If you are seeking amazing and beautiful music for your wedding (or even if you’re not) I have a great treat for you! Elizabeth Brightbill (flute) and Andrew Gabbert (cello) of Terra Voce will be performing at LIve Arts later this month. This will give you an opportunity to hear this wonderful duo in person at one of Charlottesville’s unique venues… I know you’ll just love their music!

If you’d like to hear some clips from their repertoire please go here and if you’d like to find out if Terra Voce might be available for your wedding date e-mail them at info@terravoce.com or give them a call at 434-823-7652.

You might also enjoy watching them play at the Kennedy Center last October here.

Shannon & Clancy chose a very informal morning ceremony in the lovely Garden VIII at UVA with a group of about 35 or 40 of their closest family and friends.  After all the great professional photography I’ve shared with you on this blog, I hope that you won’t mind that this post has photos taken only by me with my highly unprofessional camera.  Shannon and Clancy included a couple of very special elements in their ceremony: a Hand Blessing ceremony (based on a Celtic Handfasting) and they also prepared and handed out personalized scrolled messages to each and every one of their 40 guests.  It was a lovely celebration… oh, and I wanted to be sure to tell you about the Rick Olivarez Trio… 2/3 of the Trio played for the ceremony and their music was fantastic!

Thank you for the honor of being a part of your big day… I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

Beautiful bride!

Just married!

A message of love for each friend and family member.

After the ceremony everyone gathered for a group shot

2/3 of the Rick Olivarez Trio... amazing music!

Happy pup with Mom & Dad!

All in all a beautiful day at UVA... congratulations Shannon & Clancy!

Guest Post by Peter Markush of the Plum Blossom String Quartet

Planning the music for your wedding ceremony can be challenging but also very rewarding. Your first decision is whether to use live or pre-recorded music. If you choose live music, you have to decide what instrumentation you want, then find and hire musicians who play those instruments. Finally, you will need to determine which events during the ceremony will be accompanied by music and choose specific musical selections for those events.

As is true of many aspects of your wedding, many of these choices will be influenced by your budget. For the most part, the more musicians you hire and the more of their time you require, the more you will have to pay.

If your budget is limited, be creative with ways to make your ceremony music special. While pre-recorded music is generally the least expensive option, the right solo musician can add that special touch that only live music can and still not cost you an arm and a leg.

To save money, consider asking family or friends who are musicians if they might be willing to play as a wedding gift or at a discount, or for room and board or other barter. While professional musicians are less willing and able to do this, sometimes an amateur musician who has a relationship with the bride and groom can lend special meaning to the ceremony.

Another way to save money is to have the ceremony musicians also play for the cocktail hour and/or reception. While these different situations often require different styles of music, some musicians are versatile enough to make it work, and it is generally cheaper than hiring separate groups to handle each situation.

The Plum Blossom String Quartet

If your budget allows for it, a good rule of thumb is to hire the best and most experienced musicians you can afford. If two string quartets appear to be comparable but one is 30% cheaper than the other, there’s probably a reason for that. Experienced musicians tend to be better prepared and generally conduct themselves more professionally.

Of course, don’t judge musicians solely based on price. Get recommendations from booking agents, wedding planners, and other wedding professionals such as caterers and photographers. Friends and family are also a good source of information.

Most wedding ceremonies have music for the bridal processional and the recessional. Other ceremony events that are commonly accompanied by music include prelude music while guests are being seated; the seating of the mothers and grandmothers; the wedding party processional (sometimes there is a separate piece of music for the bridesmaids); and the candle lighting. There may also be one or more musical interludes.

Unless you have specific requests, the musicians will generally choose appropriate prelude music without input from the bride and groom. For the other events, the musicians may provide you with a repertoire list of musical selections for you to choose from. If you have trouble deciding, your ceremony musicians will generally be happy to offer their suggestions.

On a personal note, I’d like to say that weddings are a great opportunity for musicians like me to be part of something special while making money doing what we love to do. So thank you to all the brides and grooms out there, good luck, and congratulations!

Contact Information for Peter Markush and the Plum Blossom String Quartet:
~ website: www.plumblossomstringquartet.com
~ phone: 434-295-6367
~ e-mail: peter@stringblossomstringquartet.com

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!

Mary Ann & John’s sweet little springtime wedding at the Boar’s Head Inn was beautifully captured by the brilliant Billy Hunt and his talented assistant, Jeremy of Billy Hunt Photography.  I was so happy that John and Mary Ann had beautiful weather for their morning ceremony on the Volleyball Field (not really, that’s just what it’s called).  As always, Debbie Dabney, of the Boar’s Head had every detail handled and everyone was able to relax and really enjoy the celebration with great company and great food… Mary Ann & John: thanks for including me in your big day!

For beautiful music check out the Piedmont Chamber Players

Contact Information for Billy Hunt Photography:
~ website: www.billyhunt.com
~ phone: 434-872-0178
~ e-mail: billy@billyhunt.com

If you’re planning a wedding in the Charlottesville area, the Charlottesville Wedding Directory will make your life so much easier… check it out… and happy wedding planning!

There is nothing quite like having the unique presence of bagpipes at a wedding. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of experiencing this amazing addition to about a half-dozen ceremonies and it is without a doubt one of my very favorite things. If you want to honor your Irish or Scottish heritage it is especially wonderful and Tim Lewis Batten is one of a small number of bagpipers who makes himself available for such events. Here’s some information about Tim:

For over 25 years, Tim Lewis Batten has served the entire Commonwealth of Virginia as professional Piper (One who plays the great Highland Bagpipes). He frequently performs for weddings and other events in the Charlottesville area. Music is his primary passion, but there’s more! Tim is co-owner of Pipes of Argyll & Scottish Goods, which also rents full formal kilt packages for the men in a wedding party.

Tim also leads two Pipe Bands in Virginia, the Old Dominion Emerald Pipes & Drums, and the regimental styled St. Andrew’s Legion Pipes & Drums.

If you need a Piper, a full band, formal kilts and jackets, Tim can supply all your needs to make your wedding Scottish or Irish.

Give Tim a call at (804) 502-7046 or e-mail: pipesofargyll@aol.com

Some notes from Tim: One of the advantages of having a Piper, is that he or she can perform all the music required for a wedding ceremony. They can be played indoors if the building has high enough ceilings,but the bagpipes are the ideal outdoor instrument. No other non electronic instrument has the projection and ambience of the Pipes. A Piper can so much to the ceremony as an integral participant. Many Brides sometime elect to have their Piper lead them in for the processional and often, it is the Piper who sounds off the recessional and leads the newly weds out of the ceremony area to the reception, or acts as the beacon to draw all the guest to the reception while the official wedding parties peels off to have those cherished photographs taken.

Shelley & Mike’s Autumn wedding at Veritas Vineyard was beautifully photographed by the fabulously talented Meg Runion of Rob Garland Photographers and today I am so happy to be able to share a selection of Meg’s fantastic work with you… (contact info. for Meg is at the end) Enjoy!

Contact info. for Meg Runion:
~ phone: 434-293-3332
~ e-mail: contactus@robgarland.com
~ website: www.robgarland.com
~ be sure to look at Meg’s gallery and blog too!

It’s so important to find the right music for your ceremony, cocktail hour & reception. Music sets the tone for your event and is often one of the most memorable parts of you day! Vernon Fischer’s Bands, Guitarist & Musicians are experts at helping make sure the music for your wedding day is perfect. They can provide a wide variety of types of music from classical and vocal to jazz, popular, rock, swing and most anything else you can think of plus expertly MC your reception.

Vern is a life-long musician who plays many instruments himself and also works with a multitude of talented artists in bands of all sizes, from duos up to 9 pieces. His bands may include guitars, horns, strings, woodwinds, keyboards and drums in varying combinations.

If you know exactly what you want or don’t know where to begin… give Vern a call and he can help you find the very best music and musicians for your big day! Be sure to check out the videos of some of his groups online.

To book Vern and any of his groups or for more information contact him today:
~ phone: 434-295-6360
~ e-mail: vernonfischer24@hotmail.com
~ website: www.vernonfischer.com

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Yes, Tuesday! After all of the weddings I’ve done over the years at the Clifton Inn, I had no idea that there was a lake with a dock on the property… imagine my surprise . … and it made an absolutely idyllic backdrop for Jeffery and Lena’s beautiful little wedding this afternoon. All of their guests easily fit right on the dock with us and it made for such an intimate outdoor setting.

Two of the many special things about this wedding ceremony were the family sand ceremony that Jeffrey’s 3 beautiful children joined in to symbolize their participation in the forming of this beautiful new family… plus incorporating a Russian wedding tradition at the end of the ceremony where the newly married couple shares bread and salt with the guests signifying their good wishes for health and prosperity for their life together. Albemarle Baking Company, apparently followed Lena’s instructions to create an authentic loaf!

As with all weddings there are many wonderful and talented people that help make everything happen, including of course, Crystal at the Clifton Inn who helped Lena and Jeffrey plan their day. Additionally, Jennifer Myer played beautiful music for the ceremony, Jill Rose of Jillian’s Video Productions was there to videotape everything for all the friends and family that couldn’t be there today and Will Kerner was there to photograph every moment… there was a moment there when we were afraid he was going to fall in the water trying to get the best shot… hopefully he will share some of his photos of the day with me so that I can post them here in a day or two.

Thanks everyone… don’t we have the absolute best jobs in the world!?!?! And BIG Congratulations to Lena and Jeffrey… I wish you a lifetime of love!

Long life, health & prosperity!

One of the many wonderful things about Jenna & Mark’s wedding at the Colonnade Club last week was getting to hear Jan Smith (guitar & vocals) and her husband, Jeff Vogelgesang (mandolin & vocals) of Honeybird Music play together. Jan and Jeff’s melodies and harmonies are truly magnificent and it was such a pleasure to get to chat with them afterwards.

If you’d like to hear some clips of their music go here and if you’d like to contact Jan to see if she is available for your date go here, I know she’d love to hear from you!

Contact Info. for Jan Smith and Honeybird Music:
~ e-mail: jan@honeybirdmusic.com
~ websites: www.honeybirdmusic.com and www.jansmithmusic.com
~ phone: 434-981-3911

A couple of weeks ago I had my first experience of having one of my ceremonies webcast. The bride and groom each had a grandmother who, for a variety of reasons, could not attend their wedding and this service allowed both grandmothers to see the ceremony as it was happening… amazing!

Ran Henry of Blue Mountain Weddings has teamed of with Chris Munson of 20 South Productions to make this service available here in the Charlottesville area and I have to say, after my experience, that I think it’s a wonderful option for your wedding… especially when circumstances such as these (family members not able to attend) present themselves.

Blue Mountain Weddings also provides photography, videography and DJ services and 20 South Productions offers a wide variety of musical entertainment options for your wedding or other event. Both Chris Munson and Ran Henry are wonderful to speak with and to work with so if you have interest in any of their multitude of services I wouldn’t hesitate to give them a call.

CONTACT INFO.:
20 South Productions
~ phone for Chris Munson: 434-296-1600
~ e-mail: chris@20South.net
~ website: www.20south.net
Blue Mountain Weddings
~ phone for Ran Henry: 434-227-1253
~ e-mail: ranandlinda@bluemountainweddings.com
~ website: www.bluemountainweddings.com