Weddings
Imagine your guests arriving at your ceremony location … hearing live music welcoming them as they enter and take their seats, they enjoy the atmosphere while eagerly anticipating your first appearance. Envision the perfect mood during your ceremony complete with your custom-chosen music during the lighting of your unity candle, presentation of flowers to family members, and perhaps a musical interlude while you pause and enjoy a moment of calm for the first time that day. Picture the joyous close to your ceremony as you walk back down the aisle together with your spouse, jubilant music filling the air to perfectly match your mood and set the tone for the celebration to continue!
Artistrings performs music for weddings of all faiths and denominations, at hundreds of locations throughout Chicagoland. As a full-service music production company we work with you to create a custom wedding celebration, consulting closely with your chosen team of vendors to be certain that your wedding day is as flawless as humanly possible. Many couples desire a classic traditional mood, and we have over 1000 pieces in our repertoire from which to choose. However, others want to put their own unique spin on their ceremony, which we embrace and encourage! Here are a few examples of wedding ceremonies we’ve planned and performed that have unfolded as unforgettable, musical stories:
- Tradition with a Twist
Sarah & Sean wanted a mostly traditional wedding ceremony. We combined their love for baroque music and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the bride’s request for a more contemporary processional.
More - Aloha Academy
Marcy & Archer’s celebration took place at Lake Forest Academy in the summertime, with everything from flowers and clothing to decor and music inspired by our 50th state.
More - Ragtime Tribute
Kristine & Antonio wanted an eclectic wedding in a cutting edge artist-run gallery in West Town. All music for the wedding was selected in honor of the bride’s late father – a devoted fan of ragtime and avid pianist.
More - Beatles Spectacular
Almost everyone loves The Beatles, and this bride and groom were no exception.
More - Sentimental Song
Molly & Kent wanted to personalize their wedding ceremony by honoring their family history. They created their processional based on the first dance songs of each of their grandparents and chose piano, violin & vocalist to perform the music.
More - Disney Dreams
Tina & D.J. dreamed of having a Disney theme wedding, and the Great Hall at the Barn of Barrington was the perfect setting for their celebration.
More - Operatic Wedding
Gorgeous operatic melodies are perfect for a wedding ceremony. Although not “traditional” wedding fare, opera arias make wonderful choices.
More - Bach, Brandenburg, and Beyond
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a breathtaking setting for an outdoor wedding in Chicago. Marielle & Joe wanted to base their ceremony on the Brandenburg Concerti by J.S. Bach.
More - Going for Baroque
Wanting to do something special for her bridesmaids, the bride arranged for our cellist to begin playing in their dressing room an hour prior to the ceremony.
More - Broadway Style
Jeff & Heather never missed a Broadway show that came to Chicago, and they wanted to surprise their guests with music that really spoke to them.
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Tradition with a Twist
St. Andrew Church
Chicago, IL
Sarah & Sean wanted a mostly traditional wedding ceremony. We combined their love for baroque music and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the bride’s request for a more contemporary processional. She chose “Mothersbaugh’s Canon” from the motion picture The Royal Tennenbaums for her entrance. A new piece for us, we really enjoyed playing it for the first time at this wedding. We’ve found it to be a contemporary alternative to Pachelbel’s Canon in D!
Prelude: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Processional – Bridal Party: Wachet Auf
Processional – Bride: Mothersbaugh’s Canon
Visit to Holy Family: Ave Maria
Recessional: Prince of Denmark’s March
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Aloha Academy
Marcy & Archer’s celebration took place at Lake Forest Academy in the summertime, with everything from flowers and clothing to decor and music inspired by our 50th state. The Artistrings piano, ukelele and violin trio set the mood by performing tunes exclusively from Hawaii. Guests were welcomed to the expansive grounds and drawn through the gardens to the ceremony site while hearing traditional Hawaiian music including Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Aloha Oe, Lovely Hula Hands, and One Paddle Two Paddle.
Processional – Bridal Party: Tiny Bubbles
Processional – Bride: Hawaiian Wedding Song
Recessional – Sunny Days, Starry Nights
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Ragtime Tribute
Gallery 312
Chicago, IL
Kristine & Antonio wanted an eclectic wedding in a cutting edge artist-run gallery in West Town. All music for the wedding was selected in honor of the bride’s late father – a devoted fan of ragtime and avid pianist. Special Joplin rags including The Chrysanthemum, Sensation, and Swipsey were arranged for our string quartet and performed as prelude music while guests were being seated.
Processional – Bridal Party: The Entertainer
Processional – Bride: Weeping Willow Rag
Recessional: Maple Leaf Rag
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Beatles Spectacular
Almost everyone loves The Beatles, and this bride and groom were no exception. A fun-loving couple, Amy & Al chose an almost exclusively Beatles lineup for their ceremony. Prelude music included All You Need is Love, And I Love Her, I Will, and Blackbird. Wishing to include something traditional in their musical choices, they programmed the famous Pachelbel composition for the entrance of the bride.
Processional – Parents: In My Life
Processional – Bridal Party: Here, There, and Everywhere
Processional – Bride: Canon in D
Recessional: Here Comes the Sun
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Sentimental Song
Hotel Allegro
Molly & Kent wanted to personalize their wedding ceremony by honoring their family history. They created their processional based on the first dance songs of each of their grandparents and chose piano, violin & vocalist to perform the music. Prelude music focused on Broadway musicals from their grandparents’ era including ’Til There Was You, When You Wish Upon a Star, Our Love is Here to Stay, and Moon River. The processional pieces flowed seamlessly from one to the next and began with the groom and groomsmen entering to True Love. The matron of honor followed to Always, and the bride made her dramatic entrance to At Last. Judging from the look on her face as she approached her groom, the processional music was exactly as they had hoped!
“What can I say other than you all did an amazing job. People are still talking! Thank you for all of your help as we planned and prepared. Artistrings helped to give us a perfect night. We are sure to recommend you in the future! Thank you!” – Molly & Kent Haroz
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Disney Dreams
The Barn of Barrington
Tina & D.J. dreamed of having a Disney theme wedding, and the Great Hall at the Barn of Barrington was the perfect setting for their celebration. We created the mood with selections from The Lion King, Cinderella, Aladdin, and Beauty and The Beast. Parents were escorted into the Great Hall and then lit family and memorial candles to “Candle on the Water” from Pete’s Dragon. The bridal party entered to “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio, with the flower girl sprinkling fairy dust as she floated down the aisle to announce the entrance of the bride.
“I want to thank you for everything. Thank you for all your support and guidance. You are a true professional. It was a beautiful ceremony, and people have been giving me such wonderful comments on the music with my Disney theme. If it weren’t for your planning, it would not have been as wonderful as it was. I cried the entire time…” – TINA & DJ WEISS
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Operatic Wedding
First United Methodist Church
Chicago Temple
Gorgeous operatic melodies are perfect for a wedding ceremony. Although not “traditional” wedding fare, opera arias make wonderful choices. Since the happy couple wanted to combine their love for opera with their love for string music, we performed selections with string quartet for the wedding. The operatic pieces created a rich, lush, romantic mood for their candlelit ceremony in the reverberant sanctuary at the Chicago Temple.
Prelude Music:
Nessun Dorma from Turandot
O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi
Entr’acte to Carmen Act III
Processional – Mothers: Flower Duet from Lakme
Processional – Bridesmaids: Con te Partiro
Processional – Bride: Musetta’s Waltz from La Boheme
Unity Candle – Intermezzo from Cavelleria Rusticana
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Bach, Brandenburg and Beyond
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a breathtaking setting for an outdoor wedding in Chicago. Marielle & Joe wanted to base their ceremony on the Brandenburg Concerti by J.S. Bach. Prelude music began with Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. The ceremony then focused on the bride’s favorite concerto: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. The Artistrings quartet performed the sonorous first movement for prelude music as their guests took their seats. Moving on to the evocative second movement, the bridal party and bride made their eagerly anticipated entrance. The ceremony came to a joyous close with the dance-like third movement of the concerto for the recessional.
“Thank you so much for making our big day so special with such exquisite music! The quartet was excellent…we really enjoyed working with you and we’ll be sure to spread the word.” – Marielle & Joe Juhnke
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Going for Baroque
Bond Chapel
University of Chicago
This wedding celebration occurred the day before New Year’s eve. Since Chicago weather can be quite unpredictable, the bridal party made plans to dress at the University of Chicago in the building adjacent to the chapel. Wanting to do something special for her bridesmaids, the bride arranged for our cellist to begin playing in their dressing room an hour prior to the ceremony. The ladies enjoyed J.S. Bach’s masterwork Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello in their resonant greenroom as they dressed, relaxed, and prepared for the wedding ceremony.
Broadway Style
Chicago Sinai Temple
Jeff & Heather never missed a Broadway show that came to Chicago, and they wanted to surprise their guests with music that really spoke to them. Prelude music set the mood with selections from The Producers, Spamalot, Rent, Cabaret, and Wicked. Processionals were traditional with classics of Pachelbel’s Canon and the “Flower Duet” from Lakme. The surprise came later with some tongue-in-cheek choices for the end of the ceremony. The happy couple began their life together recessing out to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Spamalot (and yes, guests did whistle along)! Postlude music continued the theme with “Prisoners of Love” from The Producers. Several guests commented on their way out of the synagogue that the ceremony music suited the couple perfectly!
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