How A Harpist Can Enhance Your Wedding | 5 Top Tips From Alive Network's Wedding Harpists Amazing Wedding Harpists For Hire!

The beautiful sounds of the harp can really enhance your wedding celebrations, especially if you take these top tips from our experienced and professional harpists.

1. Harpists Sound Great And Look Amazing!

A full size concert harp commands attention; it's not an instrument you can easily ignore, as Staffordshire-based harpist Jessica Louise explains.

The harp is a beautiful instrument, which will add sophistication and visual impact at any wedding ceremony or reception.

North-West based OL Harp agrees, remarking how the look and the sound of a harp match perfectly;

A harp is a very elegant instrument with a full and romantic sound. It's also a lovely instrument to look at, adding visual impact to the experience of live music.

2. Harpists: Superb Inside, Magical Outdoors

The gentle sound of a harp floating across a lawn on a summer's afternoon is so utterly romantic, you almost expect Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy to appear any minute! However, it does involve a couple of practical considerations, as Oona from OL Harp explains:

During the warm summer months, I can play outside in a covered or shaded area which has a firm flat surface, such as a patio or terrace. However, harps and wet weather do not mix, so I don't play outside if the weather is damp or unsettled.

3. Hear Your Favourite Tunes For Your Special Day From A Special Instrument

Most professional harpists have an extensive repertoire of music they can play, and you'll be surprised how many of your most loved songs will be included.

Alex from Amour Harp is confident your favourite will be on her list!

My repertoire list is extensive and I play a wide variety of styles, so there's hopefully something for everyone. I enjoy working with couples to tailor my performance to their musical tastes, whether they enjoy classical music, pop, Beatles or Bob Dylan songs, hits from musicals, or themes from movies such as “Gladiator’ or “Lord of the Rings”. I’ve even played themes from computer games!

Branka from BC Harp will also take requests:

As a couple, you might have specific pieces of music in mind which are favourites of yours, or which have a special significance for you both. I’m always happy to learn new music for weddings, but I do need at least three weeks notice, and it needs to be suitable for playing on the harp.

4. Set The Perfect Ambience!

When your guests arrive, settle them into an appropriately romantic mood with the gentle sounds of a harp, soothing away any stress from their journey or from sharing a car with a toddler for three hours!

The start of your wedding ceremony can be particularly nerve-wrecking for the groom or civil partner to be. Oona from OL Harp says that this is when harp music can really help:

Harp music can be very soothing, creating a sense of calm before a wedding service. One groom wrote to thank me, saying the music helped him relax as he stood waiting for the bride to arrive!

5. Striking Harps For Smaller Spaces

Concert harps are magnificent instruments, but they are designed to be part of an orchestra, and can sometimes be overwhelming in intimate spaces, (not to mention difficult to move through low doorways!).

Meta, harpist with the flute and harp Harmony Duo, has a solution for country house weddings or small parish churches:

The sweet sound of the (smaller) Celtic harp combined with its striking appearance makes it ideal for use in older settings and for intimate occasions.

Harpist C Shapland plays a Bohemian Troubadour harp that is also very suitable for smaller venues with steep staircases or lots of steps.

And a bonus top tip from Alive Network on booking a harpist from your wedding…

When you book through Alive Network, you can relax as we do all the behind the scenes liaising, the contract paperwork and even pay the harpist on your behalf. So you can tick another job off your wedding plan, and join your guests in enjoying the relaxing and beautiful sound of live harp music on your special day. Heavenly!

Harpists who contributed to this blog >>>