September 25, 2020

Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio Wedding Ceremony Music at Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs

September 25, 2020/ Christen Stephens

It was so lovely to be a part of this gorgeous August wedding ceremony at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs. The combination of the red rocks, the sunset, and the wildfire smoke turned the ceremony location into a pastel watercolor with delicate shades of pinks and blues.

From the Bride:

“Christen and her team were nothing short of amazing! Leading up to my wedding, we were in constant contact and had so much fun with our love of music. I would bounce ideas off of her and she would get back to me almost instantaneously. She is so much fun to work with and is an amazing musician. Alex and Anna accompanied her and they were so talented as well. She was able to organize playing several really special songs for my wedding. Not only amazing musicians but also so very kind. “

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens, Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio wedding ceremony music at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs, Photo by Katie Corinne Photography

The combination of the flute, guitar and cello is just perfect because I can imitate vocals on my flute, the guitar replaces the guitar or piano part with full chords, and the cello fills out the bass. With three very different sounding instruments, this ensemble has an elegant and full sound.

The songs that the bride selected beautifully complimented the setting. We played restful selections by Jim Brickman, "Have I Told You Lately” (Rod Stewart), “Shallow” (Lady Gaga), and “Stand by Me” (Ben King).

Wedding Ceremony Music:
Butterfly Waltz from Twilight - Flower Girl
Butterflies (Kacey Musgraves) - Bride
Here Comes the Sun (Beatles) - Recessional

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Garden of the Gods Resort
Wedding Planner: A Touch of Bliss
Photographer: Katie Corinne Photography - Thank you for these lovely photos!
Ceremony Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Flute, Guitar, Cello Trio
Officiant: Writing With Love by Dana

September 17, 2020

Flute and Strings Quartet Wedding Ceremony and Breakfast Music at Rancho Del Rio in Bond, Colorado

September 17, 2020/ Christen Stephens

Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Flute and Strings Quartet Wedding Ceremony Music at Rancho Del Rio in Bond, Colorado

The ranch is a remote campground and rafting center located on the Colorado River. I left my house at 5:30am so that I could have everything set up and ready to go for this pre-breakfast wedding ceremony. The wildfire smoke was thick in the air and made for a stunning sunrise over the mountains (right).

Listen to Flute and Strings Music Samples

One thing that I love about my job is being able to travel to many interesting and exciting locations across Colorado. Rancho Del Rio in Bond, Colorado was certainly among the more unusual wedding locations that I’ve been to. Most mountain weddings take place in the Colorado mountain resort towns, and until the pandemic happened, this wedding was likewise to be held at a beautiful Breckenridge venue. When that venue temporarily shut down for safety reasons due to the pandemic, the wedding celebration was moved to the fun and outdoorsy Rancho Del Rio.

Before I even arrived, I felt like I was in a different world. The open plains of the Front Range and the thick pine forests of the Colorado resort towns were replaced by dry grasslands, mysterious types of trees, and scrubby unfamiliar shrubbery.

Wedding Ceremony Music:
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach) - Wedding Party
Bridal March (Wagner) - Bride
All You Need is Love (Beatles) - Recessional

Wedding Vendors:
Venue: Rancho Del Rio
Musicians: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Flute and Strings Quartet
Photographer: Roland Mott

Our elegant quartet music almost felt out of place in such a wild setting, but our music became the focal point that guests were drawn to, and this is where they mingled before the ceremony began. The ceremony was beautiful with the backdrop of the Colorado River, and afterwards, the bride and groom made their getaway in a raft (left).

After the ceremony, we continued to play cheerful music for the breakfast, which the guests enjoyed under a pavilion area.

August 25, 2020

Solo Flute Wedding Ceremony and Reception Music in Avon, Colorado

August 25, 2020/ Christen Stephens

Solo Flute Wedding Ceremony and Reception Music in Bachelor Gulch, Avon, Colorado, Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens

I played solo flute for both the ceremony and appetizers. I played classical music by Bach, Mozart, and Debussy, and also more contemporary music by the Beatles, Sinatra, and a few jazz numbers along with some fun improvisation. I varied each song with different reverb settings on my amplification, and enjoyed imitating the original performances, and adding my own flair and personality. It completely made my day when one of the guests told me that my flute playing sounded like several instruments were playing, and not just a single flute!

I accompanied the cake cutting with "This is All I Ask” by Frank Sinatra. This was a song that the bride requested in memory of her grandfather, who used to sing it a lot.

From the Mother of the Bride:

“Christen was very easy to work with from start to finish! The flute sounded amazing on the mountain during our outdoor wedding and we would highly recommend using Christen for any and every event indoor or outdoor!!!”

Wedding Ceremony Songs:
Blackbird (Beatles) - Groom and Parents
Scarborough Fair (Traditional) - Bride
All my Loving (Beatles) - Recessional
This is All I Ask (Sinatra) - Cake Cutting

Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Shane Macomber
Rabbi: Rabbi Joel D. Newman
Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music: Flute and Strings by Christen Stephens - Solo Flute

This August, it was such a privilege to have the opportunity to play solo flute for this traditional Jewish wedding ceremony in the Colorado mountains. This New York couple had originally planned to have a large wedding celebration with all the trimmings, but due to the pandemic, they sadly had to cancel the celebration as originally planned. The re-imagined intimate ceremony that they ended up with may have been completely different than their first plan, but it was so full of love, joy, and meaning.

The couple was married on an empty lot with a beautiful view of Bachelor Gulch. The hot sun disappeared behind cooling, dramatic clouds just in time for the ceremony. Afterwards, everyone continued to celebrate with appetizers and cake at their vacation home in the village. The bride is a pianist, so she chose some lovely music selections that I was very excited to learn.

My Solo Flute Signature Package is my most versatile wedding music package, and I love playing everything from traditional classical music to pop and rock music.

Listen to Music Samples

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From the Bride:

From the Mother of the Bride: