My first wedding of 2026! I played for the ceremony and cocktail hour at The Columns in downtown Memphis, joined by a violinist for both parts of this luxury wedding.
Elizabeth and Stephen were married on a January Saturday, and used a winter color palette of light blues, greens, and golds. The grand venue was filled with music as their 250 guests arrived for the ceremony.
For the prelude, we included the couple’s special requests of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Hallelujah,” and “Clair de Lune.” We still had time before the ceremony was set to begin, so continued with other classical selections. We never run out of music to play!
They chose Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” for the seating of family and the wedding party processional. This is a wonderful piece, as it can easily be shortened (or in this case, lengthened!) to accommodate any length of aisle and any size of wedding party. We counted carefully as all 10 bridesmaids entered, and then switched to the traditional “Here Comes the Bride” for Elizabeth’s entrance.
They stayed with classical music for the recessional as well, opting for Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
After the wedding party and parents of the couple exited, we played “Trumpet Tune” as a harp & violin duet for the start of the postlude. Guests were directed downstairs to the vault for cocktail hour.
With two musicians performing, we can divide up during these transitional moments. I kept playing solo harp in the ceremony space until all of the guests had exited. Meanwhile, the violinist was already downstairs entertaining the guests for cocktail hour!
Once I moved the harp down, we continued with duet music as guests enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Instead of classical music, we played contemporary pop music, including songs by Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Ruth B, Imagine Dragons, Sia, and Bruno Mars.
Just because you have classical instruments providing your wedding music, you don’t have to have us play only traditional music! I love working with my couples to customize their wedding music. Either as a solo harpist or in a duet or larger ensemble with strings, woodwinds, brass, or multiple harps, I can create any musical ambiance you are envisioning.
Reach out today to start planning your wedding music by visiting my website: Memphis Wedding Music.
