Winter Wedding in Chapel at Canterbury Village in Lake Orion

Congratulations to Amy and Steve who were married earlier this month in the chapel at Canterbury Village.  The chapel is located a across the square from the carousel and makes a lovely setting for an intimate wedding.  Reverend Phillip Rogers led a beautiful ceremony that included a traditional Irish Blessing. The couple chose contemporary music like Stairway to Heaven, Don’t Stop Believing, Love Story and California Dreaming.  The bridal party wore black dresses and carried red roses as they processed to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.  Amy processed to the popular Pachelbel’s Canon and the couple recessed to the well known Beatles tune, “Here Comes The Sun”.  Steve requested the Jimi Hendrix hit, “Purple Haze” which is a delight to play and generated several fine compliments.  It’s always fun to play the unexpected!  We wish Steve and Amy the very best as they begin their lives together.

Canterbury Village
Reverend Phillip Rogers

Wedding a Celebration of Love and Family at Temple Israel

Congratulations to Andrew and Becky who were married this weekend at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.  Surrounded by family and friends under the chuppah, the couple exchanged vows and rings.  The Rabbi spoke beautifully of the couples shared love and family traditions that enveloped the newly wedded couple.  Cantorial Soloist Neil Michaels sang the blessings and led the guests in the celebratory Simon Tov at the conclusion.   Pianist Tom Loncaric added his talents to the ceremony and also accompanied Mr. Michaels.  The couple chose fun contemporary music for their special day.  We played Falling Slowly, My Girl, Stand By Me, At Last and Yellow for the seating of the guests.  All You Need is Love and Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles was played for the processional.  Becky chose to process to The Way You Look Tonight; one of the many sentimental moments of the evening.  Following the ceremony, the couple and their guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner.  Special thanks to Pam, coordinator at Temple Israel, who is always helpful when we’re honored to play in their facility.  Best wishes to Becky and Andrew as they begin their lives together.

Temple Israel

Colors of Fall and The Classics Highlight An October Wedding and Reception

 Congratulations to Jennifer and Paul on their wedding yesterday in Bloomfield Hills.  Paul wore his navel uniform while his bride Jennifer was in a beautiful gown with deep red trim.  We think this addition of color on the bridal gowns is a lovely idea that flatters many women.  Warm fall colors were used for the flowers and bridal party gowns.  Jennifer, a violinist and music teacher in Jacksonville Florida, chose some of the great classics including Andante Cantabile for the seating of grandparents and mothers, the 1^st movement from Mozart’s String Quartet #157 for the bridal party and the majestic Great Gate of Kiev by Mussorgsky for her bridal processional.  Pastor Rick Engel personalized his homily with musical references and led a deeply moving service.  The couple chose the well known Steven Chapman song, “I Will Be Here” for the lighting of the unity candle and then returned to Jennifer’s love of classical music with the 1^st movement of Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 77 for their recessional.  We want to thank Sharon Burr, wedding coordinator for Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, for her help with cues.  Following the ceremony, the celebration continued at Petruzzello’s Banquets in Troy where we played a mix of classical and contemporary songs for the cocktail hour.  The guests were very kind in their compliments of our upbeat contemporary selections.  Memory Makers DJ did a superb job of introducing the couple and getting the guests in a celebratory mood.  At the request of the brides’ father, we were able to play a special song, Over the Rainbow, for Jennifer.   Petruzzello’s is well known for its elegant presentation and as the pictures show, created a gorgeous cake and desert table.  We had to include a picture of the groom’s cake, a Transformer with the quote, “More Than Meets the Eye”.  It was evident that there was a great deal of love and humor present and everyone we met were just delightful.  We send Jennifer and Paul our very best wishes as they begin life together and thank them for the honor of being a part of their special day. 

 

 

Petruzzello’s Banquet Center

Memory Makers DJ

 

 

“All of My Love” a Special Request for English Inn Wedding

Congratulations to Meagan and Randon on their wedding this past weekend at the English Inn in Eaton Rapids.  This was our first visit to the English Inn, located just east of Lansing.  Built in 1927, the Tudor Revival house was designed for auto baron Irving Jacob Reuter and his wife.  Mr. Reuter was General Manager and President of the Oldsmobile Corporation.  The property sits on 15 acres in Eaton Rapids with the original pergola, swimming pool and gazebo as well as an artesian well, fish pond, annual and perennial gardens, and nature trails.  Randon and Meagan held their ceremony at the pergola by the river.  While it was a chilly day, the bridal party, in beautiful purple strapless gowns, along with the guests were up for the walk down the hill to celebrate the couple’s love.  We were very appreciative of Randon’s thoughtfulness in providing us with a portable heater as the temperature was a chilly 55 degrees, way too cold for our instruments.  The officiant, Al Werth, led a lovely ceremony that reflected the couple’s Christian and Jewish heritage.  Randon was also responsible for the couple’s recessional!  He enjoys Led Zeppelin and asked for the solo section of “All of My Love” to be played after they were introduced.  We’ve added this song to our repertoire and have already used it several times.  Meagan chose “Yellow” by Coldplay for her processional and the bridal party walked to “Bittersweet Symphony”, a song that has seen resurgence this year.  We extend our appreciation to wedding coordinators Joan and Sally for their help with cues.  Marco Alexzondra did a beautiful job with the flowers.  We especially liked the deep sunset colored roses that graced the aisle.  Following the ceremony, the guests enjoyed dinner and music by “The Walkins”, a Chicago based band.  We send our best wishes to Meagan and Randon on their new future together.   

The English Inn

“A Child Remembered” Memorial Service an Annual Commitment

Each year in October, we provide the music for a memorial service remembering babies born at Beaumont Hospital that did not survive.  The “Service of Remembrance and Healing” takes place at Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley each year and serves the community of parents and family members that have lost a young child.  While this could be a service of deep grief, the Staff and Chaplain Aides of Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education, Chaplain Julia Hanneman-Schoenbach and the Staff of Social Work do a wonderful job creating a service of hope and remembrance.  Utilizing messages of hope from various traditions, the service includes individual recitations of names with the presentation of leaves to the Memory Tree by family members.  There is a candle lighting ceremony, blessing of the parents and a balloon release concluding the ceremony.   Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost children this year.  It is our fervent hope that the service this past weekend provided a measure of comfort and hope to those grieving. 

Beaumont Health System

 

Country Charm at River Birch Lodge in Hartland Makes Wedding a Dream

Though plans for an outside wedding were changed, the setting was beautiful for Jaimie and Christopher as they were married this past weekend at the River Birch Lodge in Hartland. With towering wood ceilings, massive stone fireplaces, enormous back decking, an adorable front porch, and signature handcrafted chandeliers, the warm country charm was the perfect setting for this special event. Guests enjoyed the view of the nearby woods and the waterfall. We were delighted to contribute to their day with an array of contemporary songs. Several guests stopped us after the ceremony to tell us that they enjoyed “Open Arms”, “Everything I Do”, “Clocks”, “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “My Girl”. Christopher and Jaimie are fans of the group Coldplay and we had fun playing “Yellow” for Jaimie’s processional and then “Viva la Vida” for the couple’s recessional. Jen House from A Moment in Time, as always did a great job coordinating the comfort for 150 guests and change from an outside to inside wedding. Reverend Bill Bell, Jr. directed a powerful ceremony that was personal and demonstrated this couple’s deep faith. During the Unity Ceremony, the couple chose to use wine stating; “Wine has been called the symbol of life. It is like the blood flowing within our bodies. By sharing the gall, the two become one, the parts become whole: Two paths intertwined each separate, yet united in love.” Jaimie and Christopher had several unique qualities to their wedding. It caught your eye on the driveway to the lodge with humorously written signs announcing the upcoming wedding. Each guest also received a flag upon which was printed a brief statement of love. These were waved during the recessional.
Following the ceremony, hors d’ oeuvres and cocktails were served followed by a strolling station dinner for everyone to enjoy. Music Box Productions kept the party going into the evening. It was a wonderful day for Jaimie and Christopher that was embodied by the couple’s favorite quote of William Shakespeare, “When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.”

River Birch Lodge

A Moment In Time

Music Box Productions

Glass Conservatory Shines with Wedding at Rochester’s Royal Park Hotel

Congratulations to Ashley and Andrew on their wedding last week at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester. The ceremony was held in the magnificent glass conservatory and officiated by Pastor Robert Hegdal of the Prince of Glory Lutheran Church in Madison Heights. He directed a thoughtful service which included a reading of “Love” by Roy Croft by Carrie Horn. The stunning flowers, done by Lori Secord of Floral Designs, were composed of purple orchids and calla lilies. In this beautiful setting, we played Mozart, Puccini, Bach, Schumann, Beethoven and Debussy. Kathryn Dalzell gave a moving piano performance of All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera which added to the elegant affair.
Following the ceremony, the guests enjoyed cocktails while we played a tasteful mix of contemporary songs. We saved the MSU fight song for the end so that Andrew and Ashley could hear it! Scott, of Memory Makers, took over for us and continued the fantastic evening. We send Andrew and Ashley our best wishes as they begin their lives together.

Royal Park Hotel
Memory Makers DJ

A Unique and Elegant Ceremony at Lovett Hall

Congratulations to Ashley and Aaron! They were married in a unique and elegant ceremony at Lovett Hall in Greenfield Village on 9/17/11. They chose meaningful and distinct aspects throughout the event such as using excerpts from ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ and ‘Love Is Friendship Caught Fire’ by Laura Hendricks as their readings, as well as having a Native American Wedding Vase Ceremony. The hand-made wedding vase, card box, program box, and other touches were both beautiful and moving. Bellisarios added impressive details with their gorgeous flowers and decor. As always, Reverend Tuttle performed the ceremony flawlessly with much attention and care. Thank-you to Donna from Greenfield Village for all of your helpful cues. We wish the new couple a wonderful and happy life together!

Lovett Hall
Bellisarios
Reverend Tuttle

A Rare and Special Event: The Wedding of a Friend and Colleague

What a pleasure it was to be able to be a part of our friend’s wedding. Our violist, Jessica, was married earlier this month. Both fine musicians, Jessica and Bryan invited many of their friends to share in the celebration of their love by sharing their music. In addition to our quartet, both string and brass ensembles were formed. The bridesmaids, carrying alstroemeria processed to Vaughn Williams “Rhosymedre” performed by the string ensemble. The flowers, done by Carol at Heaven Scent Flowers were just lovely. According to Jessica, “She was incredibly easy to work with; had great suggestions, offered best price I could find, and the flowers came out beautifully.” She doesn’t have a web page right now, but her number is 586-493-5384. She lives in the Clinton Township area. Bryan and Jessica have a special love for Symphony #2 by Sibelius and wrote out the parts for a majestic sounding bridal processional for Jessica’s entrance. The great music continued with Members of the Notre Dame Preparatory Choirs, the school at which Jessica works. Friends of the couple, Dave, Ranee and Tom sang a lovely version of “My Hope and Trust”. Special thanks to Don Kukier, Music Minister at St. Lucy Catholic Church in St. Clair Shores for has assistance with cues. The brass ensemble led the newly married couple with the triumphant “Coronation March” by Williams.
Following the ceremony, the reception was held and the Model T Automotive Heritage Complex on Piquette Avenue in Detroit. This unique facility, formerly The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, is the birthplace of the Model T, the car that changed the world. Many cars are on display with interesting annotations outlining the history of the automotive industry that has led to the success of the automobile. The reception was held on the third floor and beautifully decorated with white lights and globes. A delicious dinner by Gary’s Catering, Inc. and superb music by Cancel Monday Band made the evening great fun. We send our sweet friends Jessica and Bryan our very best wishes for continued success in the years to come.
Model T Automotive Heritage Complex
Cancel Monday Band

Fun Elements Added to Double Tree Fort Shelby Wedding

Congratulations to Jennifer and Kyle who were married this past month on the terrace of the Double Tree Hotel in Detroit. The couple added several fun elements to their wedding including a crossword puzzle in the program that asked questions about the couple’s history. They also chose Yellow by Coldplay for Jennifer’s processional and Viva la Vida for their recessional. Jennifer’s Aunt, Bonnie Brooks, sang a lovely version of “When You Say Nothing At All”. Following the ceremony, the guests moved upstairs for a cocktail hour. We had the pleasure of playing all contemporary pieces there as well and even played the MSU Fight Song. A dinner reception followed in the nearby ballroom with DJ Adam Barragato providing the music for the evening. We overheard guests and family discussing the couple’s move to California in the near future. We wish Jennifer and Kyle a long and happy life together in their new California home.

Double Tree Fort Shelby