Outdoor summer wedding

I got an email in late June from a bride in a panic - her wedding music plans "didn't work out" (I didn't ask for details) and would I be available to play on July 7th? In just over two weeks? I'm usually booked out for summer and fall Saturdays pretty far in advance. But oh, this was a lucky bride. By some miracle, for her, I'd had a wedding cancellation (again, I didn't ask for details) for July 7. I loved being able to swoop in and save the day, musically. Yep, Super Harpist.

The wedding was at her parents' home out in the country. Surrounded on all sides by cornfields so far past the "knee high by the 4th of July" stage that it felt like there were giant green walls surrounding the wedding. Beautiful in the way that only tall, tall corn on a Minnesota July day can be. I arrived early and set up under the shade of a tiny little grove next to the house.

Someone had built an arbor, just for the wedding.

The flower garden was my backdrop.

This adorable little girl asked 100 questions about the harp, about my dress, 

about my music stand, about my music, about music notes, about my shoes, about my corsage,

about my chair, about my music bag, about the clothespins holding my music...

I finally distracted her with some bubbles I'd gotten at the wedding the night before. (Wedding harpist tip: always carry mini bubbles in your purse to occupy curious little ones so you can get on with the prelude.) Don't you want a polka-dotted dress with a pink ribbon sash?

I played pretty Renaissance songs, some simple Baroque pieces and then started Canon in D for the family, the bridesmaid, the two dapper groomsmen looking oh-so-manly in their hot pink ties, the adorable little flower girls.

The wedding was short and sweet. Oh, so sweet.