What a beautiful day Abigail and Jame had for their garden wedding at Morton Arboretum! They held their ceremony at the Grand Garden, with cocktail hour immediately following in the Ginko Room. For both, they requested a harp and violin duet. It’s one of my favorite ensembles, and I love working with my colleagues to create beautiful wedding music!
We played duet arrangements of classical pieces such as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” the theme from “Jupiter,” and “Largo” from Handel’s Xerxes for the prelude. The families of the couple came down the aisle to the jazz standard “At Last,” followed by the wedding party to “Prelude in C” by J.S. Bach.
Abigail’s own processional music was “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. During the ceremony, we played the Rascal Flatts song “Bless the Broken Road” for the unity sand pouring. After the newly-married couple was introduced, the traditional Mendelssohn “Wedding March” was their recessional.
Following the recessional, the violinist made her way to the cocktail hour, so the music could start there while I was continuing postlude music at the ceremony site. That’s one of the big pluses for hiring a duet or larger ensemble! We can cover music for both ceremony and reception without a break in between.
For the cocktail hour, the bride and groom wanted popular songs, mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Their specific requests included:
- Piano Man (Billy Joel)
- Uptown Girl (Billy Joel)
- Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
- All You Need is Love (The Beatles)
- Happy Together (Alan Gordon)
- We’ve Only July Begun (The Carpenters)
- Main Theme from Game of Thrones
They requested the Game of Thrones theme to be the last piece we played, prior to their introduction to the ballroom and dinner service.
Either as a solo harpist or in a duet, trio, quartet, or larger ensemble, I love working with couples to create their perfect wedding music experience. The music you choose can be classical, contemporary, or a mix of everything that is meaningful to you! To start planning with me, contact me via my website: Chicago Wedding Harpist.