Wedding Mass Harpist, Church of the Holy Family, Chicago

Just awe inspiring!

The Church of the Holy Family is a really interesting institution. It serves the community of St. Ignatius College Prep, but doesn't have a neighborhood congregation. Because of that, it is available to host important life events for Catholics from other parishes, including weddings! Their website does an excellent job of outlining both the procedure and the costs, so I encourage you to visit it if this is an option for you. It was my first time playing here, and I would highly recommend it to anyone; what a pleasure!

I had actually played for the bride's wedding shower, so she and her mom were well acquainted with my repertoire! We chose classical things for the actual wedding, but Holy Family was super flexible about having some popular songs in the prelude, which was, I believe, appreciated by the bridal couple. Just really a lovely experience from beginning to end, and a wonderful way to ring in the New Year!

If you're planning a Catholic ceremony or mass, I would love to help! www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.

Christmas decorations are one more benefit
of a New Year's Eve wedding!

Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Chevy Chase Country Club, Wheeling

This room is so warm at night; it just glows!

 

This was an emotional one for me, just because this bride was the first of my clients to have to cancel her wedding, way back in the early part of the pandemic, March 2020. She had a specific vision for her wedding (which okay, that's kind of everyone), and it kept being impossible to access as the pandemic and scheduling intervened. So the day finally came together, and you know what? It was perfect. Chevy Chase was beautifully decorated for the holidays, the wonderful coordinators kept things humming along like clockwork, and I think the bridal couple was delighted. Happy ending for sure!

If harp music would help your happy ending, please visit my website: www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.

Wedding Ceremony Harpist, Saint James Chapel, Chicago

A stunning little jewel box!

It is always a pleasure to be at Saint James Chapel! The chapel was built between 1917-1920, and features stained glass modeled after the famous windows of Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The musician's loft there is large and couples frequently choose to have the harp upstairs. Yes, you lose the visual effect of the harp, but the music sounds like it is drifting down from the heavens, and that is worth it!! 

I am always happy to coordinate music with your regular church musicians, or outside people. When planning a religious service, it is probably best that we email or speak on the phone. I am easy to reach at reneewilsonharp@gmail.com or (312) 860.4997. I am always delighted to talk about wedding plans!
 

Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist, Deer Path Inn, Lake Forest

The ceremony used Windsor II, with Windsor I as an
entry area.

It has been a fair number of years since I've been to the Deer Path Inn, and it was so wonderful to see what an elegant venue it remains! The Windsor Rooms are incredibly versatile, and I love how the entire area has its own impressive entry. The bride's family were classical music fans, so they wanted me to save the popular choices for their cocktail hour, and play all classical music for the ceremony prelude. They used "Air from Water Music" for the bridal party, and the bride chose to walk to the traditional "Bridal Chorus". It was truly lovely, and I did a quick move into the bar area in Windsor I to start some livelier cocktail music. 

Live music programming can be anything you want it to be, and I would be delighted to help you set your perfect mood. Please feel free to reach out to me and discuss your plans directly. I can be reached at (312) 860.4997.

Bollywood Harpist, The Ivy Room, Chicago

Set up for a short program and dinner music.

I have a small (but growing!) Bollywood repertoire, and it has become a very popular option for my clients in the past few years. Frequently, they will request that I play classical and American pop selections for the first part of the event, and then reveal the Bollywood repertoire as a surprise for their guests. On this evening, the host was celebrating an engagement in their family at the Ivy Room, and I began by playing the cocktail hour in their lower level bar area.

The lower level bar/cocktail area.

Towards the end of the cocktail hour I moved upstairs so that I could greet the guests with music when they entered. The host wanted me to talk just a little about my specific harp, and how it is constructed, so I combined that with the Bollywood selections she had requested. I finished up with some dinner music, and everything moved along seamlessly!

If you would like to incorporate some Bollywood into your event, my repertoire is listed on my website: www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.

Cocktail Harpist, Ignite Glass Studios, Chicago

Positioned just inside the dining area 
to greet guests.

 This was my first time at Ignite Glass Studios, and it is a beautiful location. The bride had hoped to be outside, but the weather was just cold and windy enough that the guests briefly looked outside, and then wanted to relax indoors. I actually changed locations slightly several times, as the guests sort of worked things out on their own. They weren't technically supposed to come into the dining area, but the venue was relaxed about it, so all was good! The bride wanted "Phantom of the Opera" selections in recognition of her grandmother's favorite musical, so I worked a bunch of those into my more contemporary playlist, and everyone got to hear things that were important to them!

Please visit my website to see if my repertoire list is a fit for your event: www.ChicagoWeddingHarpist.com.

The unused outdoor space was still stunning
to look at!

Ceremony and Reception Harpist, At Home in South Barrington

Set up to greet guests in the entryway.

This really was so much fun! I was initially hired because the beautiful bride had always wanted to enter to a specific Bollywood tune played on harp. Once we knew I was going to be on hand for the ceremony, we started to build the plans out from there! I started in the entryway, playing as guests arrived. Next, I moved closer to the outside deck for the bridal procession. Then I relocated a third time so that I could play in the entryway, but run my amp around the corner so as to effectively be in two rooms at the same time! My battery powered amp is a great tool for quite a few situations. You can go ahead and put me where you like, with no consideration for power availability, and my longer cord allows for some creativity for where the sound ends up!

If you would like to discuss plans for your specific event, we can always talk through the possibilities. I am available at (312) 860-4997.