The Indiana Statehouse is such a beautiful venue for a wedding! Marla & Alan chose the downtown Indianapolis landmark for their ceremony, and harp to provide their music. The acoustics of the space are wonderful for the harp as well!
Everything was decorated in their colors of royal purple and silver, including the welcome sign that let guests know they were in the right place! I played for the arrival and seating of the guests, with music chosen to match the mood and style of the processional pieces that Marla had selected.
When the wedding planner gave me the cue that everyone was lined up and ready to begin, I played “What a Wonderful World” for the seating of the grandparents and parents. The mothers of the bride & groom placed individual roses in two vases ~ these would be used later in the service as a part of the rose ceremony.
The five bridesmaids & groomsmen entered to “Canon in D.” To make the transition smoother between the processional pieces, I actually played it in the key of F ~ the same as the family processional music. So it was really “Canon in D…in F”!
The bride entered to “Falling Slowly” from the movie (and Broadway musical) Once. She had a long processional, including coming down the grand staircase, and I kept the music going until she and her father reached the altar.
The officiant was the pastor of the groom’s family church in Crown Point, Indiana. Based on Garrison Keillor’s “Young Lutheran’s Guide to the Orchestra,” he thought I must be a Lutheran! In case you haven’t read it, here is what he says about harpists:
“The other Lutheran instrument, of course, is the harp. It’s a good instrument for any Christian because it keeps you humble and keeps you at home. You can’t run around with a harp. Having one is like living with an elderly parent in very poor health: it’s hard to get them in and out of cars, and it’s hard to keep them happy. It takes fourteen hours to tune a harp, which remains in tune for about twenty minutes, or until somebody opens the door. It’s an instrument for a saint. If a harpist could find a good percussionist, they wouldn’t need anybody else. They could settle down and make perfectly good music, just the two of them.”
After the sermon, vows, and rings, the couple and their families took part in a rose ceremony. Marla & Alan’s family members and friends placed red and white roses in a large vase to symbolize their families and loved ones who had passed away.
Once these flowers were in place, the bride & groom placed their individual roses ~ the ones their mothers had presented before the ceremony began ~ in the vase to symbolize the coming together of the two families. Throughout this ritual, I played “Someone to Watch Over Me” by George Gershwin.
The pronouncement of the couple, and the exit from the ceremony, was accompanied by “Hey There Delilah” for the recessional. I followed that up with more upbeat popular and a few classical pieces as guests made their way through the receiving line.
If you are planning a wedding in Indianapolis or anywhere in Central Indiana, contact me about having a harpist for your ceremony! More information on my website: Indianapolis Wedding Harpist.
