Wedding Reception Harpist, Glen Oak Country Club, Glen Ellyn

I had never been to Glen Oak Country Club before, but it is really a beautiful club, with old and new blending seamlessly.  Here, I am set up for the cocktail hour in an older section of the building.  It is hard to tell from the photo, but that is a small balcony just below the chandelier! After cocktails, I moved into the main dining room to play for dinner.  It was a lovely event made even better by the wonderful holiday decorations that the club had put up.

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Harpist, Kenilworth Club, Kenilworth

So, first of all, you should go to the website of The Kenilworth Club, because it is good, and my pictures are not!!  This is a private club in the small North shore community of Kenilworth, and it is a little gem.  I was on hand to play for the short ceremony, and then I continued through the cocktail hour and most of dinner. At that point, many of the guests were up and moving around, and the party switched to recorded music. The couple requested the Sara Bareilles tune, "I Choose You" for their recessional, and it turned out super cute!  I get some of my best repertoire from special requests, that is for sure!

The dividers behind the table lead to additional space.

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, St. Michael's in Old Town

First of all, isn't St. Michael's beautiful in the snow?  I love Winter weddings because they are so romantic and cozy.  St. Michael's is a wonderful option for Catholic couples, because they are willing to host weddings for people outside their own parish.  This ceremony was particularly amazing because the couple had a string quartet on hand!  The acoustics in St. Michael's are just wonderful to begin with, and by the time we had string quartet and harp playing Canon in D, it sounded like the couple had a small orchestra at their wedding!

String quartet just before we began playing together!

The Beautiful St. John Cantius, But, Alas, No Wedding

The fabulous St. John Cantius from the first loft!

Okay, so I wasn't here for a wedding (I was playing Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols), but I couldn't resist posting this photo.  The church recently went through a renovation, and it is incredible!  If you were putting together a group of ten churches not to be missed in the Chicago area, this one would have to be on it.  Plus, after reviewing the parish site, it looks like they might accept couples from outside the parish.  It says they generally don't, and then gives a price for if they do in the very next sentence!  The parish is quite active with special events and concerts throughout the year.  Stop in and enjoy one of the loveliest sacred spaces in Chicago!