Sunday, July 26, 2009

Pamela & Anthony

Congratulations to Pamela and Anthony on their marriage! Pamela and Anthony were married on Saturday, July 25 in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony at Oak Ridge Bed and Breakfast in Oak Ridge, North Carolina. They were married in front of a stunning white gazebo surrounded by beautiful gardens. For the prelude, I performed a variety of classical selections, including Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach, First Arabesque by Debussy, and Andante from Violin Sonata No.2 by Bach. I performed The Nightingale by Henson-Conant for the seating of the mothers, Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach for the entrance of the bridal party and Canon in D by Pachelbel for the entrance of the bride. During the ceremony, I performed The Prayer by Sager/Foster for the lighting of the unity candle. For the recessional, Pamela and Anthony wanted something completely different to get their guests energized for the reception. Pamela and Anthony had one of their groomsman (whom happened to be deejay) set up a laptop and sound system next to the harp before the ceremony. My job (for the recessional) was to press the "play" button at the appropriate exit time. Their friend had set up a mix of 1, 2, 3, 4 by The Plain White T's. It was so much fun and absolutely adorable! If you haven't heard this song it has the sweetest lyrics. It was completely perfect for Pamela and Anthony! Afterwards, I played a short postlude on the harp as guests proceeded to the reception under a beautiful white tent. I had so much fun being a part of Pamela and Anthony's beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony (and of course playing deejay)! Congratulations again to this beautiful couple on their gorgeous July wedding!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Carma & Lonnie

Congratulations to Carma and Lonnie on their marriage! Carma and Lonnie were married on Friday, July 17 in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony at Grayln International Conference Center in Winston-Salem, which is managed by Wake Forest University. They were married in the beautiful courtyard of the manor house built in the fabulous 1920’s. For the prelude, I performed a variety of classical and popular music, including Air on the G String, Over the Rainbow, and At Last. I performed Wonderful World by Weiss/Thiele for the seating of the mothers, From this Moment On by Twain/Lange for the entrance of the bridal party, and Ribbon in the Sky by Stevie Wonder for the entrance of the bride. During the ceremony, I performed The Prayer by Sager/Foster for the lighting of the unity candle and Ave Maria by Bach/Gounod for communion. For the recessional, I performed Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You) by Holland/Doizer/Holland. I was absolutely delighted with Carma's request to perform Ribbon in the Sky for her entrance. When I met with Carma back in June to discuss music for her wedding ceremony, she told me that her fiancĂ© (now husband) had a dream that she was walking down the aisle to Ribbon in the Sky. Since there wasn't a harp arrangement available to purchase, I had a lot of fun transcribing a piano arrangement of this piece to the harp. It turned out absolutely perfect! I was had so much fun being part of Carma and Lonnie’s beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony! Congratulations again to this gorgeous couple on their beautiful July wedding!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Sarah Beth & Matthew

Congratulations to Sarah Beth and Matthew on their marriage! Sarah Beth and Matthew were married on Sunday, June 28, 2009 at Wyche Pavillion at Larkin’s on the River in downtown Greenville, SC. This beautiful brick venue sits along the banks of Reedy River in the old Gower Coach Factory dating back to the Civil War. It was the perfect backdrop for Matthew and Sarah Beth’s beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony. For the prelude, I performed alongside the Mulfinger String Quartet based in Greenville. I performed a variety of solo harp selections for the prelude, including You Raise Me Up, The Prayer, and Psalms 19. The bride’s brother, Stephen Spainhour sang Shubert’s Ave Maria for the conclusion of the prelude. The string quartet and I accompanied this talented vocalist whom is a former member of the American Boys Choir. The string quartet performed Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach for the seating of the mothers and Air from Water Music by Handel for the entrance of the bridal party. I performed Canon in D by Pachelbel with the string quartet for the entrance of the bride. After the sermon, Stephen sang Every Valley Shall Be Exalted by Handel accompanied by the string quartet. For the recessional, the string quartet performed Rondeau by Mouret and Allegro by Mozart. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding ceremony and I was so honored to work with an exceptionally talented group of musicians! I also performed during the wedding reception for the cocktail hour and pre-dinner music. The wedding reception was held at Devereaux’s located across the street from the Westin Poinsett in downtown Greenville. This restaurant is housed in a century-old cigar factory! I had so much fun being part of this gorgeous wedding ceremony and reception! Congratulations again to this gorgeous couple on their beautiful June wedding and I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon in Italy!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Donna & Jerry

Congratulations to Jerry and Donna on their marriage! Jerry and Donna were married on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at Woodmill Winery in Vale. The wedding was held on the back deck of the main building overlooking the beautiful rolling countryside. It was a perfect backdrop for their intimate outdoor wedding ceremony. For the prelude, I performed a variety of classical and popular music. I performed First Arabesque by Debussy for the seating of the mothers and grandmothers, Trumpet Voluntary by Purcell for the entrance of the bridal party, and Canon in D by Pachelbel for the entrance of the bride. During the sand ceremony, I performed The Prayer by Sager/Foster. For the recessional, I performed All You Need is Love by McCartney/Lennon. This fun recessional was a special request by the bride. She heard this piece performed on the “Beatles for Harp” CD which is Beatles music transcribed and performed by Jim Palmer. I e-mailed Jim Palmer and was able to purchase the exact music that was played on the CD to perform at Jerry and Donna’s wedding. It was a definite hit amongst the guests! I had so much fun being a part of this beautiful wedding (and performing Beatles tunes)! Congratulations again to this beautiful couple on their gorgeous June wedding!