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!

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 fiancé (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!

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!

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!

Chris & Rebecca

Congratulations to Chris and Rebecca on their marriage! Chris and Rebecca were married on Saturday, June 20 at Martha’s Chapel Christian Church in Apex. They were married in the beautiful sanctuary of this historic church built in 1804. The sanctuary was filled to capacity with over 100 friends and family gathered to celebrate Chris and Rebecca’s wedding day. This intimate wedding ceremony was officiated by The Reverend Bob Brinson of Apex. I performed a variety of musical selections for the prelude, including The Prayer, Sheep May Safely Graze, and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. I performed Wonderful World by Weiss/Thiele for the seating of the mothers; Canon in D by Pachelbel for the entrance of the bridal party; and Bridal March from Loghenrin by Wagner for the entrance of the bride. I performed You Raise Me Up by Lovland/Graham for the lighting of the unity candle and Ode to Joy by Beethoven for the recessional. I had so much fun being a part of this beautiful wedding ceremony! Congratulations again to this gorgeous couple on their beautiful June wedding!

Greaton & Jessica

Congratulations to Greaton and Jessica on their marriage! Greaton and Jessica were married on Saturday, June 13 at the Gassaway Mansion in Greenville, South Carolina. It was a perfect day and a beautiful wedding ceremony! They were married in an outdoor wedding ceremony on the front steps of the mansion surrounded by over 100 friends and family! Jessica has been my friend since our freshman year at Converse College. She started dating Greaton during our sophomore year. They are truly a beautiful couple and I was not surprised in the least when Greaton proposed to Jessica last year. I was honored to be asked to provide music for their wedding ceremony. Since Jessica and I were planning weddings around the same time (two weeks apart) we have had so much fun sharing ideas and stories about the adventures of wedding planning!


Jessica and Greaton with the bridesmaids (and harpist) at the rehearsal dinner at Stax's Pepper Mill in Greenville

I performed a variety of classical and popular music during the prelude. I performed Sheep May Safely Graze by Bach for the seating of the mothers and grandmothers, You Raise Me Up by Lovland/Graham for the entrance of the bridal party, and Air on the G String by Bach for the entrance of the bride. I performed Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) by Holland/Doizer/Holland for the recessional. This was a special request from the bride and groom. I had never heard this song played on the harp and there was no harp arrangement published, so I purchased the piano music and transcribed it to the harp. I was so excited with the finished product, a fun, energetic, and slightly jazzy arrangement of this 1960’s Motown hit! It was definitely a hit amongst the bridal party and wedding guests! I had so much fun being a part of Jessica and Greaton’s beautiful wedding! Congratulations again to this gorgeous couple (and my dear friends) on their beautiful June wedding and enjoy your honeymoon in Mexico!

James & Rebecca

Congratulations to James and Rebecca on their marriage! James and Rebecca were married on Saturday, June 6 in the beautiful sanctuary at Lakeview Baptist Church in Hickory. I performed a variety of classical and religious music selections for the prelude. I performed When Peace, Live a River by Bliss for the seating of the mothers and grandmothers; Canon in D by Pachelbel for the entrance of the bridal party, Trumpet Voluntary for the entrance of the bride; and Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn for the recessional. Also, the beautiful hymn Surely the Presence by Wolfe was performed by vocalists, Laura and Joel Harris during the ceremony. James and Rebecca chose to do something truly unique during their ceremony. After the exchange of rings they chose to seal their vows with a salt covenant. This is a wedding tradition in James’ family and I was happy to be introduced to this symbolic covenant! I had so much fun working with Rebecca and James and enjoyed being a part of their wedding celebration! Congratulations again to this beautiful couple on their gorgeous June wedding!