Beginning in a Garden

Tucked into the beautiful historic homes in Riverside is Le Jardin on Park, a lovely wedding location. As its name implies, it is a garden set up to cater to the needs of brides and grooms and their families.

Today we had the opportunity to play there, using our bagpipe player for the first time. The bride's family had Scottish roots, and in addition to many of her relatives wearing kilts, she wanted arriving guests to be greeted by the skirl of bagpipes. Walt's sound was powerful enough to be heard by guests all over Le Jardin, and was a very impressive way to begin the afternoon. As the time for the wedding approached, we exchanged the bagpipes for a string trio, to help draw guests into the seating area of the garden.

One of the bride's friends sang a special song for the seating of the parents, and then the string trio played Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring for the bridesmaids and Pachelbel's Canon for the bride herself. During the lighting of the unity candle, we softly played Twilight and Mist, a lovely tune by Horner. The bridal party exited to the strains of the Wedding March, and we continued playing several joyful classical pieces as the guests moved to the reception area.

This wedding was everything you want in an outdoor ceremony--a beautiful location, amazing weather, and a sweet bride and groom.

Bagpipes: Walt

Trio: Breana, Jessie, Anna
On-Site Music Coordinator: Doris