Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Idlewild Country Club, Flossmoor

It's hard to see the creek in the picture, but you are right there!

 This setting, at Idlewild Country Club, is really singular. You're sitting on the edge of Butterfield Creek, amid tall trees, in dappled shade; so essentially, just really gorgeous. It is however, not the easiest setting to bring a harp into! The folks at Idlewild were super helpful, and I was able to make the best of a difficult situation. The toughest part was that I was due back in the clubhouse for cocktails directly after the ceremony! I had some help getting my miscellaneous equipment back up the hill so I could concentrate on just moving the harp, and it was much appreciated. This is a venue where, in the future, only the ceremony OR the cocktails will be able to be booked, but doing either of those will be a real pleasure 💖

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Beau Chateau, Alsip

I was delighted to be back at a classic south side venue, and see it renewed and looking better than ever! This used to be Chateau Bu-Sche, but since August of 2023, it is Beau Chateau Banquets, and it is fantastic. If you have never been on the property, there are extensive green areas, and the landscaping is really beautiful. You can see in my photos that the all white really sets up a lovely canvas where all of your color choices will really pop. On this day, the groom had his own song ("Ribbon in the Sky"), and the wedding party entered from the garden area at the back of the hall to "Halo". The bride stayed traditional, with "Bridal Chorus" and "Wedding March" for the rest of the ceremony. Afterwards, I went right into cocktail music, and guests mingled while the new couple took their pictures on the grounds. It was fantastic!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Freedom of Grace Full Gospel Church, Chicago Heights

Just a stunning church from where I sat!

This was such a wonderful ceremony! The bride had requested that everyone come in black, so we all looked good, too! Mostly, the bride wanted me to play prelude, which I was happy to do. When I checked in with the sound people, it turned out that they also wanted me to play the recessional! We eventually decided on "Halo", using an intermediary to go and get the bride's thoughts. I also learned "Merry Go Round of Life" because it is one of the couple's favorites, and it sounds fantastic on harp!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Idlewild Country Club, Flossmoor

Idlewild Country Club, in the south suburbs, is a really gorgeous venue! I love all of the natural light, and the greenery that you can enjoy while still being cool and comfortable. Additionally, you are the only event here, so you can really enjoy yourself and not worry about how your plans will intersect with someone else's plans! They told me that they do work with clients who are not members of the club, so I think this is a fantastic place to consider!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Georgios Banquets, Orland Park

 

I haven't been to Georgios in years, and I don't think I've ever seen this particular room. The clients had decorated so beautifully, and they had definite ideas of what they wanted - which I always love! I played the normal prelude music that I would provide, but I was not needed for the processional, which is unusual. But. The bride wanted me to play underneath the entire wedding ceremony, which I was happy to do! She particularly wanted Ruelle's "I Get to Love You", and I learned "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder, because I thought it would be lovely, and it really was!!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

September 21st Harpist, Odyssey Country Club, Tinley Park

 

The East Gazebo

What a wonderful surprise! This amazing couple chose to celebrate their wedding on September 21st, even though it fell on a Wednesday! Luckily, the weather was beautiful, and everything was as smooth as possible. I even got to learn my very first Earth, Wind & Fire song (September, of course!). 

The location is so stunning that I stayed behind just a minute to get one last picture with the water feature all lit up!

Reception Harpist, VFW Post 9545, New Lenox

 

Plenty of space for tables, and ready to accommodate
any color scheme

VFW Post 9545 is especially interesting because it sits on the banks of Hickory Creek. There is even an outdoor area that looks like they use for creekside weddings! On this day, we were inside, but I thought the banquet area looked lovely, and everyone was ready to have a great time!

If you would like to add harp music to your celebration, my website can help www.Harp123.com

You can see the kitchen on the right, and the
buffet table all set up

Wedding Shower Harpist, Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields

Just the loveliest of rooms for a morning event!

Olympia Fields Country Club is an amazing venue, full of so many architectural details that just don't get added to buildings anymore. It was a delight to be part of this beautiful event, and I supplied plenty of love songs to get everyone in the right mood to celebrate the new couple!

If you are thinking of adding harp music to your wedding shower plans, my repertoire lists will get you thinking in the right direction! www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

An Impressive place to put a harp!

Ceremony Harpist, Ravisloe Country Club, Homewood

The courtyard here is just amazing!

Ravisloe Country Club in south suburban Homewood seems like an overlooked location sometimes, but it has one of the most beautiful outdoor locations out there. Stunning ivy covered courtyard, with a view out to the tree lined course.

The bride enters from the side of the building, 
with a beautiful tree lined backdrop

The staff quickly flipped the courtyard to cocktails (you can see the cocktail musicians setting up in the above picture), and the magical evening really got going!

If you're looking to set a magical tone for your wedding, please take a look at my website for options: www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Odyssey Venue, Tinley Park

A lovely lake view!

The Odyssey has two pavilions, and this is the east one. The weather was stunning, and I was happy to play from my old school R and B repertoire, including a new special request for me: Caught Up in the Rapture by Anita Baker! It has been a few years since I've been to the Odyssey, and the landscaping on this side is looking really great now. One of the nicest features of this venue is the long walk for the bridal party... you know I like those dramatic entrances!

If you need the perfect song for your dramatic entrance, my website can help: www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

And landscaping along your procession!

 

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, The Grand Ballroom (Events by Mistwood Golf Club), Joliet

 

The old ticketing area

Whew. Long title, but super cool venue. The ceremony was downstairs in what used to be the ticketing area, and it comes with some real advantages: a dramatic entrance for the bride, and an insular space that just glows when lit with candles. Also, the acoustics for music are absolutely terrific - I had my amp with me, but it wasn't even necessary. The couple chose to mix popular and classical, as many of my clients do. The bridal party walked to "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, and the bride entered to Canon in D. The event was managed by Mistwood Golf Club, which explains why everything went so smoothly! I didn't play for the reception, but I stopped by before I started so you could get a look at this amazing space. There is also a terrific website with some great video (www.JolietUnionStation.com).

The bride enters using this staircase

A really grand space!!

Please visit my website at www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com for repertoire lists so you can find your own perfect music choices!

Ceremony Harpist, The Odyssey Venue, Tinley Park

The gorgeous west Gazebo

I always enjoy being at The Odyssey, and the west gazebo works much better for live musicians than the east gazebo. It is easy to stay away from the water spray, the tree provides the necessary shade, and I've never seen goose droppings over on this side (which sounds like a small issue, but really isn't when you're trying to position an instrument in the grass!).

This bride wanted music under her vows, and used one of her special requests on "Dangerously in Love" by Beyonce. It turned out so well that I am playing it fairly regularly for wedding prelude and parties in general. I always love it when my clients point me in some interesting musical direction!

This tree has shaded many a wedding, and probably
many a harpist over the years!!

Ceremony Harpist, Double Tree Hotel, Alsip

Set up at the one of Double Tree ballrooms, ready for the ceremony!

This was one of those times where the music wasn't initially what I expected, but I wanted to follow the couple's wishes because, well, yeah. The couple wanted Coldplay's "A Sky Full of Stars" for the bride to walk in to, and "A Thousand Years" for their recessional. I have, most often, used those two choices for exactly the opposite ceremony jobs! Upon reflection, though, a slower "Sky Full of Stars" was really appealing and effective, and I just started "A Thousand Years" at the chorus, and I thought it worked great! In the end, they had really personalized music, and I got to look at those pieces in a different way. It was pretty fun.

The Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Alsip is a really appealing venue. The Banquet area has a separate entrance with easier parking nearby, and the hallways are a wide and comfortable location for your guests to gather if you need additional space. They were able to do a really quick turn around of the room, so the ceremony, cocktails, and dinner reception were all in the same room. Nice!

Harpist's view of the room.

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Odyssey Country Club, Tinley Park

The east gazebo at the Odyssey Country Club.

The Odyssey Country Club is a classic south side wedding venue, and we had a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and cool temperatures. The bride's mother is a musician, too, so the music was really important to her, and she wanted to specify as many of the pieces as possible. This is always an option for my clients. I am happy to come with a playlist, and even to fit the most important songs in at the most important times if I can. Of course, weddings do not always run exactly on time, so I always having a backup plan, but I am happy to do my best!

The bride's mother had lots of good choices for me, and wanted to end the ceremony with an Owl City selection called "Hot Air Balloon." Unfortunately, there is not music available for that, so we substituted "Fireflies" and that turned out beautifully!

If your wedding will be at the east gazebo, the harp placement is, by necessity, behind the chairs. Even so, the fountain will likely have to be turned off. For some reason, it always seems like the fountain being on will be okay, and then a gust of wind comes along, and everyone (and my harp) is soaked. Being behind the chairs also lets me get music to the stairs for the approaching wedding party, and then I turn the harp around during the ceremony. It is a beautiful setting, but a little complicated from the musician's point of view! It was all worth it, though, as the bride looked radiant, and the ceremony went beautifully!

If you need someone to work with you on your ceremony's complexities, just email me at reneewilsonharp@gmail.com!!

Engagement Party Harpist, Prestwick Country Club, Frankfort

Aren't the decorations lovely?

I live quite far South, but I didn't even know that this club existed. The website for Prestwick Country Club says that they host members and non members for special events, but there wasn't a lot of other information available.  What I can tell you from experience, though, is that the club looked incredibly beautiful with its Christmas decorations, and that the table settings and indeed the plates coming out of the kitchen all looked absolutely beautiful, too. This club may be a little out of the way even by my South Side standards, but it is definitely worth consideration.  I always think that anyone who plans a December or early January event gets extra wonderful decorations just by default, and how amazingly smart is that?

Engagement parties are so much fun to play!  I swept through many of my favorite wedding and love themed music, with lots of Christmas music thrown in.  I have been lucky enough to play for this lovely family before, and they are of Italian heritage, so they also get some opera arias, and a particular Christmas tune that I love, but that only musicians and Italians ever seem to know. What can I tell you? Everyone had a good time, myself included!

If you would like to include Christmas music at your event, you can see all of my holiday songs listed here!

The "room" is actually two rooms joined by an archway. Cocktails were
in this section with the cool high ceiling.

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Ravisloe Country Club, Homewood

Yep. It really was this pretty. The courtyard at Ravisloe is amazing.

YouTube has really changed the way people shop for music. I have a YouTube channel with many of my most requested songs, but frequently clients will send me YouTube links of other harpists, and that can be really helpful, too. In this case, the bride had fallen in love with the Romanza movement from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nactmusik. Not only did she love the piece, she loved what one particular harpist did with it (it was slower and more romantic than it is normally done). No problem. If I can understand what you want, I can probably do it, and nothing is easier for a musician to understand than a recording! After a little back and forth we got the whole thing managed, and the bride got exactly what she wanted:  Romanza for the mothers to walk into, Arioso by Bach for the bridesmaids, and Canon in D for the bride. Perfect!

Ravisloe Country Club is a stunningly beautiful location. It is open to the public, and comes with a really rich history and the kind of vintage charm you just can't get everywhere. If you need music to complete your wedding, please visit my YouTube channel to start your shopping!

I didn't play the reception, but I snuck a picture for you.
Great windows, right?

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Lake Katherine, Palos Park

The stunning Lake Katherine

Besides being beautiful, Lake Katherine is so very convenient. If you were able to turn around in this picture, you would see a really fantastic party facility with proper running water and a lovely view of the lake. I have been in this facility numerous times for parties, but it is always wonderful when the weather cooperates and you can be lakeside. On this gorgeous day, the only problem we had was a parade of geese that thought they would "play through." The photographer and I (both on site early) gently discouraged this, and all was well!

If you would like to add live music to your outdoor event, please visit www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.  Goose wrangling provided completely free of charge!

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, 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

Flossmorr Country Club Wedding Ceremony with Desiree'

Looking back towards the clubhouse.

As you can see, it was a beautiful day.  I think this venue is special, though, because even on a rainy wedding day it would be lovely.  If you look closely at the photo above, you'll see a large green awning.  What it is hard to tell is that the awning is really large, and it covers an equally large veranda that opens into a sort of suite of banquet rooms.  You could put a wedding party on the veranda and have a completely dry outdoor wedding in a bit of a rainstorm.  Meanwhile, you would be looking across a gorgeous green space that gives way to rolling hills and mature trees..... really amazing.  As it was on this day, the bride and her party were able to use the stairs down from the veranda for their dramatic processional.

Apparently Flossmorr Country Club has only recently began offering their club to non-members for private events.  I know this because the event planner for the day, Desiree', knows everything!  No, seriously. Dersiree' Moore Dent is so smart and capable and reassuring that you will be dazzled.  Plus, the photos at her website are really beautiful, so have fun!

Hard to capture the rolling hills and groves of trees, but they're there!

For beautiful harp music at any venue, please see www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com