My first wedding ceremony of 2013 was for Alexis and Brandon at Old St. Ann’s Church in Long Grove, Iowa. This beautiful country church, located in Scott County Park just north of the Quad Cities, is a beautiful venue for a wedding! The aisles and altar were draped in purple, and they had a personalized aisle runner with their names and wedding date.
For the prelude, they requested popular songs:
- Hallelujah from “Shrek”
- So What by Pink
- Love Me Tender by Elvis
- Sweet Child o’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses
- Marry You by Bruno Mars
There was a slight delay before the processional could begin, as some guests had gone to the “new” St. Ann’s Church just down the road. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long to get everyone where they needed to be, and I just kept the prelude music going until it was time for the family processional.
The parents of the bride and groom entered to “The Wedding Song,” followed by the bridal party processional to “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. The flower girls and ring bearer were the last down the aisle before the bride, and Alexis entered to the traditional “Here Comes the Bride” by Wagner. With a harpist, you can have a good variety of traditional and contemporary music for any part of your ceremony!
Alexis and Brandon featured a hand ceremony during their wedding, and I played “Marry Me” by Train lightly in the background as their officiant did the reading. Following this, I transitioned directly into “Hey There Delilah” by the Plain White T’s for the pouring of the unity sand. Again, this was just played lightly in the background while the officiant explained the symbolism of the ritual and as the couple poured the purple and silver sand together.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the newlyweds exited the church to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. The weather was beautiful enough for them to be able to head directly outside for pictures ~ very lucky for March! As the guests made their way out of the church, I continued music for the postlude, including “Dream On” by Aerosmith, “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, “Canon in D” by Pachelbel, and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.
As a harpist for weddings, I play for indoor and outdoor ceremonies, receptions, and rehearsal dinners in the Quad Cities and throughout Illinois and Iowa. If you are interested in having harp music for your wedding, visit my website: Quad Cities Wedding Music.
