Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Medinah Country Club, Medinah

The room actually glowed, and the candles were not even lit yet!!

Saturday was wet.  And cold.  My heart went out to any and all that had planned an outdoor wedding, but I was thrilled for my client who had planned to be indoors all along.  We were at the historic, amazing Medinah Country Club, and even the staff was marveling at how beautiful the room looked!  

The bride wanted a small ensemble, so Jennifer Silk played violin with me, and it was wonderful.  The bride chose all popular music for her ceremony, which is becoming more and more common.  The parents and grandparents entered to "Here Comes the Sun", the bridesmaids walked to "What a Wonderful World", and the bride and her father processed to "A Thousand Years".  During the ceremony, we played "All I Ask of You" for the gift of roses to the moms, and the theme from Beauty and the Beast for the unity candle.  The recessional was "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, and I am happy to report that it is absolutely wonderful with violin and harp!

It might be hard to tell, but the framed object front and center is actually a flower arrangement inside of a silver frame.  It was amazing!

If you need music to go with your amazing ideas, please visit my website at www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

The harpist's view.

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, St. Hyacinth Bascillica, Chicago

My harp is there, but admittedly a little hard to see in the wide shot.

Well, I actually gasped a little when I first walked into St. Hyacinth, because it is just that kind of place.  I mean, you already know from the outside that it is going to be impressive, but that doesn't really prepare you for what the inside ends up achieving.  It is bright inside.  Sun filled, even.  And the colors from the stained glass are dazzling.  The church is beautifully cared for, and well worth a trip just as a tourist.  It is in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago, and was built between 1917 and 1921 by, and primarily for, the Polish immigrents that lived in that area.  The neighborhood is now an ecclectic mix of people, and the ceremony I played for included elements of Iraqi Christians! Additionally, the church seems to have a clearly defined path for people from other parishes to arrange to be married here.

This wedding came to me through a wonderful singer named Maureen Christine.  She sings a wide variety of events, but specializes in Catholic liturgies.  If you are planning to have a Catholic Mass, you probably already know that the music needed is substantial and incredibly specific.  It really helps to have musicians that are well versed in the traditions, and that absolutely includes Maureen!  In addition to the places in the Mass that had music (Alleluia, Psalm, Gifts, and Offretory), she sang "The Prayer" as the mothers came down the aisle, and it was so lovely with voice and harp.  We also performed Schubert's "Ave Maria" while the bride placed an offering of flowers to Mary, and that is always a special, exceptionally sweet moment for the bride that I think is really enhanced by music.  Maureen's website has some great examples of her singing, and she is a really helpful person in general!

I took care of the processionals and the recessional with solo harp, but it sure was useful to have Maureen there watching the people file in. St. Hyacinth's is a big place, and it was great to have her telling me who was on the way down the aisle and how far they had gotten!

If you are planning a ceremony with a cantor (another name for a vocalist at a Catholic Mass) I would love to help!  Call me to talk about how harp can do all of the duties of the piano or organ, no problem!

A view to the side.
Visit the website of St. Hyacinth to see the amazing stained glass dome!!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Ceremony Harpist Contemporary Museum of Art, Chicago

This was the proverbial "Plan A".

Well, we were supposed to be out on the lower patio in the sculpture garden, but the rain just wouldn't cooperate.  The staff at the museum was really hoping it could work out, too, and they held off on making the decision until 5:15 for the 6 pm wedding.  Once the decision was made, the turn around was fast and efficient, and soon we were set up and ready to go in the front lobby area.

Final preparations for the now indoor ceremony.

The bride had selected an eclectic mix of music for the prelude that included Amazing Grace, Only Time (Enya), I'm Yours (Jason Mraz), and Everything I Do (Bryan Adams).  For the ceremony, she wanted to juxtapose those with the most traditional choices, so I played Bridal Chorus (also known as "Here Comes the Bride") and Mendelssohn's "Wedding March".  One more traditional wedding song ("Rondeau" by Mouret) and I launched into the theme from "Game of Thrones", which was a special request for the bride! The guests were able to walk around the corner to the reception, and most wonderfully, the rain stopped long enough for the wedding party to get pictures on the front steps of the museum!

If you want music that can easily move from one site to another, you may want to consider harp.  My bragging rights?  My acoustic set up was packed, moved, and unpacked again in half the time it took the sound guys to move the mic and amp for the officient. What can I tell you?  Harp music is efficient!

Visit my popular music repertoire list to see what kind of a program you might like!

The harpist's view.  So dramatic, and a nice long aisle!

Bridal Shower Harpist, Ritz-Carlton, Chicago

An unusual and beautiful vantage point.

I have played at the Ritz-Carlton many times over the years, but this was a new room to me.  It turns out that the Pearson Room used to be a private dining club, but has been repurposed to serve as a small banquet room.  Really, the room is of an unusual size;  big enough for a mid-sized wedding, but small enough to feel intimate.  On top of that, the view is really astonishing!  You get to see Navy Pier (including the Ferris wheel), and some of the beautiful Northwestern buildings that really aren't visible from very many places. 

For this particular event, they were mingling and then sat down to enjoy tea service.  I played lots of wonderful love songs from Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight", through "Moon River", and up to "I Chose You" by Sara Bareilles.  My goal is that everyone there should hear songs that they know and love, no matter if they are the grandmother of the bride or the niece of the groom!

Visit my repertoire pages to see if I know any of your favorite songs!

A contemporary space with lots of light
and even space for a dance floor!

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

Carriage Greens, Darien 25th Wedding Anniversary Harpist

It is always such a pleasure to play for long married couples!  This couple had blended their respective Irish and Italian heritages to form an especially rich history.  I was lucky; I got to bring out my extensive Irish music collection and play through my smaller Italian music folio! In between, I played lots and lots of love songs, and a wonderful time was had by all.  

Manteno Sportsmen's Club, Manteno Wedding Ceremony Harpist

Manteno Sportsmen's Club, the patio on the lake.

So we were supposed to be outside, and it should've worked out; it was only early October after all.  Then things took a turn, and it was just a little too wet, a little too cold, and the bride made the hard call to move everything indoors. This is right about the time that you end up being super glad you booked live music, because nothing can warm up a space faster than live music.  This particular bride was a musician herself, so she had me for the wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, and then a live band for the party.  Clever girl!  So outside, it drizzled and blustered, and inside we had a lovely ceremony featuring Irish music to honor the bride's heritage, and everyone celebrated. 

If you would like me to be part of your, "take what comes, but let's have a great time" plans, please write me!  Renee@Harp123.com

Set up for the inside ceremony.