Happy Holidays!

Below is a Christmas Eve photo of Chesapeake Strings after we played the midnight mass at St. Andrews by the Bay Church in Annapolis!  Here we are with the church's music director and one of our regular violinists, Zack Stachowski.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing holiday season!

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm...

I love the winter weather.  We haven't seen any snow yet here in Maryland (which I'm sure most Marylanders don't mind after last year), but Chesapeake Strings has been getting into the Holiday spirit with some fun holiday parties and winter weddings.  My favorite traditional winter wedding scheme is navy blue, silver, and ivory.  Just imagine taking your outdoor wedding pictures overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, wearing white (faux) fur, and then warming up by the fireplace with some Ghirardelli hot chocolate...

Maryland/DC Holiday Party Music Offer!

We don't mean to sound as eager as many holiday-bedecked stores post-Halloween, but we would love to offer anyone planning a holiday party in Maryland or DC a $100 discount if you choose us to provide your live classical music this season!  Happy *early* holidays and stay tuned for a winter wedding post soon!

Summer Wedding: Our string trio at the Inn at Brookeville Farms

Chesapeake Strings provided wedding ceremony music this summer in Brookeville, Maryland where we worked alongside Annapolis photographer Kate Pelura.  Here are some pictures Kate sent us from the wedding!  (Lucky for us, this was not one of those 100+ degree summer days!)

Our trio this day: Justin Gopal (violin), Elizabeth Polek (viola), and our friend Elizabeth M. (cello)

Justin Gopal

Elizabeth M.

Thanks to Kate for the photos!  To see more of Kate's work, please visit her website here!

Christy Aspinwall

We'd like to recognize a local hair and make-up artist with this post!  Christy Aspinwall is based out of Laurel, MD but travels throughout the MD/DC area.  She styled Elizabeth's hair for our own photo shoot and Elizabeth had a fantastic experience with her.  Here are some pictures of Christy's recent stylings:

A note from Christy:

I have a lot to offer any bride and aim to rejuvenate and pamper you, your friends, and family.  I am available and willing to travel to your wedding location and my goal is to accentuate your natural beauty on your special day!

To contact Christy about your wedding or event, call 970.227.8749.  Or, search for her on weddingwire.com.

Halloween Discount!

Ready for some not-so-spooky savings?  Email us your favorite Halloween candy and we'll give you 10% off if you book us by October 31!  

Happy Halloween!

A Quick Pic

Just wanted to share a picture of Justin and Devree playing as a violin/cello duo at a wedding last weekend!  Here they are outside at the Gramercy Mansion, most likely during the actual ceremony:

Thanks to Amy P. for the photo!

I don't know what to do, I think I'm fallin' for you

Yes!  It's starting to feel like fall here in Maryland!  Autumn might just be my favorite time of year (until the holiday shopping season...)  Revision: autumn is my favorite time of the year to hold a wedding.  The leaves are turning, pumpkins are abundant, the air is crisp, and, as I mentioned two posts ago, Starbucks has pumpkin spice lattes.  Win. (If only all PSL's featured pumpkin latte art like this one I found at javaqueen.com!)
I love the colors of pumpkin and red wine for a fall wedding.  Here come the pictures:

Happy Fall!

Click, Click, Click, Flash

I am so happy to be able to post some pictures from our amazing photoshoot with Allison Britton, Alexandria-based wedding photographer!  We had the best time taking these photos, and Allison was kind enough to shoot both in her studio and outside on the Potomac River.  Check out her website to see all of her gorgeous wedding, engagement, trash the dress and boudoir photos.
To visit Allison's website, click here!

Listen In!

Hello hello!  We've been recording lately and now we have some new song clips on our main site!  The clips are all classical pieces for string trio--standard wedding fare.  It's been a little tough because we've been using a computer and attached microphone, which don't always want to work together.  We hope to reconvene soon and produce even better quality recordings.


Please keep looking forward to more and more clips!  Here are the links to a few newbies.  Enjoy :)


Processional Music:
Canon by Pachelbel
Bridal Chorus by Wagner
Flower Song from Lakme by Delibes


Recessional Music:
Entrance of the Queen of Sheba by Handel
Wedding March by Mendelssohn

In our next post:
PSL's are out!  For those of you not as obsessed as I, PSL=Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Unfortunately, it's been a bit too warm in Maryland to truly enjoy fall's greatest gift as of yet.  But, I will of course be blogging about fall weddings and everything pumpkin very, very soon.  Those of you who know me know well how I love a PSL.

Glitter in the Air... and in your wedding

Yes, songs give me wedding ideas.  On my ipod I have a playlist called "lame mood," full of slow songs and artists like The Weepies, Frou Frou, Fleet Foxes, and Jamie Cullum.  I should say that this playlist isn't called "lame mood" because the songs are sad, because they're really not.  This is just my playlist for when I'm in a reflective, content mood.  Somehow Pink's song "Glitter in the Air" has made it onto "lame mood," and among the many miles of driving between weddings last weekend, I've listened to "Glitter in the Air" quite a few times.  

"Glitter" started me thinking... has anyone glittered their wedding?  I walked into A.C. Moore (local craft store) the other day, and can I just say that the Martha Stewart craft glitter collection is simply awesome.  Feeling down that I've been neglecting my arts-and-crafts-time, I left the store without any glitter in tow.  But can't you just imagine how you could incorporate some of that glitz into an event like a wedding?


Glittery birds cake topper by "beckykazana" on etsy:

Invitation:

Sequined Coach wristlet:

Tory Burch sequined flats:

It seems like the majority of glitter pictures I found online were in metallic colors--silver or gold.  But with the Martha Stewart glitter collection, why not take on a DIY project and dazzle your guests with whichever color you choose!  

Just Remember--no amount of wedding glitz can overpower your sparkler :)  (Tiffany.com)

Lovers in Japan

This week I arranged "Lovers in Japan" for our string trio because it's one of my favorite Coldplay songs.  And aside from the fact that I saw Coldplay last year in concert, I was lucky enough to go to Japan last summer!  I can't get enough of traveling really, and always wish I could do more.  Already can't wait for the next trip, wherever it may be.

This week's topic? Travelers: how do you incorporate worldly themes into your wedding?  Especially when you're, well, American, and it feels out of place to have a totally cultural wedding.

There are actually quite a few ways to bring your worldly experiences back home and into your wedding.  Since Japan is on my mind tonight I'll focus on that for this post.  While in the country, three things that caught my eye (and taste buds) more than anything were Japan's stationary/fine papers, cuisine, and fabric.  I loved perusing shops in search of scrapbooking papers (usually I'd buy origami papers) or delicate stationary--some of the best handmade and detailed papers I had ever seen.  The foodie in me enjoyed devouring anything from green tea soft-serve to pork ramen (the freshly made kind).  And, nestled among the other westernized trendy shops was the occasional kimono maker.  A tailor's shop, where you could choose a gorgeous fabric for your one-of-a-kind kimono and have it custom made.  I stood especially in awe of those kimono shops, as the fabrics were detailed, silky, and, of course, rather expensive.


Below are some Japanese-themed ideas that incorporate these three favorites.


Invitations using fine paper:

Paper craine garlands:

More craines for Singapore's 2009 Lunar New Year at the Singapore Botanical Gardens:

Paper fans for a warm day:

Green tea mojitos:

Sushi (these pics are from a reception I attended):

Cherry blossom cake:

If you're looking for a bit of a surprise cake, think of the ever-popular cupcake idea... but with (get ready...) sushi cakes.  I love this.

Matcha (green tea) cupcakes:

If you read my rainbow post, you'll know that I love the reception photobooth idea.  Add a nice Japanese flair to photos with a fabric drape.  http://www.fabrictales.com sells Japanese fabric by the yard.

If all these beautiful prints haven't left you feeling inspired, check out this Versace top:

Hey, I had to have some fashion in this post!  


Again, unless you're going for a full-fledged Japanese-themed party, only use a couple of these ideas for your wedding.  If you and your partner have a special and significant city, country, or place, why not pay a little tribute to it on such an important day.  Like, instead of numbering your reception dinner tables, name them after cities you've visited.  Like, making an Eiffel-Tower-shaped cake because that's where he proposed.  Like, asking your string trio to play tangos because you're honeymooning in Argentina. You get the idea ;)


**While I'm writing, please be sure to revisit our website and blog soon!  Tomorrow Chesapeake Strings is doing a photo shoot with Allison Britton, Alexandria-based photographer!  We love her pictures and can't wait to work with her ourselves.  Check out her website: abrittonphotography.com.