Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Eaglewood Resort, Itasca

The lanterns along the aisle looked terrific,
especially as it got darker!

Okay, so probably they were hoping for snow. Not at all unreasonable for a December 22nd wedding. In the end, it was one of the warmer Decembers on record, and this particular day was really sunny. So essentially, even winter time brides can get thrown a curve by the weather! Luckily, the Eaglewood Resort is really amazing, and the wedding party and all of their guests had tons of amenities at their fingertips, so everyone had a terrific time regardless of the weather.

This bride chose Storybook love from "The Princess Bride" for her walk down the aisle, and it worked wonderfully, per usual! She wanted quite a bit of music during her ceremony, so she chose 3 selections to go under 3 separate readings, and I think it was really effective. She had Can't Help Falling in Love, Hallelujah, and Beauty and the Beast, but lots of other songs could've worked as well. The basic premise was #1 pick a reading about love, #2 pick a song about love, #3 enjoy! 

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Katherine Legge Lodge, Hinsdale

The wonderful upstairs room at the Lodge

I've played downstairs at the Katherine Legge Lodge before, but this was my first trip upstairs. It was an absolutely beautiful room for a late fall wedding. The only drawback is that it is not handicap accessible (no elevator to the upstairs), so you will want to keep that in mind. Other than that, the facility is really amazing. Lots of comfortable rooms in a large park setting. It is a Hinsdale Park District Facility, and their website has a lot of great pictures showing the possibilities at this venue.

The bride chose "Marry Me" by Train for her processional, and it worked beautifully. Her sons walked her down the aisle, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Girl and the Goat, Chicago

Private dining at Girl and the Goat

So, the sensible course of action would've been not to have live music because, honestly, there wasn't what you would call an abundance of space. No matter. There are some venues that just make it work, cheerfully and smoothly, and that is the way they roll at Girl and the Goat. There was some pre-planning with the restaurant where we discussed how much room I really needed, and they told me what was possible. Then a ride down in the Adele-evator (Adele apparently used the elevator when she dined in the private room, hence the moniker), and there I was. No one could really get past me, but the staff cheerfully worked around, and the guests seemed absolutely delighted to come into this cozy space and find live music. The bride entered with her father to "Can't Help Falling in Love", and it was really lovely. If you need an intimate space with amazing food and service, this should definitely be in the running.

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Galleria Marchetti, Chicago

See that chair on the left? That was supposed to be mine!

Yep, it rained. The garden area at Galleria Marchetti still looked really lovely, and it was dry under the canopy, but it was pretty cold. The bride decided to keep everyone comfortable and dry, but they were still able to get some lovely pictures outside after the ceremony. I mean, really, here I am telling you that it was kind of miserable out, but my amateur photos still make everything look pretty magical, right? Well, Galleria Marchetti really delivers when the weather is nasty.

This wedding was unusual because the bride decided to add violin just a couple of weeks before the wedding. She saw a video of violinist Jacob Murphy and I playing, and we were delighted to add that special touch to her wedding. We played "Marry Me" by Train, and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, and warmed everything right up!

The lovely view outside the tent

Set up in the corner of the tent. Better tent pictures are available on their website!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, St. Charles Country Club, St. Charles

Truly, a midwestern view can't get much better than this!

I have been to this club before, but the weather had always prevented me from playing outdoors. What a delight to finally see how they arrange things here! The manager of the club actually zoomed me around on a golf cart to show me how to load in without having to deal with any stairs, and where to stash my gear. Everyone was super friendly and helpful, and the ceremony went off without any concerns at all. There was quite a bit of shade for the guests, and everyone seemed delighted to walk down the hill on the gorgeous path, be greeted first by harp music, and then by the amazing view.

A shady path down to the pond!

The bridal party also used this walkway, so the music was
super easy to coordinate.

www.ChicagoWedding Harpist.com

Ceremony Harpist, Royal Fox Country Club, St. Charles

It is hard to tell, but the view just went on forever!

This location is a little remote, even on the venue property, but it was truly lovely once you had everyone assembled. The ceremony site was quite a ways beyond the main building, but there was plenty of parking if you knew where to go. The club was running people down in golf carts, which was certainly helpful. Probably the only downside was that there wasn't an easy place for the bride to stay hidden until processional time. The view was amazing, and it was nice and quiet at the site, which isn't always that easy to manage. All in all, this place is a solid choice if you're looking for a lovely outdoor setting!

The ceremony area was really lovely!

I thought the flowers were adorable.

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com

Salvatore's, Chicago

Salvatore's really gives such a lovely first impression!

I have played at Salvatore's quite a few times over the years, but I had never done a ceremony indoors. I thought it worked exceptionally well, and it offers such flexibility for the couple and their guests!

The bride and groom selected a lovely, whimsical group of pieces for their ceremony. The processionals were: Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka), Moon River, and the Dorothy version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. They recessed to Married Life from "Up"! It set the tone beautifully for the celebration to come!

Being at the bottom of the stairs makes
timing the music so easy!

www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com