Susan Messersmith, Performing on Trumpet joins the Palmetto Strings!

We are proud to announce that Susan Messersmith will be performing on Trumpet with us for the various weddings and private functions in the Charleston, SC area.

With a Masters in Performance, and 14 years with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Susan is the ideal trumpeter in Charleston to perform for wedding ceremonies, especially an indoor ceremony. For example the St. Luke’s Chapel, downtown Charleston would be a great venue to hear the strings and the trumpet for Trumpet Voluntary or Trumpet Tune. In the past, having the trumpet performing for the bridal walkdown and recessional helps accent those moments of the wedding ceremony.

Solo Violin – Thomas Bennett House

What a perfect Friday afternoon it was for this wedding ceremony at the classic Bennett House. The Solo Violin was a perfect addition to the small and intimate ceremony scene. This venue is perfect if you are looking for the historic downtown home to get married at.

The line-up of songs had a traditional and a spiritual side to it. Be Thou My Vision is a traditional Irish melody and is a great choice if you are looking for something different. It also works beautifully for the solo violin.

Mothers:
Sheep May Safely Graze

Bridal Party:
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Bride:
Canon in D

Recessional:
Be Thou My Vision

String Duo – The Rice Mill

What a stunning wedding we performed for at the Rice Mill! It was such a refreshing day performing on the waterfront and the chic  colors worked beautifully for this spring-time wedding.

The bride worked in a black and white damask pattern with a splash of pink into the reception decor while keeping the ceremony light and airy with the pink and green colors.

The music consisted of a perfect mix of contemporary and traditional selections. Here are the selections we performed for the ceremony:

 

 

Grandmothers/Mothers
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Bridal Party
In My Life – Beatles

Bride
Canon in D

Recessional
Viva La Vida – Coldplay

String Quartet – Wentworth Mansion

One of many historic venues for weddings, The Wentworth Mansion wedding we performed for had a wonderfully old-world, romantic feel in the air. The colors of cream whites, blush pinks, and peaches in the roses and hydrangeas set the springtime mood for this charming ceremony. It truly did feel like we were performing in a lovely English rose garden for an intimate sized wedding. More information can be found at Weddings at the Wentworth Mansion.

The music also reflected the spring-time ambiance. We performed some “Spring” themed songs including “The Flower Duet” from Lakme, as well as the well-known “Spring” from the Four Seasons. Here is our full set list of songs we performed from:

 

Grandmothers/Mothers

“The Flower Duet” from Lakme - Delibes

Bridal Party

Serenade – Haydn

Bride

“Spring” from the Four Seasons – Vivaldi

Recessional

Trumpet Tune – Purcell

String Duo – Stony Landing House at Old Santee Canal Park

We enjoyed performing for a wedding at Stony Landing.  The historic house is settled on sprawling and hilly landscape that rolls down to the serene river. You definitely feel like you are away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The wedding had a relaxed and outdoorsy feel including bright sunflowers and irises for the ceremony. We performed a more contemporary set of repertoire to fit with the laid-back atmosphere.  All contemporary song selections were arranged specifically for the Palmetto String Duo.

Processional

In My Life – Beatles

Bride

Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones

Recessional

Viva La Vida – Coldplay

String Trio – Lowndes Grove

It was another beautiful day for the Lowndes Grove wedding. Located on peninsular Charleston, this spot is perfect if you want to have that plantation feel with the sprawling grounds but in a location five minutes to downtown and the action. The ceremony set a very romantic and relaxed scene with the charming lanterns floating in the trees and into the reception area. More information on weddings at Lowndes Grove can be found at www.lowndesgrove.com.

As the guests were exiting off the shuttles and entering to the ceremony area, the string trio began a lively mix of traditional and classical selections to continue that theme into the ceremony.

Mothers/grandmothers

Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring – Bach

Bridal party

Rondeau – Mouret

Bride

Bridal Chorus – Wagner

Recessional

Viva La Vida – Coldplay

String Trio – Wedding Ceremony at the Planter’s Inn

Lauren’s Williams headed the String Trio who performed for the wedding at the Planter’s Inn on March 27th. The courtyard is well manicured and landscaped, helping create a nice backdrop to the weddings that are held there. The courtyard area is also private and away from Market Street enough so that noise is minimal and people won’t be stopping to watch everything. The sound carries very well because of it’s enclosed nature, the sound bounces off the buildings and is the closest we have seen in Charleston to an indoor church for acoustics, except the courtyard is outside, very unique. You can find more information on weddings at the Planter’s Inn Downtown Charleston.

The String Trio performed many traditional songs and one special arranged song for the bride: Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”. The Trio accompanied a vocalist – one of the family members; the String Trio arrangement was done by Mike Williams for the group.

Below is the song lineup for the wedding ceremony:

Mothers/Family
Air – Water Music – Handel

Wedding Party
Canon in D

Bride
Beatles – In My Life

Interlude During Ceremony
Josh Groban – You Raise Me Up

Recessional
Spring – Four Seasons – Vivaldi

String Duo – Legare-Waring House

Congratulations to Morgan and John!
We had a wonderful time performing for their wedding at the Legare Waring House. It is one of my favorite venues because you have a wonderful combination of nature and history in the Charlestontowne Landing park. It is also nice and shady for those outdoor summer weddings! The setting is also beautiful, having the historic Legare Waring house on acres of property that stretches down a tree-lined lawn to the river.
Their wedding had a chic style with the classic black and white wedding colors paired with lovely topiary for the ceremony decor. I felt there was a great balance of elegance and casualness without it being too stuffy.

The selections we played were:

Mothers/grandmothers

Air from the “Water Music by Handel

Bridal Party

Canon in D by Pachelbel

Bride

Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke

Recessional

“Spring” from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi

This is a wonderful set of songs if you are looking for more traditional songs for a ceremony.

Classical String Duo – Planter’s Inn

Kelvin and Mandy sure had great weather for their November wedding. That week had near record highs making the outdoor courtyard ceremony very enjoyable and comfortable for the wedding party and guests. As dusk was approaching and as Kelvin and Many were saying their vows, the courtyard created a beautiful ambiance with candles casting a warm glow to the setting.
Their program of music consisted mainly of elegant classical selections then for her walkdown, the Beatles’ In My Life. I always recommend “In My Life” for the bridal walk down because it has a good tempo, not too slow or fast, and it can fit well in a program of traditional songs or work just as well with more contemporary music.

Here is the lineup of songs we performed:

Mothers/Grandmothers
Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring – J.S. Bach

Bridal Party
Canon in D – Pachelbel

Bride Processional
In My Life- The Beatles

Recessional
Trumpet Voluntary – Clarke

Congrats to Mandy and Kelvin on their marriage!

Ceremony at the Thomas Bennett House

The Thomas Bennett House is one of those nicely tucked away downtown venues that has a private feel for being in the city. So if you are looking to have the essential Charleston wedding, this is a great venue to show that!

The courtyard is setup very well, having the grassy area behind the fountain for the ceremony and having the tented reception directly to the right. You can also have the reception inside as long as there is not amplified music produced.

The long-branched trees allow for cute decor to be hung such as the flower balls like in the picture below. It is simply a wonderful spot for a wedding especially in the spring and summer months when its very green and the flowers are in full bloom.

Here is another good example set list of traditional music for the ceremony we did:

Grandmothers and Mothers Processional
Ave Maria by Schubert

Wedding Party
Rondeau by Mouret

Bride’s Entrance
Trumpet Voluntary – Clarke

Recessional
“Spring” from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi

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