Wedding Reception

Tonight we played for a reception at the Farmington Arts Center. It was beautifully decorated and they had our quartet play on stage directly behind the wedding party who were being greeted by their many guests. It was fun for me to see, out of the corner of my eye, a lot of friends and acquaintances there that night. Even one of my violin student's families came. This was definitely a popular couple - the people just kept coming and coming...

Posted by Cathy

Katherine & Cameron

Today we played for a beautiful ceremony at La Caille, an ornate, French oasis in the middle of the Utah desert. It was a warm summer day with blue skies and sunshine. Even the birds enjoyed the ceremony. This swan stood near us the whole time, as well as a fancy blue peacock. A rooster even joined in the fun by crowing throughout the ceremony.

Posted by Meili.

Johanna & John

Tonight we played for a beautiful, classy ceremony and reception at Stein Eriksen in Park City. The bride's dress was perhaps the prettiest I've ever seen, with intricate lace. It was stunning against her dark hair. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate as fully as a bride would hope. As we were playing prelude and the guests were being seated, fat drops began to fall from a lone dark cloud directly above us. We scooted underneath an umbrella that was supposed to be shading us from the hot July sun. Even as the sprinkle turned to a downpour, we continued playing until we noticed that our instruments were getting wet from all the splashing. We retrieved our (now soaked) cases and put our instruments away until the storm subsided, which was only about 10 minutes. After a quick towel-dry of all the chairs by the crew at Stein Eriksen, everyone again took their places and the ceremony began. To be honest, it was a nice break from the triple-digit temperatures we had come from in the valley. As the minister pronounced the couple husband and wife, a flock of white doves was released, and everyone (including the quartet) gasped in delight!

Posted by Meili.

Katie & Chad

Tonight, we played for Katie and Chad's ring ceremony and reception at Eaglewood Golf Course in Bountiful. This is the view I had from the floor-to-ceiling window right next to me (with my chair in the reflection). Gorgeous!

My favorite part of the ceremony was watching this young man (in the blue shirt) on the back row with his giant camera. He was serious about getting some good shots! I hope the bride and groom paid him for his work.

At the reception, guests were encouraged to take a turn in the photo booth! Fun!

Alyssa & Derrick

Today we played for a beautiful wedding ceremony in Holladay. It was held at the bride's parents' home on a secluded lot behind a 100 year-old rock wall. The light morning breeze provided a pleasant summer temperature, and the abundant mature trees supplied plenty of shade. It was a small, classy ceremony where all the guests dressed in black and white, and the bride wore a fabulously simple blush-colored gown.

It was the perfect day for a wedding.

Jenn & Josh

Tonight, we played for an incredibly fun ceremony for Jenn & Josh at The Canyons Resort in Park City. The evening started off with an adventure: everyone rode the gondola up the mountain to the location of the ceremony.

The ceremony was held on a wooden bridge over a river. I have a feeling it was a little cool up there in the mountains for the L.A. crowd that attended, but everyone looked spectacular. The officiator was a friend of the couple, and, like Jenn & Josh, showed a wonderful sense of humor. He began the ceremony with, "Maah-waage!" Really! The happy couple also displayed their funny sides in their vows. The bride said, "I promise to always be willing to jump out of a garbage can in order to make you laugh." And the groom said, "I promise to always be willing to talk like Dr. Evil to make you laugh," which he said in Dr. Evil's voice. They had all the guests rolling, including us! It was a wonderful evening, and I have no doubt this couple will be laughing together for the rest of their lives.

The above photo of the bride and groom was taken by Cathy at our location behind the guitarist. The photos of the quartet were taken by one of my new favorite photographers, Opie of OpieFoto. View more of Opie's beautiful photos of Jenn & Josh's wedding here. Go ahead! You'll love them.

Emily & Dave

We have played many weddings over the last 7 years, but this is one that we won't soon forget. Utah has seen an unseasonably wet June, and last night was no exception. As I watched the rain continue throughout the day, I kept wondering when it would stop. Usually, rainstorms only last about 7 1/2 minutes in our desert climate, but yesterday the rain kept coming.

About 30 minutes before the ceremony was set to begin, another wave of serious rain arrived, so we began our prelude music in the lodge. We sat in a small corner by the roaring fire in a room full of shawl-wrapped wedding guests. At the time of the scheduled ceremony, the host announced that a break in the storm was expected in about 30 minutes, so we planned to socialize in the lodge until then. Soon, glasses were being filled and the scent of wine permeated the room. And still, the sheets of water poured down.

Finally, as we could see no end to the deluge, everyone gathered on the patio outside, under a giant tarp. As puddles grew on the tarp, they poured out over the sides in heavy, sporadic waterfalls. A path was formed in the middle of the standing crowd of wedding guests, and rose petals sprinkled in a line leading to the minister. There were only two people sitting: a pretty woman in a wheelchair, and our cellist Thalia.

Despite the change in plans, the wedding guests seemed to have a nice time, and the gorgeous bride was smiling. The person I felt the most sorry for was the wedding planner; she had her work cut out for her last night! Our violinist Cathy said that she felt like a member of the string quartet on the Titanic as it was sinking.

Posted by Meili.