Wedding Cocktail Reception Harpist, Renaissance Blackstone Hotel, Chicago

Set up in the wide hallway one floor up from the ballroom.
The space extended an equal amount in the opposite direction.

I was delighted to be back at the Blackstone Hotel!  I hadn't been here for quite some time, and it was wonderful to see the terrific job that the Renaissance Hotel group is doing with the property.  The hotel was built in 1910 and is just a gem.  Luxurious, quirky, big enough, but not too big.  The hotel went through a number of owners over it's history and hit some hard times.  It was bought, renovated, and really just shines now.  Although it is an older hotel, many of the decorative touches are distinctly modern, so you never feel like you are in a dusty old relic!

I played in a space on the 4th floor that was essentially a wide hallway that ran the length of the hotel.  With two bars set up at either end, and wonderful lighting, it really held together nicely as a party space. Additionally, they opened up two of the small meeting rooms off the hallway, and guest could move between the areas as they mingled.

This was one of the smaller meeting rooms that they were able to open
up to accommodate the large group.  There were even more available!

I played cocktail music as the guests ate and drank, and then the captain came through with the dinner chimes (kind of like a tiny little hand held xylophone) signaling the guests that it was time to go down one floor to the reception.

Of course I stopped by the ballroom to grab a picture.
There was quite a bit of natural light, views of the park, ant it looks
like the room would just be a little jewel box at night!

Okay, it was a little hard to get a good picture of the ballroom, because the ceiling is magnificent, there is a view, and there is a balcony. Essentially you do not know where to point the camera! What a great problem to have!  If you need an impressive place for a large group, this should definitely be on your list to see!

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Pleasant Home, Oak Park

The living room at Pleasant Home, Oak Park

I hadn't been here in years, and it was fabulous to see this wonderful site again!  The 1897 Prairie style mansion is situated just South of downtown Oak Park, and sits next to, or I guess actually inside a lovely park.  They host wedding ceremonies in several locations, including the wide and completely covered porch (which seats 100!), the living area (which seats 70), and the lawn.  The price strikes me as quite fair, too. For $200 you can have the first floor for your ceremony, and use of their chairs.  They will even set up the chairs for you!  They have a wonderful page detailing all of this which you can find here.

When I arrived, the family and wedding party were already visiting and taking photos around the house and grounds.  We had arranged ahead of time that I would be accompanying the bride's two nieces while they played flute, so the girls and I got ourselves organized and had a little rehearsal on "Can You Feel the Love Tonight."  It is such a pleasure to accompany family members, and it never fails to make the ceremony feel really special and super personalized. Naturally, the girls played really well (at 13 and 14 years old, they had some experience and skills!), and it was one of the highlights of the ceremony for sure! 

The bride decided to go super traditional with "Canon in D" for her wedding party and "Here Comes the Bride" for her walk down the aisle. The recessional was left to me, so I did Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" and then went directly into some upbeat popular tunes so the guests could start transitioning to party mode!  The guests enjoyed the porch and the park, and the bride and groom finished their pictures. Altogether, it was a beautiful and relaxed start to their life together, and I could not recommend Pleasant Home more highly!

The harpist's view.

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, St. Rita, Chicago

Down front at St. Rita's

I have lived just two miles from here for over 20 years now, but this was my first time inside!  The church is actually part of the St. Rita College Prep School for Young Men, and it is a large, lovely space.  The bridal couple made lots of really smart decisions.  First of all, they had both piano and harp, which is unusual, but perfect for this space.  The wonderful Mike Carso of St. John Fisher Parish was on hand to play piano and keep everything running smoothly.  I took care of the prelude, Mike and I played for the bridesmaids (Canon in D), and then the bride came down the aisle to solo harp (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring).  When you have multiple instrumentalists, it really gives you the option to mix things up a bit, and I think that is wonderful for the congregation.  Mike took care of the mass parts, while I rolled some chords as ornamentation.   We both played on the recessional, and everything was wrapped up nice and neat!

If you would like to have lots of options, think about adding harp to the piano or organ that is already included in your ceremony plans! I have lots of music that works for two!

The large congregational area at St. Rita

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Lincolnshire Marriott, Lincolnshire

"On the Greens" at Marriott Lincolnshire

So I've actually been here before, but it was too wet to go with the original outdoor plan that day.  This time around, the weather really cooperated, and I think I got to see the site at its finest.  I was working through an agent, Lise Gilly, so while I did not speak to the bride directly, I had great information on what she wanted.  The bride specified 5 songs for her prelude, but that was enough for me to know the types of things she liked and fill in a bit when we needed more.  She mixed classical and pop, so "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" came just before the "Iz" version of "Over the Rainbow"!  The guests mingled under the tall trees, and enjoyed the cold beverages that the hotel had set up for them.  When it was time for the ceremony to begin, I could actually see the bride emerge from the hotel across from where we were set up.  There is rather a long walk, across a parking area and then lawn, so I played a little of "Trumpet Voluntary" and then shifted to "Here Comes the Bride" when it was time for the congregation to stand. It was a beautiful ceremony, and so much fun to finally see the Lincolnshire outdoor space in action!

As a side note, you really might like to check out Lise's other musical offerings.  She fronts a really phenomenal Latin group, Grouppa Cha Cha, and represents other jazz and classical groups as well.  Sometimes, especially if you are unsure what you want or need, it can be really helpful to work through an agent, and Lise is a wonderful one!

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Holiday Inn, Elk Grove Village

Set up for the ceremony.

This bride really did things well.  When she contacted me initially, she informed me that while the event was to be an American style wedding, many of those attending would be of Nigerian descent, and that a 3 pm Nigerian wedding would likely not start right at 3 pm.  We had a little chat, and decided to specify a time frame that I would set aside for the wedding, acknowledging that the start time within that time frame was unknowable!  It really helped me, as I came with extra music organized, and was not staring into the back of the hall the entire time wondering if I was going to get a signal in the next 30 seconds to start.  Truly, the time just before the processional is the most difficult for any wedding musician (as you want everything to be as smooth as possible) and having a realistic idea of what is going to happen is just wonderful!

This bride loved soft music, so she decided to go with "Storybook Love" from the movie "The Princess Bride" for her bridal party.  This is frequently an overlooked option, especially when you consider that the song is so familiar to so many people!  The bride walked down to "A Thousand Years" and, bless her heart, although it was a relatively short aisle, she walked slowly enough that I was able to play both sections of the song!  I think perhaps I will ask her to coach all of you... walk slowly, brides!  You are so beautiful, and we all want to enjoy the moment!!!

For the recessional, she chose the more up tempo "I'm Your's" by Jason Mraz.  The best part for me was that one of the groomsmen was actually singing along a little!  Yet another good argument for using pop music at a wedding... people enjoying hearing songs they know!  

Non-Wedding Harpist at "South Pacific"

My harp at Cahn Auditorium, Evanston

Kind of a change of pace for me; I am spending most of August playing in a pit orchestra for the Rogers and Hammerstein classic, "South Pacific."  The production is lovely and romantic, even if there isn't a wedding!  If you happen to be there, please stop by the pit and say hello!

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Harpist, Salvatore's, Chicago

The patio at Salvatore's

Salvatore's is really a Lincoln Park institution, but it is still a little off the beaten path.  It is nestled just North of Fullerton, back in a neighborhood of one way streets that makes getting there just a bit of a challenge.  Once you arrive, though, the street is quiet and there is valet parking!  The building used to be a hotel, and was converted (many years ago) to apartments and a restaurant.  The patio where they hold weddings is completely shaded and looks out on the landscaped courtyard of the apartment building.

The bride and groom wanted a mixture of pop and classical music, so the mothers of the bride and groom processed to "Air on the G String" by Bach, and then the bridesmaids entered to "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder.  I had forgotten how wonderful "Ribbon in the Sky" sounds on harp!  Look for this to appear on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, for sure!  The bride walked in to "A Thousand Years" and everybody recessed to "Marry You" by Bruno Mars.  I updated my arrangement of this piece, and I am finally completely happy with it, so you can expect a video of that soon, too!

After the ceremony, I moved indoors to play for the cocktail hour while the bridal party took pictures.  Things were moving along really efficiently, so my stated "cocktail hour" time actually ended up extended into the dinner, so of course I kept playing!

If you are looking for a convenient everything-in-one place venue in the city, you really should see Salvatore's.  And of course, consider harp music!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

The dining room at Salvatore's.
The patio is just through the doors on the left.