February 25, 2019

Flute and Cello Duo Wedding Ceremony Music at the Holy Cross Event Deck in Vail, Colorado

February 25, 2019/ Christen Stephens

Flute and cello rap and popular wedding ceremony music at the holy cross event deck in vail, colorado, Photo by back country imagery

It was a cool and very windy day autumn day on the Holy Cross Event Deck in Vail when my flute and cello duo played for a stunning wedding ceremony accompanied by some fun and unique song selections. The groom had his heart set on hearing a few of his favorite rap songs played instrumentally. He sent me several music samples on YouTube and I knew that I could make awesome arrangements of the songs for flute and cello.

To make the arrangements, I combined both the original and classical versions that the groom sent me, and then I added a touch of my own flair that made them work well specifically for flute and cello. It was so helpful that I play both flute and cello, because I was able to incorporate some really cool sounds that very playable on each instrument.

I also made a special arrangement of “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel to accompany the bride as she walked down the aisle. The day was extremely windy, but we were well amplified with my professional sound system, so our contemporary and rap songs were heard by everyone.

We continued to play after the ceremony as photos were taken. The aspens were still in peak leaf, and the golden leaves made for an epic autumn backdrop.

“Christen created a set of songs that blew away our wildest expectations”

From the Groom:
”Christen and her playing partner were absolutely wonderful! We had some specific songs we wanted played and they took the time to learn the songs, understand what we were looking for, and create a set that blew away our wildest expectations. We feel very fortunate to have found Christen and are beyond thrilled at the way everything turned out. We would recommend Christen with the highest confidence!” - JW

Fun Tip:
It’s trending right now to feature music such as rock, rap, and pop on classical instruments. I enjoy making professional music arrangements of your favorite songs, in any style.

Contact Christen

Listen to these clips of my flute and cello duo playing a few of the songs I arranged:

Wedding Ceremony Vendors:
Venue: Vail Wedding Deck
Wedding Planner: Eventique Productions
Officiant: Gretchen Abernathy
Photographer: Back Country Imagery
Musicians: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens

Wedding Processional Music:
Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses): Seating of the Parents
All of the Lights (Kayne West): Groomsmen, Bridesmaids, Ringbearer, 2 Flower Girls, Bulldog
The Book of Love (Peter Gabriel): Bride
Hey Ya (OutKast): Recessional

Prelude:
Imagine (Beatles), All You Need is Love (Beatles), A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella, Wildflowers (Tom Petty)

Postlude:
All of the Lights (Kayne West), Trap Queen (Fetty Wap), The Book of Love (Peter Gabriel), Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from Lion King

July 14, 2018

Flute and Cello Wedding Ceremony Music at the Denver Botanic Gardens

July 14, 2018/ Denver Botanic Gardens/ Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello Duo Wedding Ceremony Music at the Denver Botanic Gardens

Late in June, I had the privilege of playing for a wedding ceremony and cocktail hour at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was my first time playing in the elegant Woodland Mosaic Garden, which is my favorite garden wedding site. The sun went behind clouds, and what started as a baking hot day turned into a cool day with a gentle breeze. The leafy canopy of trees arched over the conservatory and the sound of singing birds mingled Snow White style with our Disney themed music.

At the bride's request, and to my great delight, we played a lot of Disney pieces, and I even got to make a special arrangement of "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella to play as the wedding party walked down the aisle.

The ceremony and cocktail hour came off beautifully, and as cocktails were ending, a big gust of wind brought in a smattering of rain, and the guests moved to the reception location to enjoy a tropical inspired feast.

Prelude Music Included:
Tis the Last Rose of Summer, A Whole New World, Gavotte (J.S. Bach), Menuet (Bach), When You Wish Upon a Star, Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis)

Wedding Ceremony Music:
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella - Groomsmen, Bridesmaids, Ringbearer
Canon in D (Pachelbel)- Bride
Largo from Winter (Vivaldi) - Sand Ceremony
Ode to Joy (Beethoven) - Recessional

Cocktail Hour Music Included:
Roses from the South (Strauss), Jr.), In the Still of the Nite, Rondo Alla Turca, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Simple Gifts, Blue Spanish Eyes

Wedding Ceremony Vendors:
Venue: Denver Botanic Gardens
Planner: Serendipity Catering
Wedding Ceremony Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute and Cello Duo

Are you getting married in the Denver Botanic Gardens? I love playing there because I'm passionate about gardening and plants. I'm familiar with all of the wedding sites at the Gardens.. Learn how to add our beautiful music to your wedding!

August 03, 2017

Flute and Cello Duo at Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado

August 03, 2017/ Christen Stephens

Flute and Cello duo in Fort Collins, Colorado, by Christen Stephens

Photos courtesy of Ash Meier Photography This spring, my flute and cello duo headed up to the Tapestry House in Laporte, Colorado to play for an elegant wedding ceremony. The charming Queen Anne style Tapestry House is a delightful wedding location. The lush green lawns are highlighted with flowers and graced with mature shade trees that are dripping with elegant twinkle lights. Everyone enjoyed the shade under the trees as our duo played a selection of classical prelude music to set an elegant mood. The bride and groom chose processional and recessional songs to complement their traditional wedding ceremony.

I first thought that the Tapestry House was a beautifully restored historical home, but upon reading the history of the home on the venue's website, I found out that I was mistaken. The house is authentic to the time period but was more recently built. This is because the original house had deteriorated so badly that it was dismantled. The owners carefully salvaged wood, brick, stone, and architectural elements from the original house and incorporated them back into the new Queen Anne Revival Victorian that now occupies the original house site. Featuring six different colors of paint, the Tapestry House is called a “Painted Lady”, which is a term that refers to homes from the late Victorian era that featured three or more contrasting colors of paint. Although the home is new it is such a remarkable reproduction of a Queen Anne Revival style Victorian home that the Poudre Landmarks Foundation has included it twice, since 2002, on its historic homes tour.

Samples from the Prelude Music: March in D (Bach), Spring (Vivaldi), Arioso (Bach), Menuet from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach (Bach)

Wedding Ceremony Music: Air from Overture #3 in D Major (Bach) ~ Groom, bridesmaids, ringbearer, flower girl Canon in D (Pachelbel) ~ Bride La Rejouissance (Handel) ~ Recessional Hornpipe Finale (Handel) ~ Postlude

Wedding Ceremony Vendors:
Venue: Tapestry House
Photographer: Ash Meier
Musicians: Christen Stephens - Flute and Cello Duo

Add the elegance of the flute and cello to your wedding! Listen to Music Samples >