the artistic freedom to create her wedding soundtrack!

If you have one or two selections that you must have played, your musicians should be able to recommend other pieces that work well with your choices.

When booking your musicians, ask them, "If I left it completely up to you, what music would you play for my ceremony?" At the very least, it will give you an idea of the music that your group likes to play, and they may just recommend the perfect piece of music to complete your wedding vision!

The Bride Wore Purple

When Renee contacted me about her wedding music, I new this would be a completely non-traditional ceremony! There was to be no processional, no "giving away" of the bride, no matching bridesmaid dresses, and she would be, yes - wearing purple! It took place at Bonneyville Mill County Park in Bristol, Indiana on a hot and very windy August afternoon. Lots of clips were needed to keep my music from blowing into the river!

She selected popular pieces to play during the prelude, including "Fields of Gold" by Sting and "Embraceable You" by Gershwin. When the officiant (Congressman Joe Donnelly) arrived, I played Unchained Melody, and that was the cue for the wedding party, bride, and groom to make their way to the front. "What a Wonderful World" was the recessional, followed by "All You Need is Love" and "If I Had a Million Dollars" as the guests mingled and congratulated the newlyweds.

Wedding at Krape Park, Freeport, Illinois

August began with a trip to Freeport, IL, for the wedding of Nicole & Mark. The Duck Pond at Krape Park was a new venue for me, so I arrived WAY too early to scope out the location. Even though it rained the whole drive there, the skies cleared for the 3:00pm ceremony. The ducks and geese kept their distance, but you had to watch where you stepped - and where I could set up the harp!

Their wedding colors were light pink and black, and they had a Cinderella theme. The music selections included:

• Storybook Love from "The Princess Bride" as the prelude
• Canon in D by Pachelbel for the bridal party processional
• Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride) by Wagner for the bride's processional
• A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from "Cinderella" as a harp solo/interlude
• Wedding March by Mendelssohn as the recessional

July 2009 in Review

July 3rd, 2009
Deep River County Park, Hobart Indiana
Music Selections:

• Hymne by Vangelis for seating of families
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach for the bridal party processional
• Canon in D by Pachelbel for the bride's processional
• Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke for the recessional

July 5th, 2009Center Meeting House at Morris Farms, Niles, Michigan
Music Selections:

• Arioso by Bach for seating of families
• Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach for bridal party processional
• Andiam mio tesoro (Anonymous) for bride's processional
• Reverie by Grandjany for the unity candle lighting
• Spring (First Movement) from "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi for the recessional

July 11th, 2009
Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Mishawaka, Indiana
Music Selections included:

• Hymne by Vangelis as the processional
• Love Divine All Love's Excelling (congregational hymn)
• Prelude in C by Bach
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach
• Arioso by Bach
• Canon in D by Pachelbel
• Trumpet Tune by Purcell
• Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke as the recessional

July 11th, 2009

Narnia Estate, Lemont, Illinois

Music Selections:

• Aria from "Rinaldo" by Handel for the bride's processional
• Hymne by Vangelis for the sand ceremony
• Wedding March by Mendellssohn for the recessional

July 17th, 2009
Holy Family Catholic Church, Chicago, Illinois
Music Selections:

• Canon in D by Pachelbel (Harp & Violin duet) for the processional
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach for the unity candle
• Panis Angelicus by Franck for the offertory
• Lady of Knock (Violin & Piano duet) for the rose ceremony
• Bagpipes for the recessional

July 18th, 2009
Oliver Mansion Gardens, South Bend, Indiana
Music Selections:

• All I Ask of You from "Phantom of the Opera" by Webber for the seating of families
• Romance without Words by Godefroid for the bridal party processional
• Hymne by Vangelis for the bride's processional
• Fanny Power by O'Carolan for the recessional

July 24th, 2009
Willow Harbor Vineyards, Three Oaks, Michigan
Music Selections:

• Hymne by Vangelis for the processional
• Spring (Third Movement) from "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi as the recessional

July 26th, 2009
Coffee Creek Amphitheatre, Chesterton, Indiana
Music Selections:

• Canon in D by Pachelbel as the bridal party processional
• I'll Be by Edwin McCain as the bride's processional
• All You Need is Love by McCartney as the recessional

July 26th, 2009
Oliver Mansion Gardens, South Bend, Indiana
Music Selections:

• Claire de Lune by Debussy for the processional
• Hymne by Vangelis for the recessional

Favorite Pictures

So I've been really bad at keeping this up to date, so I'm just going to review some of the weddings from the past year.

This picture is from a wedding in August 2007. The ceremony and reception took place at the Summit Club in South Bend, at the top of the Holiday Inn building. The huge glass windows made a fabulous backdrop for an elegant evening.

This ceremony took place on the campus of St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. They had at least three weddings on campus that day! The chapel coordinator was extremely organized and easy to work with. For this wedding, the bride also requested a vocalist who sang the Saint Mary's Alma Mater for the bridesmaids' processional, and Ave Maria later in the Mass.

In April, I was back in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a wedding at the Peninsular Club. I love valet parking, especially when it's free! It's so nice to not have to worry about parking the harpmobile downtown (and to have someone open the doors!).

Lucky 7's

7-7-07

Everyone in the wedding industry knew what a big day this one would be. It was no exception for me - my busiest wedding day ever!

It actually started the night before with a Friday evening wedding in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A lovely setting at the Lakeside Rose Garden, and although it was REALLY hot, it was a beautiful (and thankfully, short) ceremony.

I loaded up the harp and headed back to South Bend. Picked up my roadie on the way, and drove up to Grand Rapids, Michigan. My Saturday started with an early wedding, so we spent the night up there to make sure we wouldn't hit any travel snags on the way. And he also didn't want to try to have to wake me up at 4:00 am!

My first wedding of this historic day was at 9:00 am (!!!) at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Conservatory and greenhouse weddings have the benefit of outdoor beauty, combined with the assurances of indoor weather! Although the high humidity can cause some tuning problems, I love playing in greenhouses. They also have concrete sidewalks - a much better place to put a harp than on grass outside. My only problem with this particular venue is that they did not turn off the fans during the ceremony. The other greenhouse locations I've played at did. Would it really kill the plants to be without them for fifteen minutes? It sure made it hard to hear for the harpist! Fortunately, it was a small gathering, and all of the guests were up close. Since the building was still open to the public, I played quietly throughout the ceremony, to help cut out some of the other noise in the room.

Once that wedding was over, it was back in the car for a quick stop at Starbucks to meet with a local bride, and then down to Grandville, MI for my second wedding at 1:00pm. It was a beautiful (and indoor!) Catholic wedding, presided over by the uncle of the bride. They chose mostly traditional music, and I played with the pianist for the bride's entrance to Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring".

Back in the car (with the help of my roadie, of course, who kept the AC running for me), and down to Niles, MI, for wedding #3. This one was outside in the heat, but I was well-shaded under large trees. This one was the officiant's first wedding - he was a friend of the couple. It went off without a single problem!

It was exhausting, but well worth it to be a part of so many beautiful weddings and a special day in history. I was lucky to have such a wonderful group of people to work with last weekend. 7-7-07 How could it be anything but lucky!