Ceremony Harpist, Cathedral of St Raymond of Nonnatus, Joliet

The Cathedral is just magnificent

 I have played at quite a few Catholic Churches, but I was completely bowled over by St Raymond of Nonnatus! When I am a guest at a church, my job is to try and understand how they do things, and blend in as seamlessly as possible. I have my own set of Gather Comprehensive hymnals, which helps quite a bit. On this day, we used the Mass of Creation, and also the Ave Maria for the flowers to Mary. It was so beautiful, and it was an honor to be in this amazing church!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Chateau Del Mar, Hickory Hills

 

I hadn't been to Chateau Del Mar in a while, so it was nice to see the property looking great! We were having some pretty wild storms on and around July 3rd, so it was a relief to both:

1. Be inside, and 

2. Have it still be super beautiful and light filled, as I know the couple wanted.

I was so busy getting in and drying off, that the picture of me in my corner is the only good legitimate picture I have. I'm going to upload a screen grab from a  video below, because the room was lovely, and I can't get Google to let me load the video <sigh>.

This on a dark and stormy day.... I know!!

Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Nicholas Conservatory, Rockford

 

I normally don't leave the Chicago Metro area, but when this couple contacted me, they shared that it was a specific recording of mine that had caught their attention, and that they felt they really wanted me to play for their wedding. Rockford isn't horribly far for me, so I figured out a travel charge, and we agreed I would come out to play. The couple were absolutely delightful from beginning to end, and I loved playing their music choices (2 Smashing Pumpkins tunes, Tonight, Tonight, and 1979, and Short Change Hero by The Heavy). After the ceremony, I moved out to the patio to play for cocktails. 

This video, from The Nicholas Conservatory, is also capturing the nearby waterfall, so it's not optimal from a recording perspective, but it was so fantastic in person!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Shower Harpist, Oakville Grill & Cellar, Chicago

The Oakville Grill & Cellar is a fantastic place for a wedding shower! They have a second floor that you can have completely to yourself, including a terrace! I greeted the guests with music for their cocktail hour, and then moved out to the terrace to play for the luncheon. It was such an elegant, relaxing affair!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Morton Arboretum, Lisle

This was a gorgeous wedding at The Morton Arboretum, but it was crazy busy! We were supposed to be outside, but rain was threatening, so we moved inside. I know the harp looks like you would just grab that one thing and be off, but I have tons of other equipment - cases, extra strings, music stand etc. The Founder's Room was quite the hub of activity, as the other vendor's pulled the decorations and chairs inside, too. So, no picture of the amazing room, as it was a work in progress all the way up to when we began playing. Oh, that's right! It was a "we" job, in this case, the wonderful violinist Sara Vettraino of Belle Music. If you're thinking of having strings at your wedding, harp and violin is a fantastic combination!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Prelude harpist, Pickerill Estate House, Yorkville

There's an area surrounded by trees on
one side of the house

This was my first time to the Pickerill Estate House, and it was lovely. The soon to be wed couple wanted recorded music for their walk down the aisle, but they brought me in to play live music while the guests assembled. I have a lovely repertoire of classic R and B, and I mixed it with some more current favorites so everyone got to hear something they knew. It was a beautiful day!

There's a lovely covered patio on the other side!

Ceremony Harpist, Assumption Catholic Church, Chicago

The gorgeous ceiling at Assumption Catholic Church

The musical needs at a Catholic wedding ceremony or mass are very specific! I have a long history of playing in the Catholic Church, and even own a set of the Gather Comprehensive Hymnals, so I am well prepared to jump in and help! The major need today was for prelude, as the ceremony started almost an hour late. I kept playing, and I think that helped everyone stay calm! When it was time, the large wedding party came in to Cannon in D, which is an excellent choice when you have a processional that you know will be quite long. I was also happy to play Ave Maria, when the bride brought flowers to the Mary Shrine. It was lovely!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com