Services:

Margaret Sanzo Sneddon, Harpist - Elegant entertainment for special events. Perfect for your wedding ceremony, cocktail hour or reception. Serving the New York metro area, Westchester County and the lower Hudson River Valley, southwestern CT and northern NJ, Margaret Sanzo Sneddon is a polished professional harpist with a large repertoire of Classical music, Celtic music, traditional wedding music, popular standards and show tunes. Well known for her personal touch, she can help you coordinate the perfect  music for your special occasion. Also available with flute, violin, cello. For more information, please visit www.margaretsneddon.com call (914) 715-8793  or e-mail info@margaretsneddon.com

Paul McCue, Bagpiper	It's always a pleasure to work with Margaret. Her music is beautiful and the harp works well with pipes, especially at a Celtic wedding!
Harpcat	Margaret is a complete professional, great musician, and fantastic person! I highly recommend her!
One Heart Personalized Ceremonies	Margaret's music added the perfect touch to the ceremony I performed at the Castle on the Hudson. It was a delight working together and I hope to do so again many times in the future. We were a great blend of expertise, creativity and professionalism. I highly recommend Margaret and found her music to be an inspiration. Respectfully submitted by Norma Moutal - One Heart Personalized Ceremonies
Westchester Event Planning Services, Inc.	An absolute must for the wedding and/or event of a lifetime!
Sweet Harmony	Beautiful live music will make your event a joy!
Engaging Floral Designs / NY Engagements, LLC	As a wedding planner that books many different vendors for my clients, I feel completely confident recommending Margaret. At a recent wedding we worked on together, Margaret arrived with plenty of time to set up, played beautifully and even had an amplifier with her so that her music could be heard by all the guests. She's a master of her music! Thank you Margaret for helping to make our bride's day so perfect.
Big Apple Music and Entertainment	A great harpist!!
Fontana Bridal Salon	Our favorite harpist! We recommend her to all our brides.
Alyssa Staron, Mezzo-Soprano	Margaret and I have worked together several times. The harp and voice are a wonderful combination, Margaret in a true professional, a delight to work with.
A Char-Mel Entertainment - Lafiestaband.com - Presents - International Festival - Serafin Rivera	Margaret Sanzo Sneddon brings a touch of Class, Poise, Elegance and Style to every Wedding and event she performs at. A true professional with lots of talent and a warm friendly personality. In the New York area she is the Harpist I recommend. Once you hear her you'll know why. Serafin -- Char-Mel Entertainment -- NYC

What is your rate? - My fee is $350.00 for the first hour and $200.00 for each additional hour. There is an additional fee for travel over 20 miles, to Long Island, or into New York City.

Can you provide all the music for a ceremony? -  Yes, I can provide all the music or I can coordinate with the church organist.

 

Ceremony Suggestions
A brief discussion about ceremony music in general followed by a list of suggested songs.

Music can be a beautiful and important part of your wedding ceremony. It’s a wonderful welcome as your guests arrive and find their seats and helps establish a joyous and reverent mood.

Musically, the typical wedding is divided into several sections including the prelude, the processional, incidental music during the ceremony and recessional.

The prelude music is usually left to the discretion of the musicians. The timing is not precise and the musicians will want to be able to adjust their program according to factors such as the number of people that have arrived and any unexpected delays. If there are a few particular favorites that you would like to include in the Prelude, be sure to mention them to the musicians and they will be included if possible.

In the Christian tradition, the last thing to happen before the processional begins, is the seating of the immediate family, any grandparents, the groom’s mother, and finally the bride’s mother. Traditionally, no one is seated after the bride’s mother. However, this tradition has relaxed somewhat in recent years.

A special song is often selected for the seating of the immediate family. If this is the case, an usher should advise the musicians when the family is about to be seated. The ushers and family should wait while the musicians conclude the piece that they are playing. A pause in the music will be the signal to the ushers that they should start seating the family members when the music starts again.

When the immediate family has been seated, the musicians will once again conclude the piece they are playing. The bride’s maids should wait until they hear another pause in the music. When the musicians start playing again is when the bride’s maids should start. Everyone in the processional should wait until the previous person is almost to the altar before starting and then walk slowly.

If the music is to change, another pause will occur between the last person in the bridal party and the bride. This will usually be the maid of honor or a flower girl. The bride, usually escorted by her father, will then start down the aisle. It is very helpful for the musicians to know the number of people in the bridal party and who will be last.

In the Jewish tradition, the family and both parents of the bride and groom are part of the formal processional. Therefore, the processional music usually begins with the seating of any grandparents.

It is important for the bridal couple to select the pieces that they want for the seating of the mothers if applicable, the procession of the bridal party and the procession of the bride. It is not required that the music change for the bride and if the procession is very short, or the wedding is informal, it may be preferable not to switch.

It should also be noted that “Here Comes the Bride” which is actually the Wedding March from the opera, "Lohengrin” by Wagner, is not usually considered appropriate for a Jewish wedding.

Some thoughts about the Pachelbel Canon

The Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel is a beautiful piece that begins simply and gets more elaborate and beautiful as it progresses. It is a popular choice for the wedding processional. However, unless the processional is long, it has to get cut before the best part! This is especially true if it is used only for the bride. The bride has usually arrived at the alter before the introduction is complete. It is far more appropriate to have the Canon played toward the end of the prelude when most of the guests have arrived and can hear it in it’s entirety.

Here is a list of music that is beautiful and appropriate for a wedding ceremony. You can pretty much mix and match the music for the bridal party and bride. There follows a section that suggests some pretty combinations.


PROCESSIONALS

CLASSICAL
Aire on a G String - Bach
Aria – Kuhnau
Bransle de la Torche - Praetorius
Bridal March from Lohengrin (Here Comes the Bride) Wagner
Canon in D – Pachelbel
Come Ye Sons of Art Away - Bach
Chaconne – Purcell
Hartes Ease - Holborne
Hornpipe – Handel (From Water Music)
Hornpipe – Purcell
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring - Bach
Largo from Concerto in D Major - Vivaldi
Largo from Winter – Vivaldi
Minuet Finale from Water Music – Handel
Pavane in Renaissance Style – Wachs
Rigadoon – Purcell
Rondeau – Mouret (Theme from Masterpiece Theater)
Sheep May Safely Graze – Bach
Spring - Vivaldi
Te Deum - Charpentier
Trumpet Tune – Purcell
Trumpet Voluntary – Purcell


JEWISH
Al Kol Eleh – Shemer
Bridal March - Hassidic
Chorsha ha Eucaliptus (On the Jordan)
Dodi Li
Entreat Me No to Leave Thee - Avery
Erev Ba - Avissar
Erev Shel Shoshonin
Dodi Li – Sher
Haha’ava Babanot
Hodaya – Miron
L’Kha Dodi – Zeira
Lu Yehi - Shemer
Wedding March

CELTIC
Carrickfergus
The Lark in the Clear Air
Loch Ta Boat Song
My Love is Like a Red Red Rose
Welsh Aire




Some Nice segues for Bridal party and then Bride

Canon in D to Come Ye Sons of Art Away or Erev Shel Shoshonim or Hornpipe from Water Music or Jesu, Joy or Largo from Concerto in D major or Rondeau by Mouret or Trumpet Voluntary

Hornpipe by Purcell to Rigadoon by Purcell or Rondeau by Mouret

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring to Bridal March or Hornpipe by Handel or Hornpipe by Purcell or Pavane in Renaissance Style or Rondeau by Mouret or Trumpet Voluntary or Trumpet Tune

Largo from Four Seasons Winter to Bridal March or Jesu Joy or Trumpet Voluntary

Pavane in Renaissance Style to Trumpet Voluntary

Rigadoon to Bridal March or Trumpet Voluntary

Trumpet Voluntary to Bridal March* or Trumpet Tune


*Traditional





RECESSIONALS

CLASSICAL
Allegretto from Spring - Vivaldi
Concerto in B Flat Major, First Movement, Allegro Moderato – Handel
Hornpipe from Water Music – Handel
Ode to Joy - Beethovan
The Rejoycing From Royal Fireworks Music – Handel
Rondeau (Theme form Masterpiece Theater) - Mouret
Sonatina I - Naderman
Te Deum – Charpientier
Trumpet Tune by Purcell
Trumpet Voluntary – Purcell
Wedding March – Mendelssohn*


JEWISH
Artza Alinu – Flok
Dodi Li – Chen
Eile Chamda Libi
Haba’ah – Hirsch
Hevenu Shalon Alekhem
Hine Ma Tov
L’cha Dodi
Mitzvah G’odola
Od Yishoma
Rad Halaila – Trad. Hassidic
Simon Tov

CELTIC
Chanter
Gary Owen
Give Me Your Hand
Mairi’s Wedding
Morrison’s Jig
Rocky Road to Dublin
Scotland the Brave


Alternatives to a Big Expensive Wedding
In these days of tough economy, cost control is a concern for everyone including the bride and groom to be. It is entirely possible to have a wonderful wedding without a huge expenditure.

During more affluent times, many weddings have included large wedding parties, elaborate cocktail hours and sit down dinners with a full orchestra and dancing. This kind of event can run into tens of thousands of dollars if not hundreds of thousands for an exotic destination wedding.

However, a very special and meaningful wedding needn't be such an elaborate affair.

One of the most elegant weddings I have ever experienced took place in a tent at the home of the bride. I played the harp for both the ceremony and the reception which consisted of hors d'oeuvres followed by cake and champagne.

Another possibility is an English style afternoon tea. The Royal Tea Company royalteaparty.net in Fairfield, CT can cater a very elegant affair in your chosen location.

Speaking of location, a wonderful setting may not be out of reach. Even the most exclusive catering halls may be less expensive during the week and for lunch instead of dinner.

Live music can also help to make the event extra special. Even if you can't afford an entire orchestra, a string quartet, a harpist, or a pianist can provide wonderful ambient music. Although somewhat more expensive than other individual instruments, the harp can still be an economical choice because it does not require accompaniment. Like the piano, it plays all the parts, melody, harmony and rhythm and can stand alone. It is also visually beautiful and can add an elegant and unusual touch to your decor as well.

Our own wedding was a dream come true. I had long thought that the Castle in Tarrytown would be the wedding site of my fantasies. Little did I imagine that the fantasy would become a reality.

Since my husband is a Broadway musician, we decided to have our celebration on a Monday afternoon when the theaters are closed and his friends could come. We also decided to have a luncheon instead of a dinner. The off-peak day and time were both important factors in the final price.

When we approached a florist and a photographer, we told them our budget and asked what they could do for us within that framework.

Live music was very important to us so we hired a piper to greet our guests and one of my advanced harp students played our ceremony music. The rest of the music was provided by our musician friends. We had let them know that the best wedding gift they could give us was the gift of music.

With a little creativity, you can have a dream wedding without breaking thebank!