My thoughts on 700 plus weddings in under 8 years...

Why is wedding music so important?

That sounds like a silly question, but I cannot count how many weddings I have been to where the music was not thought through well enough and the whole ceremony came off like a bad rehearsal. From the moment your guests begin to arrive at the church or ceremony location, the music is there to tell them they are about to witness a special moment. When that ceremony begins and each member of the wedding party walks down the aisle, it is critical that musical transitions set the mood and announce the entrance of the bride properly. The only way to learn this kind of precise timing is through years of experience.

I don't need a coordinator...

Sure, you can do everything yourself, and that's great for saving pennies all the way up until your rehearsal starts. You MUST designate a person to run your wedding like a professional event coordinator. Too often brides do not realize how many details are involved in the execution of a wedding, and you shouldn't put that responsibility on your mom or your aunt or anyone who's there to enjoy your special day. You need a stage manager.

Your wedding isn't entirely about YOU!

The best weddings I have played at clearly demonstrated that the guests were the highest priority and that the festivities were meant to honor the community of people who support the marriage.

Rain, sleet, and snow DOES stop a string quartet. If you're having an outdoor wedding, you need to think through every possible scenario for disaster: rain is relatively easy to manage, but what about wind, birds, sinking grass, golf course noise, airplane noise, road noise, getting Grandma down the hill... leave no possibility for error and you will still be about 50% prepared. Musicians will play outside, but again, they need to be prepared to do so. They cannot play in the rain with an instrument that cost more than a house.

We're not the wait staff.

Most professional musicians have at least two college degrees if not more. We have been learning the skills we are sharing with you since we were little children. Be careful about asking us to use the service entrance or frowning on allowing us to have a glass of water. If you have plenty of food, offer to let us eat. We may not want to, but the gesture is priceless.

Things that have happened to me during ceremonies

I've been chased by a rabid swan, had my heels stuck 3 inches in muddy ground, been bitten by mosquitoes on my face while playing, walked away mid-ceremony because my viola was getting rained on, tied down my stand more times than I can count in gusty wind, run to my car to avoid dozens of television reporters after a particularly notorious wedding, played behind a 12 foot vodka fountain made of ice, put out small fires, played with mittens on, played the viola and cello parts at the same time.

Playing for President Bush and his friends

I was lucky enough while living in Texas to work with the entertainment agency that booked for the high security functions at the Presidential Library in College Station for former President George H.W. Bush. The first time, it was a tiny luncheon with only three tables of guests and our quartet was sitting just a few feet away from President Bush Sr. and Barbara Bush, the President of China Jiang Zemin, the newly enigrated Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, and the CEO's of the 10 biggest companies in the United States, including Disney, FedEx, GE, and others.

The next year, we were asked to return for an event to honor California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was shocked to see that he's only about 5'10" - you know in the movies he looks so much taller?

Weddings I have played that made it to CNN...

I'm still not comfortable enough with the scenario on this wedding. I'll talk about it to anyone who asks, but I just can't publish anything on this topic yet.

Great musical mistakes that many brides make

CHOOSE APPROPRIATE MUSIC. Just a few months ago, a bride asked for a solo Bach cello suite for the processional. The church very large, and we had been playing with the full quartet plus trumpet on some of the pieces. When the bride walked down the aisle, this teeny (but still beautiful) sound accompanied her entrance. There is nowhere obvious to end that kind of piece early, so the cellist had to just kill it in an odd place. You can pick unusual music, just be sure you give your musicians enough time (that means at least a few days) to prepare that special request, and throw em a few extra bucks for doing it too. And if they tell you it's gonna sound weird, you should probably believe them! A true professional will help you find ways to have what you want and sound beautiful too.

Have enough space for your musicians, and remember that they need to SEE what's happening