Has anyone used a harpist for your wedding ceremony? Or are you planning on using one in your ceremony?
If you had a harpist at your ceremony, were you happy with that choice? Also, what made you pick a harpist over other music (string quartet, soloist, etc.)
I'm concerned that the soft, romantic sounds of a harp will not be "loud" enough, or make enough of an impact...
Anyone that has any experience with playing or listening to a harp, or has booked a harpist for your event, I'd appreciate any harp-related advice!
I went to dinner last night and they had a harpist playing...she was fantastic! The restaurant had her on surround sound, so we could hear her in the waiting room to the restroom..i thought it was lovely and had wish to have her instead of our trio! We are going for more of a latin sound though...so no harpist.
We are having a harpist for both our ceremony and reception, and I am very excited about my choice. We chose her over a quartet because we don't have a lot of room in the renovated mansion we rented for the day (ceremony and reception in the same place). We thought she would fit right in at a place like that. She will play a mixture of Celtic and Gaelic pieces but have decided against having her do vocals (it's not a concert, after all!). She will also play through dinner and into the reception until 10p, where an iPod will take over. There isn't really room for dancing there, so that isn't an issue.
my friend is a harpist and playing for my wedding. use a mic so that everyone can hear. Also, it really depends on the venue since a huge church will echo a lot more than a hotel ballroom.
I actually had the same decision, and decided to go with the quartet. I think it really depends on the skill of your musician.
One of my friends said she went to a wedding with the harpist and they could barely hear her. However I've heard a harpist live could hear her pretty far without a mic. She was so good, I bought her CD. She was able to fill out the song, her name was Deborah Nyack. You can listen to samples here, so you can contrast with any harpist, or quartet, you're looking at. http://www.harpangel.com/harp_cd.html
The one we would have gotten for our wedding through the venue didn't seem as good. Her interpretations seemed a bit sparse/thin, so it didn't seem like it would hold up as well on it's own compared to the quartet.
Sorry it's a bit hard to describe, but if you listen to the samples of music among the artists you're looking at, you'll hear how full and beautiful their interpretations are.
We LOVED our harpist. She played all the music before the wedding and one song after. I had a pianist play the march in and out. My husband is a trumpet player and we know A LOT of musicains. When we were sorting out who to ask to play it was getting way to complicated. I have a family friend that has known me since birth that plays the harp. I asked her and she was thrilled.
To this day (almost 12 years later) I have people comment on how great she was and how much they enjoyed it. It got them in the mood for the wedding. People didn't really talk over her. I think she was mic'd.
my 12 or 13 year old (haven't picked a date yet) sister will be playing the harp at my wedding. she is my best friend and i can't wait to showcase her talents. she is playing my cousin's wedding this coming fall so that will be a nice run-through. i'm biased...but yes, you should have a harpist!
I play the harp and violin! Whether the harp can be heard will depend on the acoustics of the ceremony site. Many churches have acoustics that will make the harp better heard - however if you are having an outdoors ceremony - it might be difficult to hear. However, just like any other instrument or vocalist - they can be mic'd.
Also - string quartet vs. harp. String quartet will be louder and a fuller sound. But it depends on what kind of music you are going for. Soft - ethereal - then go with harp. It also depends on the music you want. Canon in D was written for strings - and I personally like it better for a string ensemble. But other songs - Gymnopedie - sound amazing on harp. Another lovely choice is harp and flute . Many harpists will have flautists that they play with regularly. Or harp and violin (Meditation from Thais by Massenet). String quartet is nice - it just depends on what sound you are going for.
I would go onto amazon.com and search for wedding music played by string quartet... and then by harp and see which sound you would like to go with.
Any other questions - you can email me at sarah dot zehner at gmail.com
Originally we wanted a string quartet, but once I heard our harpist play, we were hooked. She had a small microphone and portable amp... it was perfect even though our outdoor ceremony was a bit windy.
Added bonus: she was about $300 cheaper than a string quartet and it was every bit as beautiful sounding.
We had a harpist, and she was amazing. A good harpist will bring an amplifier, so you shouldn't have any problems hearing, and I got a kick out of having her play "unconventional" songs. People really crack up when they realize that they're hearing the Imperial Death March on the harp... ;)
thank you so much for all of the advice! I definitely want a harp and our harpist would be mic'd to solve the sound issue (we are having an outside ceremony). It was so nice to hear about everyone's positive harp experiences!
Has anyone used a harpist for your wedding ceremony? Or are you planning on using one in your ceremony?
If you had a harpist at your ceremony, were you happy with that choice? Also, what made you pick a harpist over other music (string quartet, soloist, etc.)
I'm concerned that the soft, romantic sounds of a harp will not be "loud" enough, or make enough of an impact...
Anyone that has any experience with playing or listening to a harp, or has booked a harpist for your event, I'd appreciate any harp-related advice!
posted by sayithot 58 posts 9 months agoI went to dinner last night and they had a harpist playing...she was fantastic! The restaurant had her on surround sound, so we could hear her in the waiting room to the restroom..i thought it was lovely and had wish to have her instead of our trio! We are going for more of a latin sound though...so no harpist.
posted by lanny9 160 posts 9 months agoWe are having a harpist for both our ceremony and reception, and I am very excited about my choice. We chose her over a quartet because we don't have a lot of room in the renovated mansion we rented for the day (ceremony and reception in the same place). We thought she would fit right in at a place like that. She will play a mixture of Celtic and Gaelic pieces but have decided against having her do vocals (it's not a concert, after all!). She will also play through dinner and into the reception until 10p, where an iPod will take over. There isn't really room for dancing there, so that isn't an issue.
posted by Niki 433 posts 9 months agomy friend is a harpist and playing for my wedding. use a mic so that everyone can hear. Also, it really depends on the venue since a huge church will echo a lot more than a hotel ballroom.
posted by mamamiya 140 posts 9 months agoI actually had the same decision, and decided to go with the quartet. I think it really depends on the skill of your musician.
One of my friends said she went to a wedding with the harpist and they could barely hear her. However I've heard a harpist live could hear her pretty far without a mic. She was so good, I bought her CD. She was able to fill out the song, her name was Deborah Nyack. You can listen to samples here, so you can contrast with any harpist, or quartet, you're looking at. http://www.harpangel.com/harp_cd.html
The one we would have gotten for our wedding through the venue didn't seem as good. Her interpretations seemed a bit sparse/thin, so it didn't seem like it would hold up as well on it's own compared to the quartet.
Sorry it's a bit hard to describe, but if you listen to the samples of music among the artists you're looking at, you'll hear how full and beautiful their interpretations are.
posted by cyshas 262 posts 9 months agoWe LOVED our harpist. She played all the music before the wedding and one song after. I had a pianist play the march in and out. My husband is a trumpet player and we know A LOT of musicains. When we were sorting out who to ask to play it was getting way to complicated. I have a family friend that has known me since birth that plays the harp. I asked her and she was thrilled.
To this day (almost 12 years later) I have people comment on how great she was and how much they enjoyed it. It got them in the mood for the wedding. People didn't really talk over her. I think she was mic'd.
I'd recommend a harpist to anyone.
posted by Lynn 6 posts 9 months agomy 12 or 13 year old (haven't picked a date yet) sister will be playing the harp at my wedding. she is my best friend and i can't wait to showcase her talents. she is playing my cousin's wedding this coming fall so that will be a nice run-through. i'm biased...but yes, you should have a harpist!
posted by larnaye 11 posts 9 months agoI play the harp and violin! Whether the harp can be heard will depend on the acoustics of the ceremony site. Many churches have acoustics that will make the harp better heard - however if you are having an outdoors ceremony - it might be difficult to hear. However, just like any other instrument or vocalist - they can be mic'd.
Also - string quartet vs. harp. String quartet will be louder and a fuller sound. But it depends on what kind of music you are going for. Soft - ethereal - then go with harp. It also depends on the music you want. Canon in D was written for strings - and I personally like it better for a string ensemble. But other songs - Gymnopedie - sound amazing on harp. Another lovely choice is harp and flute . Many harpists will have flautists that they play with regularly. Or harp and violin (Meditation from Thais by Massenet). String quartet is nice - it just depends on what sound you are going for.
I would go onto amazon.com and search for wedding music played by string quartet... and then by harp and see which sound you would like to go with.
Any other questions - you can email me at sarah dot zehner at gmail.com
posted by sarahblueeyes23 29 posts 9 months agoOriginally we wanted a string quartet, but once I heard our harpist play, we were hooked. She had a small microphone and portable amp... it was perfect even though our outdoor ceremony was a bit windy.
Added bonus: she was about $300 cheaper than a string quartet and it was every bit as beautiful sounding.
posted by Reby 24 posts 9 months agoWe had a harpist, and she was amazing. A good harpist will bring an amplifier, so you shouldn't have any problems hearing, and I got a kick out of having her play "unconventional" songs. People really crack up when they realize that they're hearing the Imperial Death March on the harp... ;)
posted by tanya2s 276 posts 9 months agothank you so much for all of the advice! I definitely want a harp and our harpist would be mic'd to solve the sound issue (we are having an outside ceremony). It was so nice to hear about everyone's positive harp experiences!
thanks again ladies
posted by sayithot 58 posts 9 months ago