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x2 Award winner
Award winner thanks to recommendations from couples on WeddingWire.com.
  • 2024
  • 2023

Big Sky Strings

Learn New Songs
Ceremony Music
Cocktail Hour Music
Reception Music
Stacy
Kelsey
Katie
E
M

Recommended by 100% of couples

About this vendor

Big Sky Strings is a wedding ensemble based in Bozeman, Montana, that performs at ceremonies and cocktail hours. This group of musicians is composed of a cellist and three violinists, all of whom also play with the Bozeman Symphony. These professionals have years of experience on stages across the country and are passionate about being part of couples’ big days. They look forward to creating a serene and sophisticated ambiance as you and your partner exchange your vows and enjoy drinks with your loved ones.

Services Offered
Big Sky Strings can perform as a quartet, trio, or duo for your momentous occasion. Their repertoire includes such classics as Pachelbel's Canon, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and many more. Wedding packages come with one hour of prelude music, ceremony and postlude music, and planning and coordination services. Add-ons such as attendance at the rehearsal, specially-purchased or arranged songs, and travel more than 15 miles outside Bozeman are also available.

Features

Woman-owned

Weddings with this vendor

Jenna & Tony's wedding
Jenna & Tony
30 photos

FAQ

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

Ceremony Music
Cocktail Hour Music
Learn New Songs
Music During Breaks
Reception Music
Rehearsal Dinner Music

What ceremony music arrangements can you provide?

Instrumental - Duo
String - Trio
String - Quartet

How many musicians are in your band(s)?

1 - 3
4 - 6

What instruments does your group play?

Cello
Trumpet
Viola
Violin

What services do you provide?

Ceremony Music
Cocktail Hour Music
Instrumentals
Learn New Songs
Music During Breaks
Reception Music
Rehearsal Dinner Music

Still have questions?

Reach out about anything you didn't see answered here—no question is too small!

Wedding couple

Reviews of Big Sky Strings

This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

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Big Sky Strings is widely praised for professional, responsive service and beautiful, adaptable performances that elevated ceremonies and cocktail hours. Reviewers loved their extensive repertoire (classical to modern), flexible ensemble sizing, and willingness to learn special songs. They handled logistics smoothly and come highly recommended.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Big Sky Strings is widely praised for professional, responsive service and beautiful, adaptable performances that elevated ceremonies and cocktail hours. Reviewers loved their extensive repertoire (classical to modern), flexible ensemble sizing, and willingness to learn special songs. They handled logistics smoothly and come highly recommended.

Stacy
Stacy Sent on 07/17/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Book them now!

Big Sky Strings and Baerbel Pafford in particular were AMAZING to work with. Hands down they made my daughter's wedding ceremony everything we envisioned and more. From planning and communication to execution-every detail was perfect. Her team even learned two new composed pieces that my daughter requested, and performed them flawlessly. DO NOT HESITATE to book their string quartet. If I could give 10 stars I would!
E
Emily Sent on 07/09/2026
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful!

Big Sky Strings played for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, and we were very pleased. Everyone loved hearing them play, and they offered a good variety of song options/genres for me to chose from. I would definitely recommend!
Kelsey
Kelsey Sent on 09/11/2024
5 out of 5 rating

They're the BEST I've found for Bozeman, Big Sky and Livingston!

As a wedding planner, I work with a lot of musicians! Baerbel and Big Sky Strings are hands down the BEST I've found for Bozeman, Big Sky, and Livingston! They are kind, responsive, and have a massive repertoire of new and old songs! If you're looking for a unique experience for your guests and yourself, book Big Sky Strings!
M
Melanie Sent on 09/08/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The perfect addition to our Montana wedding!

I can't recommend this string quartet enough! They played at our wedding in Montana, and their music added the perfect touch of elegance and emotion to our special day. From the beautiful ceremony pieces to the lively cocktail hour music, every song was played with such talent and passion. They were professional, accommodating, and incredibly easy to work with. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved the music. Thank you for making our wedding day truly unforgettable!
R
Rosemary Sent on 06/19/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Big Sky Strings-A Perfect Celebration

I employed Big Sky Strings out of Bozeman, MT, for my daughter's destination wedding at The Rainbow Ranch Lodge in Gallatin, MT. My communication was with the Manager and musician herself with Big Sky Strings, Barbel Pafford. From my initial contact through the wedding day, Barbel was always immediately responsive to any questions. The entire process was made easy. An extensive repertoire of the quartet's music was provided. The repertoire was everything one would entertain for a wedding and more! And, if you want music that is not included in the repertoire there was a minimal fee, and I mean minimal, for the musicians to learn the piece prior to the wedding. My daughter did choose a special piece, not included in the repertoire, for her walk down the aisle.
It was an outdoor wedding and cocktail hour and the weather was beautiful for an early June event. The musicians provided their own white linen tent just in case the weather did not cooperate and to keep the sun off of their instruments. They looked lovely in their professional attire.
We hired Big Sky to play 30 minutes prior to the wedding, during the wedding and through the cocktail hour. Their performance was absolutely magnificent, a true highlight of the celebration. I could not have been happier. It was perfect! If you are looking for strings to play at your event, I highly recommend Big Sky Strings!!! Thank you for making our celebration enchanting.
N
Nicolette Sent on 04/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Big Sky Strings

Thank you to Baerbel and the Big Sky Strings. They are so talented and professional and helped to make our dream wedding a reality.
M
Madalynne Sent on 12/18/2023
5 out of 5 rating

A pure joy to work with

Bärbel was an absolute wonder to work with! She was so kind and super flexible! We had an outdoor winter wedding so the ensemble had to stay indoors, but they worked incredibly well with our sound guy and made sure the day was amazing! She is flexible in what they play so that I got to walk down the aisle to Blink-182's I Miss You. She is incredibly kind and I could not recommend her enough!
C
Charlie Sent on 11/03/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Big Sky Strings is the Best

Big Sky Strings is truly Amazing. They played for our ceremony and cocktail hour. Baerbel is so very easy to communicate with and she gets back to you very quickly. She helped me select music for our wedding and even played a special piece for our handfasting ceremony at our wedding. Our officiant forgot the ring ceremony and we walked down the isle after being pronounced Husband and Wife. The musicians simply played the recessional twice so we could go back and finish the ceremony. They just rolled with it without a word spoken between us. The music is dreamy and their instruments are beautiful. If you are going for a timeless music choice Big Sky Strings is perfect.
J
Judy Sent on 10/16/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Backyard Wedding

Big Sky Strings played beautiful music for our backyard wedding. Baerbel was extremely helpful with our music selection and we couldn’t have been happier with our trio’s performance. Our guests loved the music.
Katie
Katie Sent on 09/26/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Such a wonderful decision to hire these talented musicians!

I can't say enough good things about Big Sky Strings—they were super pleasant and straightforward throughout all communication, and are truly talented musicians. Their presence lent our ceremony and cocktail hour some real gravitas (made everything feel much more "official" and "fancy") and they handled our repertoire and all "stop/start" directives and cues perfectly. You get to choose from so many songs and genres, we had no problem coming up with a personally meaningful, fun, beautiful, and varied set list. They are lovely people and wonderfully talented performers!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

27
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
illustration message review

Are you interested?

Team

Bärbel Pafford
Bärbel Pafford
Manager | Cellist
Cindy
Cindy
Violist
Kayla
Kayla
Violinist
Mike
Mike
Violinist

Professional Network & Endorsements

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4.4 out of 5 rating , 10 reviews
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