Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Union League Club, Chicago

 Every area I've been to in the Union League Club has been grand, but the President's Hall was particularly lovely. Unfortunately, things were being set up, and I wasn't able to get a good picture of the fireplace area, so here's a link to the Party Slate listing. The grooms had a special song in mind, Party 4 U, and very smartly also employed a violinist to help round things out. After the ceremony, I stayed in place and played for the cocktail hour. It was lovely, and very refined and relaxed!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Brookdale, Vernon Hills

Set up along Little Bear Lake behind the facility

If the venue is one you are not familiar with, that is because it is a retirement community!! The mother of one of the grooms lives here, and they wanted to make it as easy as possible for her to attend the wedding. Of course, it was an extra bonus that the facility has such a lovely patio with a stunning view! My impression from working with them was that having their ceremony in a non traditional setting allowed it to fall together really quickly, and it certainly turned out exceptionally beautifully!

Since one of the grooms plays guitar, the music was super important. He wanted to make sure that the choices for the processional were not truncated to the point of being unrecognizable, so we worked hard to get all of the timing worked out. When the big day came, everything went according to plan, and the extended family seemed to enjoy the event all the more for the ease it provided their matriarch. I could not recommend a retirement home setting for a wedding more; this was a creative solution that really worked for all concerned!!!

Looking back into the shady patio area, you can just make out my harp!

Are you planning a wedding in an unusual venue?  Let me help!! Renee (312) 860-4997.

Wedding Reception Harpist, Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile, Chicago

Set up for dinner in the Lakeshore Ballroom West

This hotel was new to me, and I thought it was in a terrific location. There is a real glut of hotels just West of Michigan Avenue, such that it is hard to drive down some of the streets, and frequently really difficult to get close enough to load in a harp.  This wonderful hotel is East of Michigan Avenue in a slightly quieter business and residential area, but still close to all of the things your guests would need and want.  

While the hotel is not huge, it had a lovely mid sized meeting room with lots of windows, a lovely city view, and a stylish prefunction area that the party used for their cocktail hour.  Once they came into the main room, I started to play my more modern love songs (think "Marry Me" and "One Thousand Years") interspersed with some quirkier titles ("Eternal Flame" by the Bangles is one of my current favorites).  The group began having everyone toast the newlywed couple, and I continued to provide very quiet background music, which I think helped some of the more nervous speakers!  After the first course, the couple decided to do a first dance, and they choose "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele.  I have a really terrific arrangement of that, and their dance was a super sweet moment, even for someone who had just met the happy couple mere minutes before!

A stylish cake with a wonderful, masculine topper!

Unity Temple, Oak Park Ceremony Harpist

My harp at the beautiful Unity Temple in Oak Park!

It was such a thrill to play in this historic building!  The layout is unusual to say the least, and the brides wanted quite a bit of specific music, so it took some coordinating!  They wanted to have piano and harp, which is unusual, so I had to check around for piano duets that I could adapt, or plan to accompany the piano as a solo instrument.  Piano can work quite well with harp, but you have to make allowances for the fact that (especially if it is a grand piano) it will be louder than the harp.  Not to worry, I made sure that the piano had the main melody, and I embellished!  We played "Air" from Handel's Water Music, and Canon in D, but the most fun was the tiny little bit of "Bridal Chorus" or "Here Comes the Bride" that we slipped in.  Since we actually had two brides coming down the aisle, it seemed to delight everyone!

For the recessional, one of the brides wanted "Entrance of the Queen of Sheba", also by Handel.  It is a newer piece for me, but it has been coming up more and more often.  I now have that particular selection in versions for harp and piano, harp and violin, and harp solo.  It was a joyous occasion that perfectly suited the bridal couple.  If you would like to see if we can find a program to suit you, just email me at Renee@Harp123.com!

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Harpist at Home in Glencoe

The beautiful Glencoe backyard setting

Okay, just fair warning, I was so excited about this wedding.  Granted, I am a huge wedding geek and get excited about all of them, but this one really was amazing.  For those of you who keep track of such things, marriage equality just arrived in Illinois this Spring, so that alone had me pretty excited.  I have been playing commitment ceremonies and domestic partnership ceremonies before now, but I do enjoy having an easy-to-use, one size fits all sort of arrangement.  Additionally, it has been super fun working with long time couples who didn't necessarily think a proper wedding was in their immediate future, but here we all are!  So now to the details of this particular wedding....

The brides chose mostly classical music for their service, with one very cool exception.  One of the brides recorded herself singing "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" a cappella (or without accompaniment). When it was time for the bridal couple to come down the aisle, they paused on the back porch of the home, and the recording was played as a surprise for the other bride.  I joined in and provided harp accompaniment for the last verse, and then transitioned into just a snippet of "Here Comes the Bride", before playing Canon in D.  After the ceremony, I stayed and played love songs while everyone had a glass of champagne before heading out for dinner.  It was truly a lovely celebration! 

Visit my website (www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com) for music ideas, or call me to see if we can work out something really special for your ceremony!

Centennial Park Wedding Ceremony in Munster, Indiana

The perfect vantage point for any harpist!

I love Centennial Park in Munster!  What a beautiful location.  The park opened in 2007, so it is still fairly new on the scene, but (as you can see from the photos) most of the plantings are looking mature and wonderful.  The lakeside patio is completely handicapped accessible (staff were bringing some of the guests with mobility issues down on golf carts), and there is a dramatic staircase that the wedding party can use for their entrance.

The wedding party came down these two sets of stairs.

This bridal couple wanted to honor their hispanic heritage, so we went with "La Paloma Azul" (The Blue Dove) for the processional, "De Colores" for the recessional, and "Blue Bossa" for postlude.  

After the ceremony, everyone went up the hill for a cocktail reception at the gorgeous banquet facility overlooking the park.  This site is a real winner.

Just to show the really beautiful plantings!