Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago

A picture of my harp at Holy Name Cathedral from a different day.
Honestly, no time for pictures on this day!!

As you might imagine, the music staff at Holy Name is really wonderful. The Cathedral is so busy that playing there frequently feels like trying to jump into a game of double-dutch jump rope! I always arrive early, because in cold months it is important to find someplace for the harp to come up to temperature. Once the previous wedding is finished, there will be just under 20 minutes to move the harp, set up, tune, and rehearse. It is a challenge!! On the plus side, the wonderful Music Director, Ricardo Ramirez, almost always chooses a responsorial psalm that I get to accompany, which I definitely look forward to. It is so much fun to play chords for the wonderful Cathedral cantors to sing over! Another often used focus is Schubert's "Ave Maria" accompanied by harp, or on this day, harp and violin. Beautiful! 

I managed to get set up really efficiently on this day, and rehearsal was short and easy, so I also played 15 minutes of prelude music. Like many churches with amazing pipe organs, Holy Name knows exactly how to employ the organs (yes, they have 2!) to greatest effect.  After I finished the prelude music, the violin and the upstairs pipe organ began the processional for the parents and wedding party from the loft, with me joining in from down front. Then, when it was time for the bride, the organ took over and opened up completely; it is an amazing sound for a dramatic moment!! 

Wedding Reception Harpist, The Lincoln Inn, Batavia

That's the corner area where the wedding party sat. 

This was such a charming reception! The bridal couple, and indeed all of the guests were members of a Seventh Day Adventist Congregation nearby. Since Seventh Day Adventists adhere to a Sabbath day of rest of Saturday, the wedding and reception were both scheduled for Sunday morning. I actually think that brunches, or "wedding breakfasts," as I believe they are called in Britain, are overlooked as a practical yet romantic alternative to evening affairs.  The Lincoln Inn in Batavia is perfect for this.  The owner was telling me that they host a popular Sunday brunch every weekend, so you could easily stop by and see what you think of the facility and its food without having to schedule an appointment! On this morning, we were in the Springfield Room, and it is quite remarkable. It is sort of an "L" shaped room, which is generally kind of a drag, but not in this case. The owners, very cleverly, installed a corner area that is perfect for the wedding party. Everyone sits elevated just a bit, and the reality is that the bridal couple is able to be seen from every bit of the room!  In addition, there are a number of large windows for natural light, and some large wall mirrors to disperse the light throughout. All in all, a super pleasant room.

The couple had requested hymns and classical music, so the music was very soothing. Brunch was served buffet style, and everything looked wonderful and well tended.  Definitely a place worth remembering!

See? This is why you need to plan December events...
the floral possibilities are so romantic!!

Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Chevy Chase, Wheeling

Rich brown tones and lots of bright woodwork makes for a warm feel!

I hadn't been to the Chevy Chase Country Club in years, and it was nice to see the facility looking so good. They had two large events going on that evening, but because of the way the venue is laid out, everyone had their own space. The mother of the bride requested the hymn "This is My Father's World," and I found a lovely arrangement. Like at many weddings, when the bridesmaids were ready to come down the aisle, they just came right ahead, without a thought to the music that was playing. I think this is frequently the detail that eludes clients. Your friends and relatives are going to be nervous, and they have not been living with the details of your ceremony for as many weeks as you have! In my experience, it is always nice to have #1 a little wiggle room in the music and #2 a ready-to-go Plan B. We, luckily, had both. The wedding party was large, and the officiant and I had agreed that if the bridesmaids started down during the special hymn, why I could just go ahead and finish it out with no harm done. So I did. Then I transitioned to Canon in D, and the whole thing turned out fine. Plenty of music, and everything nice and smooth. Additionally, the mother of the bride had chosen the Coldplay song "A Sky Full of Stars" for the recessional just because she thought it would be nice. Boy, was it ever. It translated to harp so nicely that I am going to put it up on the YouTube channel just as soon as possible!  

If your mother would like to suggest a new song for my repertoire, give me a call!  (773) 881-0706.

Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Danada House, Wheaton

Absolutely perfect weather!

This was the latest outdoor wedding I have agreed to play in quite a while, and I was glad that I did.... the weather was beautiful! Of course, it is very reassuring to know that you have all of the resources of the Danada House available if necessary! The bride chose an eclectic mix of classical and popular music for her ceremony, but was thrilled to find that I have a small selection of Bollywood tunes available as well. So the ceremony reflected the shared American heritage of the couple, but the reception was able to fold in the additional Indian heritage of the groom and his family. Brilliant, and inclusive, and who doesn't love that! 

If you think you might be interested in Bollywood music, you can find a sampling on my YouTube channel!

The bridal party processed to the ceremony from the house,
and we all returned there for cocktails.

The guests, and then the bride and her father used this pathway!

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Harpist, Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago

On this day, I took no badly composed photos. This never happens
to me, as I am actually kind of terrible at photography.
Bad pictures are, apparently, not even possible here.

I have been to the conservatory quite a few times, but never in this room.  It is kind of amazing.  I am a huge fan of being in locations that have an outdoor feel without the random scary factors of actually being outdoors, so this was heaven for me.  Plus the bridal couple had some really cool ideas.  The biggest one was to use a special piece of music, "Final Fantasy Prelude" as a processional of sorts for the parents, the groom, and his groomsmen.  It was fabulous!  I did a special arrangement for them, and it turned out great, but the best part was talking to the groom beforehand:  he was actually really excited about the music! In my experience, that doesn't happen all that often. Apparently, he and his friends are big gamers (I hope I am getting the lingo right here), and somebody had the great idea of incorporating the video game music into the ceremony.  Luckily, the music is really lovely, too, so that helped!

After the ceremony, I headed out to the back patio and played for the cocktail hour, too.  The crowd had super eclectic taste in music, so I really mixed it up for them:  Under the Boardwalk, Game of Thrones, Moon River.  It was a total blast!

If you would like to see if I can play something special for your ceremony, please write me!  reneewilsonharp@sbcglobal.net

Harpist's view.

Wedding Reception Harpist, The Signature Room at the 95th, Chicago

I played from the West windows, and this gives you an idea
of the clarity of the view.

Okay, it is going to feel a little funny labeling this one as "a room with a view."  Perhaps "room with THE view" would be more appropriate. The Sears Willis Tower building is certainly lovely, but there is nothing like being next to the lake and up high.  The Signature Room at the 95th (located on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building) has a number of private rooms to chose from, and they all have gorgeous views, because of course they do.

I started out working with the bride, but as the big day drew close the groom had some ideas for music, too.  He wanted to plan a special song that the couple could dance to.  I don't often provide the music for the first dance, but it is absolutely something that I can do.  In this case, the groom found a piece on my YouTube channel that he liked, "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder, but I also found a piece on his prospective list that I liked:  "Tupelo Honey" by Van Morrison!  I asked him which he preferred, and he suggested a little medley.  Done!  The song choices were kept a secret from the bride and the guests, and made for a lovely moment as the new couple spun around the dance floor.  It really was such fun, as it so often is when people share their ideas for their wedding day!

If you need to jump start your wedding day ideas, please visit my YouTube Channel!

It is so hard to get a good picture in front of windows! Still, it gives you
an idea of the scope of the view. The windows continue to the left!!

Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Boulder Ridge Country Club, Lake in the Hills

Some of the view. I was trying to avoid getting golf carts in the frame,
as this was early on and they hadn't yet been moved!

Boulder Ridge Country Club has an absolutely stunning view, able to be enjoyed from the patio, or the huge balcony off of the reception area. The balcony is so large that smaller ceremonies can actually be held there, but as we were larger on this day, we were down on ground level, which is also amazing. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, with the weather cooperating in every way!  Afterwards, although the official party was starting inside, I continued to play outdoors, and guests returned to the gorgeous balcony to enjoy the amazing view, sip their drinks, and listen to live harp music. It was truly the loveliest of settings!

Visit my main website (www.Harp123.com) if you would like to see the comprehensive list of available cocktail music.

Guests, and eventually the bride, enter here. 

A little bit better picture of the arbor.