The Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne is an amazing venue for your wedding ceremony and reception. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me to my May 14th wedding, so if you want to see pictures of the inside, you’ll have to check out my blog post from a wedding I played there last September.
This wedding was set up a little differently, with the ceremony taking place under the center rotunda. The guests were seated all around the platform set up in the middle for the bride & groom. This gave more of the guests a front-row seat for the vows!
All of my contact for this wedding had been with the mother of the bride (Rhonda), who is also a musician. In addition to all of the duties and stress of being the mother of the bride, she also sang for the ceremony! I played harp for the ceremony, along with flautist Jenny Robinson (from the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and IPFW). A harp & flute duet is a beautiful and elegant ensemble. Mozart even wrote a concerto for this combination!
The harp & flute started the prelude with the Welsh lullaby “Suogan.” Rhonda and her duet partner then sang “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera; we followed with an instrumental version of the Gershwin song “Embraceable You.” One more vocal duet, “Unforgettable,” then the harp & flute finished up the prelude as the rest of the guests arrived.
The parents of the bride and groom entered to a vocalist singing the Josh Groban song “You Raise Me Up.” With a cue from the wedding planner, we began the processional music for the bridal party: “Air on the G String” by J.S. Bach. This piece really comes to life when a sustaining instrument (like the flute or a violin) playing along with the harp, keeping those long melodic lines going.
The bride had one request for the ceremony music. Her processional was kept a secret from everyone until she actually walked down the aisle. She even instructed the DJ to play a different song for the rehearsal! When the big moment finally came, “1234” by the Plain White T’s was her choice. It was a perfect blending of live music for most of the ceremony, with one favorite song in its original format – the way you are used to hearing it.
During the ceremony, I accompanied Rhonda singing Malotte’s “The Lord’s Prayer,” and a guitarist played and sang “Marry Me” by Train during the lighting of the unity candle. The recessional was the traditional Mendelssohn “Wedding March.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, I took the harp upstairs to provide background music for the cocktail hour. Like the prelude, this was mostly popular love songs with a few well-known classical pieces mixed in.
If you are looking for a Fort Wayne Harpist, please contact me! From the Courthouse to the Rose Garden to the Bridal Glen in Foster Park, I have played for weddings and parties throughout the city. I would love to add the special touch of harp music to your event!
http://www.theclassicharpist.com/
1-574-344-9401