Wedding Ceremony Harpist, St. Michael's, Chicago

Just really lovely.

I generally play at St. Michael's in Old Town a few times a year and, although I don't always post, it is a distinct pleasure to play there. The musician's they use are such a delight, and they have their own wedding coordinator, so things happen in a timely, super organized way. 

One of the things that I have come to really enjoy, though, is their penchant for doing a few weddings right around St. Patrick's Day. We play exclusively Irish music for the prelude, and often do "Lady of Knock" for the flower offering to Mary. It is a really fun way to celebrate a marriage in an outstanding historic church.

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

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!

St. Michael's in Old Town Wedding Ceremony Harpist

The outdoor renovations are complete!

Well, the scaffolding is down at St. Michael's, and the church and square are looking better than ever!  I was here back in April (yep, behind on my blogging), so the trees aren't all quite out yet.  This church has it all: a convenient city location that feels secluded, and one of the most talented music directors you are likely to come across, Daniel Stucker. Daniel is a fantastic musician, and keeps the ceremony full of variation. Harp solo, harp with cantor, harp and piano, piano solo, we did it all! Daniel is a proponent of one of my favorite wedding practices: changing instrumentation when the bride comes in!  This time I played the processional for bridesmaids, and then Daniel started the Canon in D on piano, and I joined him part way through.  With that kind of variation, the music supported the entrance of the beautiful bride, and the moment was perfect!  

If you would like to talk about adding harp music to your wedding ceremony, call and we'll talk!  

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

St. Michael's in Old Town Wedding Ceremony Harpist

St. Patrick's Day was a special treat for me this year, as I was able to spend it playing a beautiful Irish wedding at St. Michael's in Old Town. This gorgeous church has a fascinating history interwoven with the Chicago fire (which you can read about here), and sits just one block off of the busy North Avenue corridor.  Even though the church is near a thriving commercial area, you feel like you've stepped back in time as you approach the building.  As I rolled my harp towards the entrance, the tower bells (which were installed and dedicated in 1876) rang through the neighborhood.  What a beautiful way to call your guests to your wedding!

The lovely Irish bride made several wonderful decisions that truly made her wedding reflect her personality.  First, she included lots of Irish music.  She chose an Irish processional from a website featuring Celtic ceremony ideas, and encouraged me to fit other Irish choices in wherever I could.  I used a lovely little song called "The Lark in the Clear Air" for the unity candle, and I thought it worked so well that I plan to put it on my website just as soon as possible.  Additionally, the bride choose to have me play for the bridesmaids, and have the organist play for her entrance.  I was seated to the right of the main altar (in front of the St. Joseph Altar, see below), and I was able to easily play for the mass parts and the presentation to Mary from that location.  I wish St. Patrick's Day fell on Saturday every year; what an inspirational day for a wedding!

To start thinking about your perfect wedding music, visit www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.