Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
On 5/29/21 Rita and Jeremy tied the knot in front of family and friends in the courtyard of the Bellevue Church of Christ. Rita chose hymns such as “Fairest Lord Jesus”, light classics such as selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and contemporary songs such as “Moon River”. When it came time for the processionals she chose “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” for the mothers and the “Air” from Handel’s Water Music for the bridesmaids. Rita risked letting the two young boys acting as bell ringers steal the show they were so cute. They took their job seriously and did exactly as they were told…ring two small bells as they crossed in front of the guests while the quartet began to play the bridal processional of “Canon in D” by Pachelbel. Their job accomplished Rita made her way, on the arm of her father, to the small, flower bedecked stage and her soon-to-be-husband. A friend of theirs led them through their vows and ring exchange. They sealed their covenant with a kiss and were off to the reception to the strains of “Spring” by Vivaldi.
The reception was held in a room next to the courtyard where beautifully decorated tables awaited the guests. The quartet decamped to a stage at one end of the room to play lots of fun stuff from soft rock to movie music to Country. After the long pandemic it felt good to be playing again and even better to have so many people express their appreciation for our performance.
Rita was (and still is I’m sure!) a delight. Jeremy is one lucky fellow! Nashville Silver Strings congratulates them and their families and wishes them a long and happy life together!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
On the 7th of May, 2021, in the tiny Skinner Chapel on the Scarritt campus, Susan was united in marriage with her sweetheart, Derek. A duo of Silver Strings was on hand to welcome guests into the chapel with songs such as “Butterfly Waltz” and a special request of “It Might Be You” (from Tootsie). As there was no seating of parents or wedding party we brought the groom and officiant in to “God Will Make a Way” followed by “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” for his stunningly gorgeous bride.
Both bride and groom were so excited and nervous to be married they needed to be prompted several times by the officiant to get the words out. When finally the vows were repeated and the rings exchanged, they were pronounced husband and wife. We sent them back down to the traditional “Wedding March” by Felix Mendelssohn.
Susan was such a joy to work with and Derek is the luckiest of men to have her as his bride. Congratulations to both of them with many wishes for a long and happy life together.
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty!
On 5/1/21 a quartet of Silver Strings was in attendance at the wedding of Mary and Kurt at the Estate at Cherokee Dock, a gorgeous estate on the Cumberland river near Lebanon. Mary chose contemporary songs to set the backdrop for their wedding. We started off with songs like “When I Fall in Love”, “In My Life”, “Stand By Me” and “Best Day of Our Life”. Mothers and grandmothers arrived at their places to the Heartland song “I Loved Her First”. Next came the men and maids taking their places to a beautiful mashup of “Perfect” with “Canon in D”. The ring bearer, a babe in arms, nearly stole the show he was so cute in his little tuxedo. Then Mary arrived at the altar to take her place next to her groom to “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
The officiant made the guests smile with anecdotes of how Mary and Kurt met and progressed through their courtship. The vows and rings were exchanged and at long last they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. They sailed joyously back down the aisle to “This Will Be an Everlasting Love”.
Congratulations to the newlyweds from Nashville Silver Strings with many wishes for a long and happy life together!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
On 4/24/21 Mitchell and Lara were wed in lovely ceremony marked with gentle humor by the ebullient officiant. But first let me set the stage. Front Porch Farms is a must-see location for anyone looking for a gorgeous place to have a wedding. The view of the valley from the back porch of the house is a balm for the soul. I’d give my eye teeth to be able to walk out my back door in the morning with a cup of coffee to drink in this stunning beauty. The wedding was take place in the back yard but Mother Nature had other plans. Fortunately Kathy Best, owner and coordinator, is always prepared with a Plan B in case it rains…which it did…right before the processionals were to begin. We all packed up and made a dash for the pavilion where the reception was to take place and got on with the marrying.
Lara had chosen hymns and classical music for the prelude. With the rain delay we only managed to play a Bach Brandenburg Concerto and the Rondo from Masterpiece Theater before launching into “Simple Gifts” that was chosen for the mothers’ entrance. Next came the wedding party including a flower girl and ring bearer to “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” followed by the bridal entrance to the beautiful “Canon in D”. As mentioned earlier the officiant brought smiles to everyone’s faces as he told the story of the couple’s meeting and courtship. After the vows and ring exchange the couple participated in a foot washing ceremony followed by prayers and laying on of hands by the families and wedding party. Silver Strings trio played “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” through this whole ritual. Finally Mitchell was kissing his bride as the guests cheered and we sent them back down the makeshift aisle to “Spring” from the Four Seasons.
Congratulations are in order for the newlyweds and their families. Silver Strings wishes them a long and happy life together!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
On 4/18/21 a trio of strings convened to play for the wedding of Marta and Nathan at One at the Cannery. This couple had endured three (count ’em) postponements of their wedding due to Covid. But finally, FINALLY!, the wait was over and they exchanged vows and rings in front of their families and friends. Marta had asked for classics for the prelude which we were glad to oblige with selections like “Flower Duet”, “Sheep May Safely Graze”, and the Vangelis Hymne. The mothers were then seated to the first movement of the Bach Cello Suite #1 for unaccompanied cello, played beautifully by Gary Tussing. Craig Duncan and I (this is probably sacrilege) softly played chords along with Gary to give a little more body to the music as a processional. After the mothers were seated a DJ took over to bring in the wedding party and bride to “There Will Be Time” by Mumford and Sons/Baaba Maal for a very dramatic processional.
The officiant, with gentle humor, related the highlights of the meeting and courtship of the couple after which the vows and rings were exchanged. Nathan enthusiastically kissed his bride to cheers and general tumult before making their way back down the aisle to what we thought was supposed to be us playing the Mendelssohn Wedding March but the DJ beat us to the draw. Oh well. They’re married.
Best wishes to Marta and Nathan and their families with many wishes from Silver Strings for a long and happy union!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty!
On 4/16/21 Alyssa and Andrew said their vows of marriage in the small chapel at Holy Family Catholic Church. Alyssa’s dress was a gorgeous, kind of sparkly dress that beautifully set off her dark hair. Alyssa chose romantic contemporary songs for the prelude including “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “All of Me”, “Unchained Melody” and a clever mashup of “Perfect” with “Canon in D”. She chose “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” for the entrance of family and wedding party after which she arrived at the altar to “Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel. After a reading the cantor for the church sang the responsorial “The Lord is Kind and Merciful” with guests participating. The priest, Father Anthony, has a future career in standup comedy should he decide to branch out. His homily was full of gentle humor to the delight of the guests and us. After the vows, rings, another reading and blessings, the priest presented Mr. and Mrs. and we sent them out to their new life together to Coldplay’s “Clocks”.
Alyssa and Andrew were a joy to work with and Silver Strings wishes them a long and happy life together!
We’re ba-aack!! And looking forward to sunny days ahead!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty!
On 4/9/21 Judy and David tied the knot at Scarritt’s Wightman Chapel in a lovely ceremony presided over by the groom’s father. The table on the stage was set with many flickering candles. The prelude music included hymns such as “Be Thou My Vision”, “Amazing Grace”, “Oceans” and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”, along with classics “Claire de Lune” and “The Prayer”. The parents and men took their places to Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”, the bridesmaids and flower girls to “Before the Throne of God Above”. Finally Judy arrived at the altar on her father’s arm to a favorite song of hers, “Mid Air”, byPaul Buchanan. After the vows, rings and kiss were exchanged the happy newlyweds returned back down the aisle to the joyous “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” from Solomon by Handel.
Congratulations to Judy and David and their families from Nashville Silver Strings! May they have a long and blessed union!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty!
On 12/19/21 Melissa and David exchanged vows at the Wightman Chapel on the Scarritt campus. The chapel was tastefully arrayed in Christmas finery with candles glowing in a beautiful display on the table in front of the organ console. Traditional classics were chosen for the ceremony and processionals including selections by Mozart, Handel and Bach. Melissa chose Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” for her entrance, a perfect choice for a bride who looked like she just stepped out of a fairy tale in a gorgeous dress with a full skirt and a long veil.
After the vows and ring exchange the couple shared their first Communion as a friend sang (I don’t remember the name of the song but I do remember their friend gave a goose-bump raising performance). The newlyweds were then announced to the guests as Mr. and Mrs. and sent down the aisle to Bruno Mars’ “Marry You”.
Nashville Silver Strings congratulates Melissa and David and their families, wishing them a long and happy life together!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty. 😉
On 11/6/20 a trio of Silver Strings convened at the Estate at Cherokee Dock to play for the wedding of Ann and Michael. The trio was somewhat different than our usual trio as a keyboard was substituted for a violin. Mark Schaffel who rocks on keyboard joined cellist, Gary Tussing, and me on viola. The prelude consisted of contemporary but beautiful songs appropriate for a wedding ceremony such as “Gabriel’s Oboe” and “A Thousand Years”. For the processionals we played a mashup of Over the Rainbow with Simple Gifts for the mothers and the officiant. The bridesmaids entered to a mashup of Perfect with Canon in D (never mind that the song was in the key of G). Ann very specifically wanted a beautiful cello/piano version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” she had heard on youtube, which we happily obliged. The couple had a Unity Ceremony consisting of the mothers coming forward with a mantilla to place over the couple while I played “Ave Maria” accompanied by the keyboard and cello. After the kiss and presentation of Mr. and Mrs. we played them back down the aisle to the traditional Mendelssohn “Wedding March”.
After the ceremony we moved to the reception area where we played fun stuff for cocktails outside on the veranda. Some of the tunes were “I’m Yours”, “Latch”, “At Last” and “This Will Be an Everlasting Love”. The weather was perfect. You couldn’t have asked for better on a day in November.
Silver Strings congratulates the couple on their rite of passage and wishes them a long and happy life together!
Reminder: The names have been changed to protect the guilty. 😉
On 10/24/20 Lisa and David were wed in the presence of friends and family at CJ’s Off the Square. For prelude Lisa and David chose a combination of traditional classics and contemporary pop and rock. For prelude a trio of Silver Strings played the Bach Brandenburg Concerto # 3, Jason Mraz’ “I’m Yours” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love right before the processionals. They kept it simple for the processionals — the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” for the family and attendants “Wedding March” aka “Here Comes the Bride” for Lisa. The ceremony was short and sweet, followed by the Mendelssohn “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the recessional.
The trio of Susan Mullen on violin, Linda Davis on viola and Gary Tussing on cello then pulled out a variety of styles of music as requested and started with “Here Comes the Sun” in honor of the rain holding off just long enough for them to get married in the garden. Other selections included “Crocodile Rock”, “Anything Goes”, “Come On Eileen” and “At Last”.
It’s always a pleasure for us to play at CJ’s Off the Square. CJ and her team do a wonderful job of making all the moving parts of a wedding flow smoothly and never forget to keep us in the loop (it’s all about us).
And now it’s time to say that Lisa and David were a pleasure to work with and Silver Strings wishes them all the best in their new life together!
