Sanibel Harbour Marriott | seasidestrings

Our wedding on this last Saturday of January was the celebration for Leslie and Eric at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa. It was a cloudy day with a small chance of rain but the couple had already planned to have their ceremony inside. The Island Ballroom look gorgeous. This picture was taken early before the curtains were opened . The room’s windows provide a beautiful water view.

The Seaside String Trio performed for the wedding ceremony and the cocktail reception. The couple chose all popular music for us to play during the prelude as their guests arrived: A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes; And I Love Her, The Beatles; God Only Knows, Beach Boys; La Vie En Rose; Edith Pilaf; Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Beach Boys; Beyond the Sea, Bobby Darin; Just the Way You Are, Billy Joel; It Had to Be You, Frank Sinatra.

The ceremony began at 4:30 with the Entrance of the Officiate, Dan, a family friend. He was joined by the Groom , Eric, and his Best Man. As we played Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, the aisle runner was pulled and the Grandparents and Mothers were seated. The Matron of Honor made her entrance followed the Ring-bearer and 2 Flower Girls. The traditional Bridal Chorus announced the Entrance of the Bride. Leslie look fantastic in her ball gown!

During the ceremony, we played The Prayer for the Sand Ceremony. The Recessional was the traditional Wedding March. We played All You Need is Love by the Beatles as the guests moved to the cocktail hour down the hall in front of the Everglades Ballroom. They had tables set up both inside and on the outside patio for the guests. We stayed indoors and loved the great acoustics.

Leslie and Eric gave me freedom to choose the cocktail hour music. Knowing the Groom and his Dad loved the Beatles, I included many of their songs in the playlist. Leslie also wanted Frank Sinatra and some golden oldies. Here was the playlist for them: At Last, Etta James; Baby It’s You, Beatles; Besame Mucho, Dean Martin; Can’t Help Falling in Love, Elvis; Cheek to Cheek, Sinatra; Fly Me to the Moon, Sinatra; Here Comes the Sun, Beatles; I’ll Follow the Sun and In My Life, Beatles; I Say a Little Prayer, Dionne Warwick; Kiss the Girl from the Little Mermaid; Mona Lisa, Nat King Cole; PS I Love You, Beatles; Sway, Dean Martin; Till There Was You, Beatles; Unforgettable, Nat King Cole; The Way You Look Tonight, Sinatra, When I’m 64, Beatles; With a Little Help From My Friends, Beatles. We ended the evening with What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.

We were honored to be a part of this special day for this family. We had fun watching the children dance to our songs and were grateful for those who came by to say they enjoyed our music. We wish all the best to this wonderful couple!

All the weddings we play for are so different and it is interesting to see how couples make this special day their own. Lauren and Vincent, local residents, chose the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort as the venue for their wedding day. With about 30 guests expected, they chose me to play solo violin for their ceremony and cocktail reception. I love that this was a very unique ceremony- the Officiant wore a kilt and the Bride wore red! The couple chose an interesting mix of music for me to play so it turned into a very memorable evening.

The ceremony was on the small beach, which they call Sunset Cove. It was a beautiful day, I was able to find a shady spot and since this area is set off from the resort, it offers nice privacy. I began to play prelude music at 5:45 with the ceremony due to start at 6 pm. The couple chose a lot of the old standards: Unforgettable, Come Fly With Me, Beyond the Sea, Georgia on My Mind, Sittin ‘on the Dock of the Bay, and L-O-V-E . The ceremony was delayed by approximately 20 minutes, so I played some of the songs on the reception list and some others as well: At Last, Nothin’ Else Matters, The Best is Yet to Come, Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, Marry Me, I’m Yours, Over the Rainbow and some Beatles’ songs.

When I got the signal from the coordinator Stephanie, I played Can’t Help Falling in Love for the Seating of the Grandmothers and Mothers. As the Groom and his Groomsmen came onto the beach, I played the Star Trek Theme. For the Entrance of the Bridesmaids, the music chosen was Just the Way You Are Amazing and for the Entrance of the Bride, Lauren, the music was I Will Follow You Into the Dark. I am a big fan of “Say Yes to the Dress” so I have seen red bridal dresses. I think this is the first wedding I have played for that the Bride wore red. She look beautiful!

After the introduction by friend Vic who served as Officiate, the couple drank wine and passed the wineglass to their groomsmen and bridesmaids in a wine ceremony. As they did this, I played Kissing You. Following that , they did a hand-fasting ceremony during which I played Be Thou My Vision. For the Recessional, I played Crystallize.

The cocktail hour was on the terrace overlooking the pool. As I was led there by Stephanie, I got to stop to meet Lauren & Vince and say thank you and offer my congratulations. Additional songs chosen by the couple for me to play were Clocks, The Look of Love, Moondance, Brown-Eyed Girl, Ain’t That a Kick in the Head, Good Life, Danny’s Song, Firework, Marry You, Nights in White Satin, Stairway to Heaven, and All of Me. It made my day when one of the guests told me she enjoyed my music and was surprised by the different songs that could be played on the violin. Another told me he enjoyed my covers. I am so glad they enjoyed it! I loved all the choices the couple made and they helped me add some new music to my repertoire. Best wishes to the newlyweds!