Wedding Ceremony Harpist, St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest

In place up front by the musician's area.

It is always a pleasure to work in the area's beautiful and historic churches, especially when the staff musicians are as wonderful and welcoming as Camela Daley!  Cami is the Minister of Music at St. Vincent's and she really knows how to put together a beautiful ceremony.  The bride in this case wanted a more modern, meditative mood for her music, so Cami helped her select Hymne by Vangelis, and The Wedding Song by Kenny G., and then brought me in to add to the full, rich sound of the piano.  Since I was playing harp, Cami was also able to play her flute, so the bride had an incredible amount of variety with just the two musicians!  As always with Catholic Masses, I am willing and able to play the mass parts and other musical parts of the service.  The harp can be a terrific addition to a wedding mass, whether or not you have a keyboardist already playing!

My view of the beautiful altar area of St. Vincent Ferrer.

If you would like to hear other pieces for your processionals, visit my website at:  www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Riverside United Methodist Church

The regal outside of Riverside United Methodist Church

There are lots of wonderful venues in the greater Chicago area, but not many of them are actual churches with welcoming congregations. Riverside United Methodist Church is a beautiful, distinctive wedding site for many, many reasons.  When you book your wedding here, you will be celebrating in an impressive stone and wood building that features beautiful stained glass all around.  Couples are married by Pastor Douglas Asbury, and he also meets with and counsels the couple before their wedding day.  

My lovely client couldn't quite find the right processional on my website.  She thought maybe Ave Maria, but that can be a tricky song when it comes to fitting into a processional time frame.  We talked a little, and I suggested the newest song I was working on might be just the thing.  I put a bit of speed on the project, and played through the Stevie Wonder tune "My Cherie Amour" for her two days later.  Jackpot! It had just the sentimental, gentle feeling she wanted, and it is now my new favorite processional!

If you would like to talk about your perfect processional, don't go to my website, just call me directly!  I can be reached at (773) 881-0706 most weekdays and some weekends.

My harp is down front on the right, bathed in light!

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Odyssey Country Club, Tinley Park

My harp near the West Gazebo at Odyssey Country Club

As you can see from the photo, The Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park is a lovely venue.  My harp is actually on the brick pathway that the wedding party uses, because the ground was really wet that day and I couldn't leave it unattended on the grass.  I eventually set up just to the right of this photo, under a big tree that they have.  There is actually an East Gazebo, too, and they alternate weddings back and forth during the Summer.  That alternation was the problem on this particular day. The bride at the other gazebo started her ceremony a solid hour late.  I am sure my client was frantic, but there really wasn't anything to do.  I kept playing (I always have lots and lots of music with me!) and sent word through her friends that I would be ready to start when circumstances allowed.  I have an overtime clause in my contract, but I would never, never impose it in this situation.  I was delighted to be able to entertain her guests while they waited, and the weather was lovely, so everyone was fairly comfortable.  The music never ran out, both the wedding and the bride were beautiful, and it was another good day.

If you want a live musician on hand to help cope with the unexpected, please visit my website:  www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Armour House Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Lake Forest

Set up to the right of the pagoda in the Armour House gardens.

This Summer I was lucky enough to play at the wonderful Armour House in Lake Forest three separate times!  The house is part of Lake Forest Academy, and they are experts at beautiful wedding ceremonies. Here, on my first trip, I am set up to the right of the congregation, and that was my favorite position.  My camera always has trouble with light and dark, so I look like I am sitting in descending gloom, but that is not how it seemed on site at all!  In this position, I had my best view of the house, and consequently the approaching wedding party.  

The most complicated part of any wedding at the Armour House is the processional.  It is an extremely long walk from the house to the front of the congregation.  If you have even a medium sized wedding party, your processional music could easily clock in at 8 minutes, no problem. Additionally, there is no easy way for the wedding coordinator to communicate with me once we are set up and ready to go.  With good professionals at the helm, though, the long walk can definitely be turned into an advantage!  On this day, the bride chose an Irish air entitled, "The Gentle Maiden".  It is not the longest tune ever written, so I found two different versions and combined them.  Presto!  Enough variation to keep things fresh.  The wedding coordinator (whose name I sadly forgot to collect) had the best solution for keeping me informed about the processional... she sent her assistant down to say, "we're ready to start."  It was low tech, but perfect.  The wedding was as smooth as can be!

A view back towards the house.  Kind of a long walk, right?

If you would like help choosing the perfect music for your walk down the aisle, please visit my website:
www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Royal Melbourne Country Club; Long Grove Wedding Ceremony Harpist

Threatening skies.

I think one of the hardest decisions for any wedding couple is when to switch their outdoor wedding to an indoor location.  Many times, I have seen people agonizing about dicey weather and wondering how long it will take to move their ceremony set up, should that become necessary. At Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove, they really have the resources to smooth over these problems.

We were originally scheduled to be out on the lawn, but then we were moved to this lovely terrace.  Still outdoors, and perhaps with an even lovelier view, but less soggy (it had rained overnight).  From there, the extremely capable staff could have moved us completely indoors in just a few moments.  As it turned out, that wasn't necessary, and the bridal couple was able to have their outdoor wedding after all!

All set up and waiting to see!

If you're looking for harp music for your indoor or outdoor wedding ceremony, please visit my website:

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Manteno Wedding Ceremony Harpist

"The Bowl" at Camp Shaw.  

If you are looking for a stunning natural setting, you may want to consider Camp Shaw in Manteno, Illinois.  The camp is just 7 miles off of Interstate 57, and it sits alongside the beautiful Rock Creek. Weddings are held at "The Bowl" which is accessible by the long staircase shown above, or golf carts that carry people down an access drive.  This is a naturalistic setting and does not feature manicured gardens, but it is so lovely!  The area allowed for a large group of chairs, and the bride and groom stood under an arbor that was put up after I had already started playing.  Probably the best part was the abundant shade which, along with the creek, lowered temperatures about 10 degrees from what the rest of the world was experiencing!

Plenty of room, all with a view of the creek!

Afterwards, guests headed up to the mess hall on the top of the hill for dinner, and then across the footbridge for dancing at yet another pavilion.  Camp Shaw certainly has plenty of room to roam!

Rock Creek from the footbridge.

A long view of the footbridge.