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!