I LOVE playing at the beautiful Bryan Glazer Family JCC. When you walk up to the venue you’re greeted with these incredible, artistic, slanted glass windows. Rachel and David had a trolley waiting out front. What a great way to transport the bridal party to the venue! It also makes for some really cool pictures! In a traditional Jewish wedding the bride and groom take part in the signing of the Ketubah. The couple’s closest family and friends were witness to this intimate ceremony. I felt like an intruder during this special moment and stepped out of the ceremony site. I did get to peek in on it and it was definitely a special thing to witness. Rachel looked absolutely breathtaking!! I loved all the accents and details the couple thought of. The drapery, greenery, and the wedding color (burgundy/wine) were perfect! The couple used all live music for the wedding which was AMAZING. I was there for the ceremony, a saxophonist for the cocktail hour, and a band for the reception. THE BAND! They were amazing. The band was rehearsing/warming up while I was setting up. They played “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”. I just so happened to hear that song, which I haven’t heard in forever, on the way to the venue. This made my day, what are the chances? Definitely a sign of good things to come, in my opinion! I’m so thankful that Rachel and David included me in such a special and beautiful wedding! Wishing them all the best! Shoutout to the amazing Melanie from Chantilly Chic Celebrations for being amazing!! I love her! :) Felecia and Markel got married on a cloudy day in Lakeland, Florida. I’m so glad that they decided to have their wedding outside despite the overcast sky because their wedding was perfection. They got married at the Loggia at Lake Mirror. I got to play my harp inside the gates!! This was very exciting for me. The harp looked absolutely beautiful there and sounded amazing! I could have played there all day. This has been one of my favorite places to play. It was so gorgeous… speaking of gorgeous.. Felecia looked absolutely stunning. I really liked how they didn’t have the groomsmen on one side and the bridesmaids on the other. The men and the ladies were mixed together. I thought this was beautiful. My favorite thing about the ceremony was when the guests blew bubbles during the ceremony to send their love and well wishes for the couple to the universe. This was magical. I even had some bubbles float by the harp. The ceremony was really sweet full of laughter, love and applause. I’m so thankful I got to witness Felecia and Markel tie the knot and to be a part of such a special moment in their lives. Wishing them a lifetime of love and laughter! 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 |
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Kristen Elizabeth
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