Part of why we really love taking a very personable approach to helping people plan their wedding music is we get to be inspired by their story.  Kenda and Clai's is one that it teaches us about how love and commitment can withstand the test of time and distance.  We hope their story is inspiring for you!

Kenda and Clai met on their high school debate team in South East Texas.  They pursued their love of debate through college, competing nationally.  After college and law school in North Carolina, Clai moved to Dallas to pursue his career, while Kenda moved to DC to pursue her masters at Georgetown University and begin her career in international development.  Eventually, Clai's career took him to London.  Coincidentally, Kenda passed through London for a book launch, after writing a few chapters in a book. They met up again and started dating within 24 hours.  

"If it's meant to be, it is possible."

...

We absolutely love working with families who are wedding planning together.  It is truly one of the most special times in a mom’s life to help her daughter plan her wedding, and can sometimes feel more special than when she planned her own wedding.  Planning a wedding together should be some great mother/daughter bonding time.  Treat yourselves to a nice lunch, glass of wine, or day at the spa to make this a fun and memorable time.

Here are 5 helpful tips to help plan your music together as a family

1.  Brides, talk about the ambiance that you are envisioning for your ceremony, especially about aspects that are very important for you. 

2.  Moms, help support your bride to be in selecting music that fits well within the ambiance she is envisioning.

3.  Moms, share some stories from your wedding with your bride to be.  Possibly make a list of some of the songs that you really enjoyed at your wedding.

4.  Brides, it...

Over the years of helping many people plan their perfect wedding ceremony music at Terra Vista Strings, we have found that one question that has arisen with many of our clients:

 "How many songs should I choose to fill the 20-30 minutes of time before my ceremony?"

Not to worry, we have helped guide many people through this question and we hope this article will shed some light on the subject.

The music that is played during prelude is music that should be geared towards rewarding your guests who arrive early with great music, while you are putting the finishing touches on looking amazing for your walk down the aisle. That being said, we don't necessarily recommend to put a number on the amount of songs that are played, as the length of each song certainly varies.  Rather, we advise to choose a genre or a group of 4-5 songs that would perhaps reflect your personality or the taste of music that you think your family and friends will enjoy. 

 ...

Walking down the aisle on your wedding day is arguably one of the most special and most exhilarating moments of your life.   Your dress, flowers, venue choice, and time of day are all very important factors, but setting this special moment to the right music is one of the best ways to make the moment feel truly spectacular.  Some brides may choose music based on tradition, a specific song that is special to them, and popularity or non popularity of the song.  To help you narrow your decision down, we did a survey of The Top Ten Songs our brides in the summer of 2015 chose, combining both traditional and contemporary choices into the following list:

10.  Just the Way You Are-  Bruno Mars

9.  Home- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

8.  Hallelujah- Cohen

7.  Can't Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley

6.  Largo From Winter-  Antonio Vivaldi

5.  Prelude to Suite no. 1 for Solo Cello- J.S. Bach

4.  A Thousand Years-...