The Sonnenalp in Vail

Today we played for a wedding at the Sonnenalp in Vail. As can be seen in the picture, one of the (many) great things about this venue, is its riverside location. While breezes from the river refresh, the mature trees offer great shade for wedding guests.

Today's music was definitely different as instead of solely strings, our ensemble was actually a cello & flute duo. The flautist played the first part and the cellist played the bass part, as well as some of the first parts, second parts, and third parts. It was definitely a new twist.

The prelude included some of our standard pieces - Handel's 'Water Music', as well as 'Simple Gifts', 'Ballet' by Praetorius, and 'Maid of Mourne'. Just prior to the ceremony's commencement, we played a lilting traditional Irish melody - 'Be Thou My Vision'. As the processional began, the family members entered to 'Sheep May Safely Graze', the attendants to 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and the bride to Pachebel's 'Canon'.
Following the exchange of vows, the couple walked down the aisle to 'Trumpet Voluntary', followed by Telemann's 'Presto', and Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'.

We then moved inside to the library where drinks were served and the guests relaxed and chatted while pictures were taken. There, we played several pieces by various artists, originally written as flute duets which we enjoyed trading the first and second parts back and forth. In addition to our classical pieces, we threw 'When You Wish Upon A Star', 'My Favorite Things', 'Unchained Melody', 'La Vie En Rose', 'My Romance', 'When I Fall in Love', and a tango titled 'La Paloma' into the mix.

As a courtesy to those planning future weddings, this photograph was taken at approximately 3:30 p.m. on August 8, 2009.

Summer wedding season begins

Today we officially began our summer wedding season. Summers in the Vail Valley are exquisite and the locals are familiar with the phrase, "come for the season, stay for the summers." That's how most locals end up living here year round - and we were excited to do a local wedding today. While the mountain tops retain some of their snow, all of the snow on the valley floor has melted, and spring flowers are now in bloom - everywhere it seems.

Red Sky Ranch was the site of today's wedding. It hosts one of the valley's newer golf courses, as well as an exclusive community. Today's ceremony was on the range next to the clubhouse, granting a gorgeous vista.

Despite the breathtaking views, the wind was very strong and we struggled to stay warm and keep our music (and stands) in place despite the 12+ music clips. Due to the weather, the guests came out just prior to the wedding party, and as such we didn't play much prelude.

The ceremony was beautiful and the bridal attendants entering to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, and the to bride to Pachebel's Canon. We were grateful for these selections as they are easier to memorize and we weren't able to turn our music pages without a long pause due to all of the clips needed because of the wind.

After the brief and windy ceremony, we played the Wedding March for the recessional, and then Hornpipe and a few other selections as the wedding party was whisked back up to the heated clubhouse via golf carts.

While mountain weddings can be gorgeous, we find that the weather can be very unpredictable. As such, flexibility and a large supply of music clips are a must!