Rain or Shine, the show must go on!

Congratulations to Brittany and Kipp!!

On the afternoon of Sat. March 13th I played for Brittany and Kipp's wedding at the Magnolia Room in Rock Hill, SC. The wedding was directed by Ivy Honeycutt of the Silk Veil Wedding and Event Planners. I certainly look forward to working with Ivy again in the future.

The afternoon started off beautifully with only a few clouds in the sky and a 50% chance of rain. The wedding was outside so I went ahead and set up under the dome gazebo. Everyone felt sure that the rain would hold off for the bride and groom and I had my fingers crossed! I began playing Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and Ave Maria for their prelude. Suddenly it began pouring rain out of no where! I was able to quickly move my harp inside and since I was under the dome when the rain started, I was able to keep the harp from getting wet or damaged!

Once inside, Ivy began redirecting everyone to the new indoor ceremony. The inside of the Magnolia Room is beautifully decorated and was perfect as an indoor option for the ceremony. The bride had requested that I play "From this Moment On" at the end of the prelude and then "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for the mothers and grandmothers to be seated. This was a great transition into the ceremony. I then played Canon in D for the entrance of the wedding party and Brittany came in to the traditional "Bridal March". The couple made their happy recessional to "Wedding March". Fortunately it stopped raining right after their ceremony and the couple still got to have their pictures taken outside!

Thank you, Brittany and Kipp, for giving me the opportunity to play for your special day at the Magnolia Room! Best wishes for a very happy future together!

Final Fantasy- Wedding Processional

Congratulations Georgia and Paul!!

On Sat. March 13th I had the pleasure of playing for a very special couple. Although the wedding was traditional, the couple wanted the music to be different. The theme song from Final Fantasy VI was special to them so the bride asked me to learn it as a surprise to her new husband. I am always up for something new so I found the music and adapted it for the harp. I believe the original was written to sound like a harp so it adapted quite easily and beautifully.

I had the pleasure of working with Heather Bryson of Carolina Wedding Design at the wedding. She was a highly professional, organized, and creative planner and I look forward to working with her again soon.

The processional was traditional with pieces by J.S. Bach and Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1. The mothers and grandmothers were seated to Ave Maria which is a favorite for the seating of the mothers. The bridal party came in to Debussy's Clair de Lune which set the stage perfectly for "Maria and Draco" from Final Fantasy. The bride and groom came together at the front of the alter and I could see that Paul was very moved by Georgia's surprise to him. For the recessional Georgia had requested something with a Renaissance feel and I had suggested "Lauda", arranged by harpist Kim Robertson from the 14th century Italian song. "Lauda" was the perfect joyful ending and can be heard on my website: www.ncharp.com/music

Thank you, Georgia and Paul, for inviting me to be a part of your special day! I wish you many years of happiness!

Congratulations Lisa and Derek!

I played for a Valentine's themed wedding at St. Mary's Chapel in uptown Charlotte. I always love an opportunity to play at St. Mary's because the acoustics are perfect for the harp, making the sound clear and rich. St. Mary's Chapel is over 100 years old and considered historic by the city with all of its original flooring and seating. It is quite charming and very popular for a smaller ceremony.

The chapel was decorated in red, white, and pink for Valentine's Day. There was a line of small tea candles held by crystal candle holders sitting on the railing behind me. The tiny pink and red candles added a sweet and romantic background for the couple. I played all of my favorite romantic classical pieces for the prelude such as Satie's "Gymnopedie" and "Spring" from the Four Seasons. (www.ncharp.com/music)

Lisa had chosen for the mothers to be seated to Pachelbel's Canon in D. The bridesmaids and 2 adorable flower girls entered to "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach. Lisa made a grand entrance across pink, red, and white flower petals to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".

The couple had requested that I play their special song during the lighting of the unity candle. The song was Allison Kraus' "When You Say Nothing At All" and it adapted beautifully to the harp. I began playing softly as the minister spoke about the significance of a unity candle and then filled the chapel as the couple lighted the candle. I could hear the bride begin to cry as I played the chorus and when I finished I looked up at her and with tears in her eyes she quietly thanked me.

The couple made their recessional as husband and wife to the traditional "Wedding March". Following the ceremony I spoke briefly with the bride who told me that the music was "perfect". Here is the feedback that she left on my gigsalad profile: (http://www.gigsalad.com/nc_harp_charlotte)

"Kirsten was amazing. The music was perfect. I really wanted a specific song to be played, she arranged and learned the song just for our ceremony! The guests loved the elegance and class her music brought to our special day!"

The opportunity to enhance a couple's wedding day with music that will touch their hearts is the reason that I absolutely love my job!

Thank you to Lisa and Derek for inviting me to be a part of your special day. Best wishes for a wonderful future!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Congratulations Lauren and Michael!

Lauren and Michael were married on November 7, 2009 at the Bell Tower in Salisbury, NC. This was an unusual and very romantic location for a ceremony. The ceremony was set in the early evening when the light was perfect and the air was cool and still. The mothers and grandmothers were seated to Ave Maria and the wedding party processed in to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Lauren, escorted by her brother, walked down the aisle to Canon in D by Pachelbel. After the new couple joined hands, I played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Lauren chose this song because it had always been special to her and her father. Since her father had passed away, this was a special way for her to honor him during her ceremony. The day was clear and the air had been still the entire time that I had been playing. As soon as I began to play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" the wind began to blow and the leaves rustled loudly. I believe that many of Lauren's guests felt her father's presence at the ceremony. This was a memorable and beautiful moment for the couple's family and guests.

The couple chose "Gavotte" as their recessional. This is an upbeat and joyful harp solo. Please visit www.ncharp.com/music for samples of "Gavotte" and many other pieces.

Thank you to Lauren and Michael for allowing me to be a part of your special day! Best wishes for a happy future together!

Congratulations Jessalyn and Jon!

I played for the wedding ceremony of Jessalyn and Jon on 12/19/09. Their ceremony was a beautiful and magical Christmas themed ceremony held at First United Methodist in Mt. Holly, NC. Jessalyn chose Christmas colors as her theme. The church was fully covered in beautiful gold Christmas decorations, the bridesmaids wore hunter green and carried lit candles down the aisle, and the bride and groom stood under an elaborate gold arch at the front of the church.

Jessalyn chose all Christmas music for the ceremony which went beautifully with her theme. I played such favorites as "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "What Child is This?" for the prelude. The mothers were seated to "Canon in D" by Pachelbel which is a favorite at weddings. The wedding party processed in to "Silent Night", setting the stage for the beautiful bride to make her entrance. Jessalyn, a former dancer, made her procession to "Simple Gifts" which was a joyful and uplifting bridal processional. There couldn't be a more perfect Christmas recessional than "Joy to the World" to begin the couple's new life together. The arrangement of "Joy to the World" that I chose was complete with elegant and dramatic glissandos, everyone's favorite sound on the harp. Guests were sent off to the tune of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" as a postlude and perfect conclusion to a magical ceremony.

Thank you to Jessalyn and Jon for the opportunity to be a part of your special day!

New Years Eve 2009

Congratulations to Patrick and Shanti!!

Patrick and Shanti had a beautiful New Years Eve wedding ceremony at the beautiful and spacious Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, NC. Flutist, Emily Higgins and I did the music for the ceremony. We played many classical favorites for the prelude such as Gymnopedie by Satie and Schubert's Ave Maria. The mothers and grandmothers were seated to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J.S. Bach and the wedding party entered to Canon in D by Pachelbel. The bride made her grand entrance to Trumpet Voluntary. Since the space was so large, the church sound technician amplified our sound with a microphone and the sound filled the space perfectly. The ceremony was directed by Rosemary Reeves, who directs many weddings for Grace Covenant. She was a pleasure to work with and even provided me with a headset so that I could stay in constant contact with her. This feature is certainly not necessary, but is a great idea that I hope other wedding directors will consider!

The couple chose Simple Gifts as their recessional. Emily and I arranged this for flute and harp and it was very uplifting and joyful, perfect for a recessional!