Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Sergeant Means Park, Olympia Fields

Set up in the barn for the ceremony.

This was a new venue for me, and really a lovely space!  The meeting area is a barn from 1917, yes, but it is completely finished, primarily in white, and made a spectacular backdrop for the bride's vivid color scheme. 

I played prelude selections for the guests, and then accompanied the bride's friend when she sang "The Lord's Prayer".  I am always available if you would like to have me play while your friends or family solo!  We planned everything out ahead of time, then met for a quick rehearsal before the start of the prelude.  Some soloists prefer to come to my home ahead of the event for a rehearsal, and that is also fine.

All of the flower arrangement were different,
but they all kept to the same wonderful colors!

Afterwards, the guests stayed in the same room for the reception, and a D.J. took over with music played from the loft area of the barn!

The desert table in the same sweet color!

Please feel free to call me to see if I know any of the pieces your family knows!

Renee Wilson (773) 881-0706

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Patrick Haley Mansion, Joliet

This is such a lovely venue that I feature a photo of it on the home page of my wedding website!  I was intrigued, because I had never done a mid-April outdoor wedding before.  Everything turned out beautifully, and I can definitely recommend this venue for early Spring weddings. The site faces full on West, so it gets really lovely afternoon sun, and with the building close by, you are fairly well protected from the wind. Later on in the Summer, they will have quite a few mature plantings, but this early in the Spring, things still looked neat and clean, and the flowers were left to the florist (Blythe Flowers in Ottawa)!

Reception Harpist at the Red Lacquer Room, Palmer House

My own little alcove!

Well, once again this wasn't a wedding, but I always feel that if a room is new to me after so many years in this business, then it could be easily overlooked by a bride.  This room is so stunning that it should be known to each and every Chicagoan!  I was playing for a reception hosted by Notre Dame University, and the room easily handled 200 people.  It is such a gracious space, with its own small lobby area, and lounges specifically for the guests being hosted in the ballroom.  It is hard to capture on film, but the room simple glows.  The chandeliers are crystal (natch), but the red pieces you see are not colored crystal, they are enormous garnets!  Apparently about 65 carats each!

Bejeweled Chandeliers!

The entire room just begs that you give yourself up to the color red, so you would need to be rather a bold bride, but I think it could be fabulous!  If you need music for your fabulousness, please visit my website at:  www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.

Well, you wouldn't expect purple flowers, would you?

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Riverside Receptions, Geneva

The courtyard at Riverside Receptions in Geneva

I really love Autumn weddings in general, but this one was particularly lovely.  The bride had a great sense of what she wanted, and the event planner, Carlene Smith at Naturally Yours Events, was really terrific. The flowers were spectacular, as the florist (Heidi at FieldAndFlorist.com) has her own flower farm in Barrington and an artist's eye.

Autumn arrangement by Heidi at Field and Florist in Chicago

The courtyard at Riverside Receptions is lovely, but it is a public space. People were kind of randomly coming and going until I began to play. Like magic, all of the wedding guests came and sat down, and the people who didn't belong headed for the exit.  

The bride chose really eclectic music, which I always love.  She had the bridal party enter to The Nightingale, and then she entered to Debussy's Clair de Lune.  I have only used "Clair de Lune" as a bridal procession twice in the last 20 years, but both times the congregations have literally gasped just a little bit. Something about the beautiful bride and Debussy's song about moonlight just really grabs people.  Then, for the recessional, the bride wanted "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins.  I was a little worried at first since you don't right away think "harp" when you think about the Pumpkins, but it turned out really well. I'm definitely going to be playing "Tonight, Tonight" whenever I get the chance.

A lovely aisle highlighted by flower petals.

This was my first time working with the event planner, Carlene, so after everything had turned out so beautifully, I was eager to talk to her and find out more about her company.  She described her service as, "Non-traditional, eco-friendly, and a little quirky."  Additionally, she says that couples come to her at all stages in the planning process, with all types of ideas and all budgets.  She says nothing is too out of the box for her staff, and they concentrate on creating a fun and memorable party.  I saw it in action, and I can highly recommend her!

If you just can't imagine "Tonight, Tonight" on the harp, call me directly and I'll give it a go over the phone!  (773) 881-0706.  

Wedding Ceremony Harpist St. Tarcissus

The beautiful St. Tarcissus from the harpist's vantage.

I believe the groom told me that, including the bridal couple, they were expecting 15 people at their wedding ceremony!  The couple wanted a relaxed atmosphere but also, of course, a sense of occasion. I was happy to help, and luckily the harp can really make a large space feel more intimate and warm for a small group.  It was a beautiful ceremony, and the bridal couple looked relaxed and radiant.  Your classic big win!

Gorgeous, bold fall colors!

Visit www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com to plan music for your large or small wedding!

Wedding Ceremony Harpist Holy Apostalic Church of the East, Chicago

The musician's view at Holy Apostalic Church of the East

I've only played Coptic Christian ceremonies a few times through the years, so this was a real treat for me.  The bridal couple were both born here, so they wanted the music I played to reflect their Americanism, and then the service itself was conducted in Assyrian, including lots of chanting.  For their processional, we used Pachelbel's Cannon in D, and a new piece that I've not yet recorded, The Nightingale by Deborah Henson Conant.  Afterwards, the couple came to the front of the church and had a receiving line complete with light refreshments served and music provided.  It was a beautiful blend of the old and the new in their lives.

The flowers at the wedding were really very special, so I bothered the busy florists at work and got one of their cards.  They are based in Northbrook, but assured me that they go anywhere.  In addition to their lovely work with flowers, they hung the bunting and assembled the crystal vases on site.  Flowers by K.H. is the name of the firm.

If you are interested in honoring traditions old and new, call me and see what we can come up with together!  I can be reached directly at: (773) 881-0706

The gorgeous flowers continued all the way down the aisle.

Hilton Chicago/Magnificent Mile Suites Wedding Ceremony Harpist

This photo was taken at the Hilton Chicago/Magnificent Mile Suites in the Streeterville neighborhood.  Ralph and I were there providing beautiful harp and violin music for the ceremony, but I was really taken by these lovely flower and candle arrangements lining both sides of the main aisle.  What a beautiful way to enhance the bride's entrance!

After the ceremony, Ralph and I headed down the hall to play for the cocktail hour. Additional live music is a lovely way to transition into your reception if it is in the same location as your ceremony.  One minute we were playing "Here Comes the Bride", and the next we were doing "I Get a Kick Out of You".  Harp and violin are terrific for covering the Great American Song Book and giving your cocktail hour a sophisticated sound.

Here is a link to some of the background reception music I frequently play (Ralph is playing on several selections, too):

Reception selections at www.Harp123.com

Willis (Sears) Tower Wedding Reception Harpist

Windows all around!

When you are at the Sears Willis Tower, you know everything is going to be about the view.  What I was surprised to find, was that the Metropolitan Club has quite a number of private rooms, a super attentive staff, and no membership requirements for the brides that hold their wedding there!  We were in the East room, so the view was most of the loop and the lake beyond..... beautiful.  I was playing for cocktails and dinner, with a D.J. to take over for dancing.

Their website is quite helpful, and includes floor plans for all of the different room options, and sample menus.  Since some of the spaces are flexible and can be combined, it is hard to say what the "general options" are, but they certainly seem able to handle weddings from very intimate gatherings up to 240 guests.  This is definitely a venue worth serious attention!

An elegant table

For help planning your wedding music, please visit:  www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Patrician Banquet Center (Shererville) Wedding Ceremony Harpist

Early May can certainly feature unpredictable weather, so I was thrilled when Friday turned out to be sunny and warm, and I was able to play in an outdoor venue I had never seen before!  I played at The Patrician Banquet Center in Shererville, Indiana.  Shererville is in Northwest Indiana, but is easily accessible (via a 45 minute drive) from downtown Chicago.  The Patrician is purely a banquet facility and features all of the conveniences that usually come with that business model, but they have one other delightful addition..... a gazebo area off of the back of the building!   The entire patio is truly lovely.  It is a bricked surface that was set up for 120 seated guests the day I played, but looked like it could accommodate more.  The gazebo is large, and actually featured a bench where the bridal couple could sit during the readings!

The bride added some additional outdoor decorations, and I thought this one was particularly charming:

These adorable tin cup flowers were hanging all along the fence.  

My camera didn't really capture the colors, which were white, yellow, and chartreuse.

This lovely bride also made a wonderfully smart decision on her wedding processional.  The patio did not feature a long walk, and the bride felt that her friends and family might very well become nervous and walk quite quickly!  To prepare for this, she chose just one processional for everyone:  Canon in D by Pachelbel.  It is indeed possible to vary things enough in this one piece to suit all of the people coming down the aisle, and still provide a sense of grandeur for the bride's entrance.  

All in all, it was a lovely start to the outdoor wedding season!  If you need music for your wedding, please visit my website, ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com, or call me directly at 773.881.0706.