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I was so excited to play for Mary and Danny’s wedding at the Palma Sola Botanical Park in Bradenton. I was first contacted by friend and wedding planner, Lucy Halasz of LH Events. Lucy is amazing and every couple she works with is too so I was definitely excited to work with Mary and Danny! The wedding took place at the cutest botanical park in Bradenton. It seemed that a local school had it’s prom on the same day so while I was setting up, I saw a bunch of young adults dressed up for the special occasion. The kids looked so cute all dressed up taking pictures. There was a miscommunication as to when the wedding ceremony started so I arrived a bit early which was great! I had the opportunity to talk to Lucy before the wedding started and share baby pictures! Lucy is a proud grandma and I’m a proud momma. :) The ceremony was great! Mary selected the songs for the ceremony and it was a surprise for Danny. Aww! She did a great job of choosing songs by the way... I was really impressed! For the processional she choose “Fools Rush In”. This was a surprise for Danny since it was also going to be the song for their first dance. (However, Danny was so overwhelmed with excitement that he didn’t even realize that’s what I was playing. lol). For Mary’s grand entrance, she decided to combine “Here Comes the Bride” with “La Vie En Rose”. I loved this combination and thought the suggestion was genius! Danny’s nephew Cory came walking down the aisle with a sign that said “Here Comes the Bride”, how perfect!! (Cory and I became friends before the ceremony). “La Vie En Rose” was perfect for Mary’s entrance. She looked timeless just like the song. She wore a gorgeous fit and flare gown, she looked stunning! The ceremony was beautiful, the officiant did a wonderful job telling an inspiring story. For the recessional, I played the classic Mendelson’s “ Wedding March (from ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’). I’m so glad to have been able to play the ceremony music for Mary and Danny! I wish them a lifetime of love! I had the honor of playing Mother’s Day Tea at the Palm Gardens nursing home. I always love playing at nursing homes. I always enjoy the conversations I have and today was no different. I loved that I would get stopped while arriving (and leaving) with questions about the harp and the big blue case (lol). I know the harp isn’t easy to miss and often causes a distraction but I love when people are inquisitive about the instrument I love. It was interesting watching the dynamics of the residents. Even in old age, you could see the “cliques” among the residents. There were two sweet ladies that informed me that they’ve never seen a harp in person before. It reminded me how truly lucky I am to play such an amazing, unique instrument. I had a great time playing at the nursing home! I was contacted by David Frazer, the CEO of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. It was such an honor to be invited to play for such a great event for a great cause! I had the amazing opportunity to play for the VIP social hour on the Yacht Starship in Tampa Bay. I’ve never played on a boat before. It was definitely interesting trying to get Beth (my harp) on the boat. Thankfully, the Yacht Starship staff (see pictures below) were amazing and help me to load and unload the harp and all of my stuff. I was worried I might get sea-sick on the boat but surprisingly I didn’t! However, playing on a boat while it was moving took some getting used to! I really had a great time playing for this amazing event. Thank you to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation for all the amazing work you do! It was an honor to play alongside this great foundation. Ryan had me at hello…. Okay well not really but as soon as they told me that the wedding was going to be at The Orange Blossom Barn in Bushnell, I was ecstatic to play for this wedding. The barn, at the time, didn’t have an address but instead they sent me a digital copy of the most beautiful invitation that had directions to the barn. The ride to the barn was so cool. It was over the river and through the woods...literally! I drove for about a mile and a half on a dirt road through the woods! I saw different animals and wildlife… cows, a red shouldered hawk, goats… a snake. I love being outdoors so I really enjoyed the drive up to the gorgeous barn! Ryan and Josh were the most laid back couple I’ve ever had the opportunity to play for. They were SO sweet and easy going. It was obvious that the most important part of the day was marrying the love of their life. The couple allowed me to choose the songs for the ceremony! Talk about pressure! Just kidding, I was so excited to have the opportunity to select songs that I thought were fitting for the big day! I loved everything about this wedding…I mean everything! (I even told my husband that if we have a vow renewal.. I want it to be similar to this wedding hahaha). The ceremony took place under a canopy of oak trees. The bride even made the benches for the ceremony! The wedding was decorated with greenery and succulents. The barn was PERFECT! It was like a Pinterest dream (in my opinion, that’s a huge compliment! I love Pinterest). They had antique furniture throughout the barn, perfect for a vintage or rustic themed wedding! When I arrived to the wedding I had mentally picked out what songs I was going to play. However, once the ceremony began I felt inspired by my surrounding and atmosphere to change the song to something really light and airy. Ryan looked SOOOO gorgeous! Her dress was a two piece gown and she wore a crown of flowers/greenery.. It was perfect! After the ceremony, the groom told me the sweetest thing. He told me how perfect the ceremony music was… and that it was like a dream, watching Ryan walking towards him with the music playing. AWW! I really enjoyed playing for this sweet couple and their family at this beautiful family-owned barn. I wish Ryan and Josh a lifetime of love and happiness! xoxo Sarah and David had the cutest nautical themed wedding at the Longboat Key Club. Driving to the wedding I was anxious because there was rain in the forecast and the wedding was set to take place outdoors. This always makes me nervous. When I arrived to set up it was a little cloudy outside but it didn’t seem like rain was imminent. Thankfully, as I began to play the clouds started to dissipate. This was the first wedding I have ever played that actually started a few minutes early! Sarah and David did not do a “first look” so they were anxious to finally see each other! It was amazing getting to witness their “first look” at each other. I will never forget the smile on Sarah’s face! (David was just as excited!) The most amazing thing happened during the ceremony.. The sun came out! It was absolutely perfect timing! The ceremony was beautiful and highlighted the love between David (Paul lol) and Sarah. (You’re probably wondering what “Paul” means… well the officiant accidentally called him by his middle name! Oops! It was all in good fun though! They were able to laugh about it and it made for a memorable moment.) I’m so thankful that I was able to witness the love that this couple has for each other. It was an honor to play for their ceremony! I wish them both nothing but the best! |
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Kristen Elizabeth
Thank you for visiting my blog! Check out my entries for pictures and summaries of all my weddings and event performances. A great place for ideas and sharing! Archives
April 2024
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