The Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch

I've been waiting to get some photos from the photographer prior to publishing this post, but I decided I couldn't wait.

With the advent of fall and as the snow begins to fly, we begin wrapping up our 2009 summer wedding season. It has been a great summer - slightly cooler and wetter than normal, but nonetheless beautiful. This year has been our busiest to date, and we’ve enjoyed all of the opportunities we’ve had to share our music in all of our venues.

This weekend we played at the Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch. As we headed into this outdoor wedding, we were quite nervous and tentative as the weather forecast was approx. 47*, and we worried about being too cold to play. We had however, negotiated that if we played outside, heaters would be provided to offset the cold.

As we began our prelude, our violinists began with a couple of violin duets. We then moved into Corelli’s Pastorale, Handel’s Largo, and Bach’s Air.

Transitioning from the prelude to the ceremony music, we played Pachebel’s Canon as all of the family members and honored guests were seated, and then the Top Gun Anthem for the groom’s entrance. This was followed by Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring for the wedding attendants, and Wagner’s classic Bridal Chorus for the bridal processional.

During the ceremony The Ashokan Farewell was played as musical interlude, and Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons served as the recessional.

Moving back down to the patio for cocktails, we then played a mix of classical and contemporary pieces including, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Hallelujah, Bygone Days, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Annie’s Song, Airoso, Viva La Vida, Sheep May Safely Graze, O Mio Babbino Caro, My Heart Ever Faithful, Here comes the Sun, Sleeping Beauty Waltz, Ode to Joy, Liebestraume, Only Time, Brandenburg, The Flower Duet, and Edelweiss.

We were thrilled that the heaters worked out great at one point we were actually almost too warm!) and we were honored to play a small part in this beautiful wedding!

The Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch

We recently performed for a wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Bachelor Gulch. The weather definitely lent itself to the occasion with skies of blue, and a light breeze keeping it cool.

As we arrived to set up, we noted that The Ritz had made some great improvements to their wedding area. In a slightly new location, timber work frames the wedding area, a wood chip path strewn with rose petals serves as an aisle, and mountains provide a majestic backdrop. Very well done - breathtaking.



Our music for this wedding was strictly classical. We played Bach's 'Arioso', and Corelli's 'Pastorale' for the prelude. We were asked to play Haydn's 'Emperor's Hymn' (also known as Austria) just before the processional. This was a new piece which we hadn't previously played, but what a beautiful piece! We were happy to add it to our repertoire.

The wedding party entered to Bach's 'Air', and as the party was quite large, it was repeated several times with different variations each time. The bride entered to Pachebel's 'Canon'. The ceremony was conducted by family members and included a very interesting 'handfasting ceremony'. For the recessional, we played Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', followed by Handel's 'La Rejouissance'.

While we use many of the same pieces for different weddings, it is always interesting to see how differently they turn out musically. While we often use 'Jesu' as part of the processional, this may have been the first time we've used it as a recessional piece. We played it just a bit more quickly and brightly and it turned out great.

On a personal note, while we played for this beautiful wedding, my breath caught for a moment. Sometimes I forget what a privilege it is to live locally in the Vail Valley, and to be able to share my music. As I took in the vistas and scenery, I recognized once again how much I really love to live and play in the mountains, working with our clients, to help make their day into something they'll remember for forever.