I was so excited for Amber and Nicholas’ wedding!! Amber and Nick tied the knot at the gorgeous Academy of Holy Names Chapel. The chapel was packed full of the couple’s family and friends.. It was standing room only! The processional was fun because the bridal party was so large (10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen!!) that we got to incorporate 4 different songs. It’s always fun to find a way to smoothly transition from one song to the next. I love when I get a special song request because it introduces me to songs that I may never think to play. Amber requested that I play “Small Moments” by Above & Beyond for her entrance. It sounded SO beautiful on the harp. I really liked the song! Amber looked absolutely stunning. Her dress was incredible! She had the most beautiful lace top covering a sweetheart bodice. I’m assuming the top came off for the reception but since I didn’t see her I can’t be sure. Regardless, the whole outfit was perfection. Remember that large bridal party I mentioned earlier… did I mention how incredible good-looking everyone was?! This wedding was one for the magazines. The ceremony was a traditional catholic ceremony and was really beautiful. The harp really made it emotional (if I say so myself.. lol). After the ceremony I had the honor to play for the guests at the cocktail hour at The Vault. I love The Vault. It’s one of my favorite venues. They had cigar rolling which was awesome! For the ceremony I kept it sweet and classical but for the cocktail hour I had the opportunity to turn it up a notch and play more upbeat and contemporary songs. One of the guests (oh man I forgot his name.. David?) was very kind and helped me unload and set up the harp. He’s the only person to correctly guess why I started to play the harp! I was shocked. He asked me what made me want to play the harp to which I responded “You know.. I wish I had a really good story as to why”. He then said “Did you play the piano then just switch to the harp?” That’s essentially what happened and I couldn’t believe he knew enough about the harp to know that it’s similar to the piano. Well done sir! I had such a great time at this wedding and I’m so thankful for Amber and Nick for including me in their special day! Wishing them nothing but the best!! Xoxo -Kristen I loved so many things about this wedding! First of all, I loved the gold accents everywhere. The ceremony room at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC was decorated so elegantly! I loved the long aisle lined by white roses and the drapery. The harp was perfect in this room! The bride and groom were the cutest ever and the ceremony was so sweet. They wrote really romantic and heartfelt vows.. but made sure to put some humor in them. I was very impressed with the groom’s vows! I thought… wow! How can she top that? And of course she did! It’s SO obvious how much they love each other. The officiant was a friend of the couple. This always makes the ceremony more meaningful. Now to my absolute favorite part of the ceremony… the bride requested that I play the theme to “Jurassic Park” because the groom “really likes dinosaurs”. The song is so beautiful and I thought that it was such a great idea! After the ceremony, the groom made sure to mention that he really liked how I played Jurassic Park and then showed me his awesome dinosaur cuff links!!! They were awesome! Adrienne looked absolutely gorgeous. Every little detail was perfect! I’m so happy for this couple and wish them a lifetime of love and inside jokes. ~xoxo Kristen Christina and Mark’s “Interactive” Wedding at @CCRWeddings at #CrossCreekRanchFL in Dover, FL5/2/2017
Well, you probably already know… that Cross Creek Ranch is one of my favorite venues but you didn’t know that this was one of my favorite weddings. Mark and Christina finally decided to “tie the knot” literally.. After being together for many years. They have a beautiful family and choose a beautiful venue to make it “official”. The ceremony was laid back and fun! The officiant encouraged the guests to participate in clapping, stomping, and cheering. The guests even had a few one-liners to contribute too. The bride arrived in a horse-drawn carriage. She was radiant! It was a magical entrance. (The harp really made it perfect if I do say so myself.. lol). The couple did the tying of knot, though I don’t think the knot actually turned out the way it was supposed to. These are the things they’ll remember and laugh about for years to come. They also did a very beautiful “vase ceremony”. I had never seen this before. The best man and maid of honor both carried a rose into the ceremony. During the ceremony, the bride and groom exchanged these roses in special vases. The vases then go home and are there to show each other their love for one another when words aren’t enough (even when they are trying to say “I’m sorry”) I thought this was so special! My favorite part was when the flower girl wanted to play my “guitar”. She was just the CUTEST thing ever. I’m so lucky to be a part of such a special day for this family. Thank you Christina and Mark for including me! I wish the bride and groom and their family a lifetime of love and happiness! ~xoxo Kristen Jordan and Josh had the most PERFECT wedding!! They chose the Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota for their destination wedding. They couldn’t have picked a more beautiful location or planned for a more beautiful day! I absolutely love playing at this venue; it is one of my favorites! I had never seen the venue set up the way the couple did. IT WAS AMAZING! They had the ceremony in front of the pavilion, cocktail hour inside the mansion, and the reception on the lawn. The pavilion had an incredible arch adorned with the most beautiful roses. It was seriously, sooo beautiful! Now, I believe that the couple is destined to have the best marriage. You’re probably wondering why I say that. Well, I witnessed what I believe to be good omens. A manatee swam right into the alcove right next to the ceremony site!! Also, while I was playing for the processional, a lady bug was crawling on my harp!! If those aren’t good signs, I don’t know what could be! I had such a great time playing for this wedding. It was breezy and absolutely gorgeous out. The bride was absolutely STUNNING!!! Her bridesmaids were also all gorgeous and the groomsmen weren’t that bad looking either. LOL ;) I’m so thankful that this beautiful couple choose me to share their beautiful day. Wishing them both a lifetime of love and happiness (and many more Florida vacations!) P.S. Rev Rick from Sensational Ceremonies did an amazing job officiating the ceremony (as always!). I also made a new friend Marlon Boone, who did great on the Sax for cocktail hour. :) Marisela and Jon had a rustic chic wedding at the beautiful Orange Blossom Barn. Orange Blossom barn is one of my favorite venues. I LOVE the drive back to the barn. It is amazing! You drive through the woods for at least a mile or two. I love the build up of anticipation during the drive. The scenery surrounding the dirt road is gorgeous and exciting. You never know what animal you’ll see next. A cow? Horse? Goat? Eventually you come to a turn and clearing in the woods….then you see the barn. It is stunning! When I arrived and was unloading the harp, a cow came over and started to moo at me. He was obviously just as excited for me to be there as I was! There are these incredible barn doors standing alone at the ceremony site. The doors roll open for the bridal party and the bride. They are an incredible piece of art and gorgeous in photos. I had so much fun playing for the guests at this wedding. The bride made sure everyone arrived early so they could listen to me play. I loved listening to the exclaims from the children as I uncovered the harp. I’m so lucky to play such a cool instrument. Marisela looked absolutely stunning! This ceremony was definitely one to remember. The officiant did an incredible job with the ceremony. He made the guests laugh and he focused on Marisel and Jon’s love. My favorite part of this wedding was the dove release. YES! A DOVE RELEASE!! How cool? I’ve never seen this done before. It was really magical. The pair of doves were released, circled the ceremony site, and then flew home. While they were flying up above, I played lots of rolling glissandos.. (think something you would hear in a movie..). It was perfect. I think it’s so cool that the birds knew to fly home. I will never forget this wedding. I’m so honored to be a part of such a special day. I wish the happy couple a lifetime of love and laughter! |
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Kristen Elizabeth
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