What’s Your Favorite Memory?

“A wedding I played recently was definitely memorable. While many are funny or have a blooper of some sort, this one was a lesson in team work. The wedding was in a barn in southwest Michigan. The wedding party and guests were all from the Detroit area. The wedding coordinator was from Detroit and had hired almost everyone from the Detroit area except me, the caterer, and the videographer. 

I arrived and unpacked the harp, organized my music, and set out to talk over details with the wedding planner. When I found her, she was in a state of near panic. The photographer had walked out citing artistic differences. The wedding was supposed to start in 30 minutes and the photographer was gone. The planner turned to me asking what she should do. The videographer and I were friends, having worked many weddings together, and we both started going through the list of photographers we trusted who might be available. I started texting one and immediately got a response. She was at an engagement shoot but could make the wedding. I assured the planner that this photographer knew the venue well and was excellent. I gave her info to the wedding planner, letting them sort out the details and focused on getting ready to start playing. 

The planner decided to delay the start of the ceremony to let the new photographer go over things with the bridal party and recreate some shots. She asked me if that would work for me and since I had been hired to play both the ceremony and cocktail hour, we decided this would count as part of the cocktail hour to keep the dinner on schedule. The caterer agreed to go ahead and open the bar early.

The priest announced a brief delay and asked everyone to feel free to mingle and get a drink, I started playing and the new photographer went to work. Within 30 minutes, the ceremony started and everything else went smoothly. 

Afterward, the planner asked me how I knew who to call. I was surprised with the question. I told her that many of us work together on a regular basis and we know who we can count on and what each person’s strengths are. When you have a group of vendors who work together like that, we are all willing to help out and do whatever it takes to make the wedding happen as flawlessly as possible.

 
Using local vendors for a destination wedding can be the difference between success and failure. While this wedding could have been a disaster, it will be memorable to me because it wasn’t.” - Meg Rodgers, Harpist, St. Joseph, MI

Photo Credit: Ben Pancoast Photography