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Can You Have a Harp at Your Red Rock Canyon Wedding?

5/13/2022

Red Rock Canyon is a scenic destination for weddings on the west side of Las Vegas, just 30 minutes from the Strip. Having harp music for your Red Rock Canyon wedding will only enhance the drama and uniqueness of what is already an unforgettable backdrop for a wedding ceremony.

Harpist at a Red Rock Canyon wedding ceremony

Getting to the Ceremony Site

If you have been researching the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk for your wedding or elopement venue, then you probably already know that it's a bit of a trek up to the site! But I'm here to tell you that, absolutely yes, you can have harp up there! I always arrive early to wedding ceremonies, but the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk is a special case, so I allow extra time for the walk up there. Check out these pics I took while heading up to the ceremony site recently:

Harp in its waterproof blue covers on a dolly, being moved up the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk.

Harp on a dolly just outside the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk wedding ceremony site.

I use a dolly to cart my harp up the boardwalk. That's my dress hanging off the left side of my harp covers! (Message me for my super stealthy outfit change routine--I don't want to get my dress dirty and wrinkled during the walk up with the harp!)

Preparing for Your Red Rock Canyon Wedding

Here are some ways that I come prepared for Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk in particular:

I bring along ice packs for the iPad that I use for sheet music. This is to prevent the iPad from overheating in the sun--it gets really bright up there!
I wear sunscreen and bring a spray bottle in my bag to reapply to my shoulders. (I learned this the hard way after getting a sunburn the first time I played a Red Rock Canyon wedding!)
I of course wear sunglasses, which I take off during the ceremony for aesthetic reasons. These are great for before and after the ceremony so that I'm not squinting into the bright Las Vegas sun.

If you're planning your Red Rock Canyon wedding, I highly recommend that you make sure to have sunscreen and sunglasses on hand for yourself--and remind your guests of this, as well. Even outside of summer, it can get really hot in Las Vegas, and no one wants a sunburn as a memento of the wedding! (Some extra water bottles are always a good idea, too.)

Here are a few shots of the harp set up before the guests and other vendors have arrived. How gorgeous is that background?!

Live Music at Red Rock Canyon

There are some definite advantages to having live harp music at your Red Rock Canyon wedding.

Live music sounds amazing in an outdoor space.
The harp always sounds great outdoors and is visually stunning.
Unlike a playlist and speaker, I can adjust timing for the unusual aisle setup at the Boardwalk.

Depending on when the guests arrive at the Boardwalk, there may need to be a lot of prelude music or only a little. My experience playing at Red Rock Canyon is that I need to have flexibility with the length of the prelude, as the timing can vary from what the planner or coordinator expects. Everything depends on when the guests arrive at the site, and then the aisle setup is different from other venues. As a live musician, I can adjust in the moment to make everything flow naturally so that the guests won't even realize if the timing ends up being slightly different than anticipated.

Harpist, wearing a champagne colored dress, playing for a wedding ceremony at Red Rock Canyon.

Kristie's Experience at the Boardwalk

I am thrilled to have played several weddings at the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk. Here are two reviews from recently married couples who hired me as their ceremony harpist:

I had spoken to Kristie months before my event, opted for another harpist - they were double booked, another harpist - let down. Reached out to Kristie, a week before the event, who was still in touch and giving me advice ref harpists despite not being her client! Within minutes she had called to talk.

I didn't want to ask too much from her as she would only have a week to practise brand new songs, however she insisted, even though she admitted they weren't in her current repertoire, nor songs she even knew. During the call Kristie sightread the songs to me, which if you don't know, takes immense proficiency.

It was a pleasure to have her there playing on the day!

--Stephen H., Cactus Collective Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk wedding

Harpist standing with her harp at the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk

Kristie was THE BEST addition to my wedding. All my guests absolutely LOVED her and only had good things to say. She + the Red Spring Boardwalk backdrop are a perfect match.

Kristie also had great communication skills and was willing to work with me on songs I requested!

I am so grateful she played at my wedding and I highly recommend her to anyone!

--Vivian L., Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk wedding with Custom Las Vegas Weddings

Booking Harp Music for Your Red Rock Canyon Wedding

Please use my Contact Form to ask any questions you may still have about harp at your Red Rock Canyon wedding--or if you're ready to check my availability for your date!

Flower arrangement and aisle at the Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk wedding ceremony site

Harpist in a champagne dress with her harp at Red Rock Canyon

Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk ceremony venue seen through the harp strings

Contact Kristie

10 Harp Songs for a Twilight Themed Wedding

5/2/2022

Are you a Twilight fan? Wondering which Twilight songs will work for your wedding? This post is for you!

Note: You can of course pick and choose which of these selections you would like for your wedding... you don't have to fully commit to Twilight for all your wedding songs! This is simply for inspiration 💜

Edward and Bella at their wedding ceremony in the Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn Part 1.

Prelude Song Selections

I play prelude music on my harp as guests arrive, before the ceremony begins. Depending on the venue, the prelude may be anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Here are 5 great Twilight themed prelude selections that work on the harp:

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Decode, by Paramore: This modern/alternative rock song was written especially for the original 2008 Twilight movie and was an international hit.

Claire de Lune, by Debussy: This is the piano piece playing on Edward's sound system when Bella visits his room for the first time. It's absolutely gorgeous on the harp!

Bella's Lullaby: This piece, composed for the movie by Carter Burwell, is the song Edward composes for Bella.

New Moon (The Meadow): This piece by Alexander Desplat is featured in New Moon. It's sweetly romantic 😍

Renesmee's Lullaby: This song for Edward and Bella's daughter is just lovely.

Twilight Themed Wedding Processionals

Most weddings need two processionals:

The first is for important family members and the wedding/bridal party to walk down the aisle.
The second processional is for the bride (or marrier) to walk down the aisle.

Here are 4 breathtaking processional songs from Twilight:

Canon in D, by Pachelbel: In the book, Rosalie played Canon in D for Bella to walk down the aisle. This is the absolute most popular selection for the wedding party processional at real-life weddings.

A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri: This song has been a popular bridal processional choice since it was released in 2011, and it sounds amazingly lush on the harp.

Turning Page, by Sleeping At Last: This was Bella's wedding processional in Breaking Dawn Part 1. It could also be used as a prelude song.

My Love, by Sia: Featured in the Eclipse soundtrack, this would be an out-of-the-box idea for a wedding processional, but I'm *here* for it! I love, love, love this song!

Twilight Themed Wedding Recessional

The recessional is the exit music played as the married couple "recesses" down the aisle.

Pro tip: Until the last 15 years or so, it was traditional to have a recessional followed by a postlude, which was a separate song for the guests to formally exit. But it's now more typical to have one song for the recessional that keeps playing as the guests head to the cocktail hour/reception.

Flightless Bird, American Mouth, by Iron & Wine: This song is my personal favorite Twilight anthem! It's used at the end of the original Twilight movie when Bella tells Edward she wants to become a vampire. And it reappears in Breaking Dawn Part 1 as Bella and Edward's wedding dance song. (Supposedly, this song ended up in the first Twilight movie because Kristen Stewart happened to be listening to it during filming!)

I'm a huge Twilight fan myself, so I'm 100% on board to incorporate any or all of these songs into your wedding ceremony! If you'd like to see some other song options, check out my Wedding Songs page. Or maybe you'd like to learn more about having harp at your wedding--I have a blog post all about that!

You can get in touch with me by texting 702-575-2793 or using my Contact Form. Can't wait to hear from you!