December 10, 2010 - Vail Interfaith Chapel wedding

We had the opportunity to play for a second wedding on December 10th - this one at the Vail Interfaith Chapel. The roads had iced over and there were many accidents and road closures... we counted ourselves lucky that we made it to the chapel!

While we play for many weddings and events, it is amazing how different each one is. Every now and then we hear part of a couple's romance story - this wedding was one of them.

As we worked together planning the music, the bride shared some of their story with us. This couple originally met in high school but later on went their separate ways. After many years their romance was rekindled, and their romance came to fruition last night as they were married.

When we began discussing the playlist with the bride, only one song mattered to her. She asked us to play whatever we would like to play for everything else. This was a complete shock to us, because we don't generally play what 'we' want, we play whatever our clients ask.

Apparently, the song 'Keeper of the Stars' by John Michael Montgomery had been this couple's song back in high school, and they wanted it to be part of their ceremony. So, we put together a custom strings arrangement of this piece and then put together a mix of classical and contemporary for their prelude music borrowing some of the pieces from the wedding we'd played for previously that day.

Our prelude consisted of Bach's 'My Heart Ever Faithful', Elvis' 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You', Silvestri's 'Feather Theme', Mozart's 'Menuetto' from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Delibes' 'Flower Song', Telemann's 'Presto', Horner's 'The Wedding', Puccini's 'O Mio Babbino Caro', and John Denver's 'Annie's Song'.

The wedding party entered to Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and the bride entered to the traditional Wagner's 'Bridal March'.

While we had discussed playing 'Keeper of the Stars' as part of the processional, the bride and groom really wanted to be able to hear and enjoy this piece. We decided to use this piece for the unity candle. After the candles were lit, they spent a few moments with each other just listening to this song which was so important to them.

As the ceremony ended, we played Handel's 'La Rejouissance' for the recessional as they headed back down the aisle, followed by Handel's 'Hornpipe'.

While we don't normally blog about the flowers and decor of our venues, we wanted to give a shout out to Sweet Pea Designs who did the floral work for this wedding. They created one of the most exquisite arches we've ever seen. At approximately 6 1/2 feet, it was made with pine garlands, red berries, white orchids, flowers, and bows, and laced with white lights. It was absolutely breathtaking.

March 20, 2010

 

(Photo 3/20/2010 3:00 pm)

This afternoon, we played for a beautiful wedding at the Beaver Creek Chapel coordinated by JoAnn Moore of Mountains and Meadows.

Our prelude consisted a a couple of contemporary pieces mixed in with several classical pieces. We started off with Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy' from his ninth symphony, followed by Cohen/Buckley's 'Hallelujah', Bach's 'Ave Verum Corpus' - a slow and beautifully melodic piece, Enya's 'Only Time', an old Irish traditional 'Danny Boy' or 'Londonderry Air', Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze', Bach's 'Air', and we finished the prelude music with Bach's 'Arioso'.

Just prior to the processional, fellow musician Pat Hamilton beautifully performed a vocal and guitar solo of John Denver's 'Annie's Song'. She also performed several of the hymns throughout the ceremony.

The clergy, family members, and attendants all entered to Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', and then the bride entered to the old Elvis tune 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You'.

During the ceremony, as the bride and groom lit the unity candle, we quietly played Gounound's 'Ave Maria'.

As the couple were presented to their family and friends for the first time as a married couple, we performed 'Here Comes the Sun' a familiar Beatles tune for the recessional. We concluded with Handel's 'La Rejouissance', and finally Handel's 'Entrance of the Queen of Sheba'.

It was our pleasure to play for this wedding on a perfect Colorado March day!

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.

Vail: Outdoor Wedding Tips

While outdoor weddings can be breathtakingly gorgeous, mountain weddings can also be extremely difficult due to the erratic summer weather. Following are a few tips and considerations for an outdoor wedding in the Vail area:

1. July is the rainiest month of the year. Plan on beautiful sunny mornings and afternoon showers. If you survive after 1:00 pm without getting wet - the heavens have smiled upon you. June and August are also iffy regarding afternoon showers, but not to the extent of July.
2. Cover your musicians! Unless you can predict the weather and guarantee no sweltering sun, no music whipping wind, afternoon rain, or hail storms, you should provide covering your musicians. Generally an over-sized umbrella or a pop up tent is sufficient. While thousands of dollars are spent in the creation of a perfect wedding, consider that one of the most focal parts of your wedding involves setting the mood with prelude, marching down the aisle, and the celebration of the union as a couple is presented for the first time. These moments beg for perfection. While the musical costs may be insignificant in comparison with the costs of the reception, dinners etc, consider that for such important life events, you want your musicians to be playing at their best, not worrying about a raindrop ruining their expensive instrument.
3. Make back up plans. While summer outdoor weddings are spectacular in the Vail Valley, make sure that you have a back up plan. If the weather threatens, consider that neither you nor your guests will really want to sit outside in freezing wind or rain for 30-60 minutes.
4. Call it early. If the weather does look threatening, make the call early. If moving the ceremony indoors is an option, make the decision early in the day so that your florist and other wedding service providers aren't scrambling at the last minute to make your venue spectacular. With so many other things to think about, a last minute change of venue can throw off timing, and add undue stress to such a momentous occasion.
5. Mountain top. Many of our clients choose to ride the gondola to the top of Vail Mountain to photograph the wedding party prior to the actual ceremony. While in theory a fantastic idea, be aware that summer storms move in quickly. As such, Vail is very pro-active in keeping their guests safe. If there is any chance of lightning, all access to and from the mountaintop will cease until the storm dissipates. In other words, you may get caught on top of the mountain for several hours.

Best wishes as you plan your upcoming wedding, and may all of your skies be blue!