Weddings
San Ysidro Ranch Wedding
01/16/12 23:58
I have the good fortune to play frequently for events at the San Ysidro Ranch, located in the hills above Montecito. From the gardens there is a beautiful view of the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other and no matter the time of year, something is always in bloom here. I played for a recent wedding at the Ranch and even though the clouds were hanging low on the hills, everything was perfectly lovely. The overcast weather made the flowers seem brighter and the wedding couple didn’t have to squint into bright sun for the photos. Best of all, the florist spread a romantic carpet of rose petals for the bride -- and the harp!
Santa Barbara Courthouse Mural Room Wedding
12/11/10 23:35
The Mural Room in the Santa Barbara courthouse is one of my favorite wedding venues in town. Although weather in Santa Barbara is usually pleasant enough for outdoor ceremony practically year-round, one has no control over things like airplanes flying overhead or a freight train blasting past. And there’s nothing like having a herd of Harleys passing by to drown out your wedding vows.
In the Mural Room one simply has to shut the huge leather-embossed wooden doors to have a private and peaceful space elegantly furnished and decorated with brilliantly colored murals on the stucco walls. The beautiful terra cotta floor tiles make for great acoustics so the harp sounds fantastic even without amplification.
In the Mural Room one simply has to shut the huge leather-embossed wooden doors to have a private and peaceful space elegantly furnished and decorated with brilliantly colored murals on the stucco walls. The beautiful terra cotta floor tiles make for great acoustics so the harp sounds fantastic even without amplification.
Wedding at Gainey Vineyards
08/17/10 22:55
Gainey Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley is a lovely setting for a summer wedding. Late afternoon sunlight slants over the rolling hills and creates perfect lighting for wedding photos.
Wedding at Hartley Botanical Garden
08/17/10 22:38
The Hartley Botanical garden is out on the middle of a desert but once you arrive it’s a cool green oasis - perfect for an August wedding.
Indian Summer Wedding
11/29/09 22:04
One of the many things I like about Santa Barbara is that the weather is nearly perfect most of the time making it possible to have outdoor weddings almost any time of year. A few weeks ago I played for a wedding in the Palm Court Garden at the beautiful Santa Barbara County Courthouse where the glorious mid-October sunshine brought temperatures into the 80’s.
The adorable flower girl was enchanted by the harp - how cute is she?
Wedding at Mission Santa Ynez
09/18/09 18:09
This afternoon I played for a wedding at the lovely Mission Santa Inés (Ynez) in Solvang. I welcome every opportunity to play here because no matter how hot it is in the valley, the thick adobe walls of the Mission keep everything inside comfortably cool. There are delightful frescos and 18th century paintings adorning the interior and best of all, the great acoustics make my harp sound crisp and golden.
Brian and Gloria on their wedding day
Beach Wedding
09/16/09 13:41
Last week I played a lovely wedding at a beach house near Rincon. The event took place on the deck overlooking perfect surf waves on a sunny afternoon. Still recovering from foot surgery, I arrived on crutches and brought an assistant to move my harp for me. The sunset made this whole scene a photographer's dream. My harpist's-eye-view was pretty nice, too.
Waltzing Matilda
01/11/09 23:44
Yesterday I played at the wedding of Jessica and Mark who were blessed with perfect weather for their celebration. Mark is from Australia so he requested that I play “Waltzing Matilda” as the recessional, which brought chuckles from his family members when they recognized the tune. It was a nice change from the ordinary.
Alice Keck Park
08/08/08 23:47
I often play for weddings at Alice Keck Park which is located in downtown Santa Barbara, just a few blocks off State Street. This afternoon's event was a small intimate gathering at the arch near the sundial and koi pond. The good thing about a Friday wedding there is that it's relatively quiet, unlike weekends when there are parties, picnics, music jams and flying frisbees. Today there were just a few dog walkers who stopped at a respectful distance to watch the proceedings and listen to the music. I had an old K & K pickup lying around that I slapped into the Wurlitzer at the last minute and was surprised to find that it makes the harp sound amazingly golden and bell-like.
Wedding at Fess Parker's Double Tree
07/03/08 23:37
Last weekend I played for a big wedding at Fess Parker's Double Tree and it was definitely one of the most entertaining weddings I've been to in a while. At the reception the newly married couple, along with their numerous bridesmaids and groomsmen, burst out into a well-choreographed dance routine set to rap music. This seems to be a new trend. After that a troupe of Tahitian hula dancers provided colorful hip-shaking excitement with the sound of their traditional drummers pounding all the way down the waterfront. Meanwhile, my harp lounged in the shade on the cocktail deck...
Greek Wedding
06/10/08 11:25
St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara is a place I’ve had the good fortune to play many times. Not only is it visually appealing with its sparkling golden Byzantine-style mosaics, but the acoustics are also outstanding making the harp sound gloriously crisp and clear. I was happy to be there last Sunday to play for a wedding that was standing-room only, packed to the rafters with festive Greek and Armenian friends and relatives.
Traditional Greek wedding ceremonies are long and full of ritual. Interestingly, the bride and groom don’t exchange vows - just the fact that they’ve shown up at the church together is interpreted as a sign of their commitment to marriage. My favorite part of this ceremony was when the priests sang prayers in beautiful harmonies that rolled around the interior dome and brought me to tears. Yes, I go to weddings almost every weekend but I haven’t become jaded to the emotional aspect and frequently I find myself crying at the weddings of people I don’t even know!