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Weddings

About

Birmingham Violin offers refined live music designed to elevate each moment—from the first guest arrival to the final walk down the aisle.

Led by violinist Karen McDowell, Birmingham Violin is known for creating seamless, expressive performances that enhance the natural rhythm and atmosphere of a ceremony. Clients consistently describe her music as beautiful, moving, and unforgettable, along with a planning process that is professional, responsive, and effortless.

With over two decades of performance experience, Karen brings both technical mastery and emotional connection to her playing. Her repertoire spans classical works (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart), sacred and Celtic music, as well as contemporary selections by artists such as Ed Sheeran and John Legend—each thoughtfully arranged to reflect the unique style of the event.

Performances are available as solo violin or in collaboration with carefully selected musicians, including violin and cello ensembles for a richer, more layered sound. Each event is tailored with intention, whether through curated selections or personalized requests.

Karen holds advanced degrees in Music Performance and studied with Ivan Galamian of The Juilliard School. She has been recognized with the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award and has performed at weddings and events throughout the Birmingham area and beyond.

A limited number of weddings are accepted each season to ensure a highly personalized and elevated experience.

Based in Birmingham, Alabama
Ceremony services begin at $850
Travel available for select venues

  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

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

Ceremony Music

What ceremony music arrangements can you provide?

Acapella
Instrumental - Solo
Instrumental - Duo
Instrumental - Trio
String - Trio
String - Quartet
String - Quintet
Soloist / Vocalist

How many musicians are in your band(s)?

1 - 3
4 - 6

What instruments does your group play?

Cello
Drums
Guitar
Harp
Piano
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
Sound/PA System

Reviews of Birmingham Violin

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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The musician and her cellist delivered beautiful, professional performances often described as recording-quality, adding a magical touch to ceremonies and events. She was praised for excellent communication, punctuality, helpful song suggestions, and a wide repertoire. Overall, highly recommended and reasonably priced.

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.

The musician and her cellist delivered beautiful, professional performances often described as recording-quality, adding a magical touch to ceremonies and events. She was praised for excellent communication, punctuality, helpful song suggestions, and a wide repertoire. Overall, highly recommended and reasonably priced.

A
Amy Sent on 06/22/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Lovely music 🎶!

Karen was fantastic! She is lovely and so easy to work with! She and her cellist played my fav music along with different styles of music that all the guests enjoyed.
M
Maia Sent on 11/13/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Fabulous music for my ceremony

Karen was just great, from the communication texting and helping with music choices. She is easy to work with and very professional. Highly recommend.
J
Jose Sent on 10/17/2024
5 out of 5 rating

professional and talented

We were absolutely thrilled with the performance at our wedding. Karen was exceptional - both in talent and professionalism. Every note was beautifully played, adding a magical touch to our special day. From our initial communication to the final performance she was punctual, responsive and easy to work with. Our guests were highly complimentary to the beautiful music. We would highly recommend her for a truly special addition to your event!
L
Lauren Sent on 07/05/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Lovely addition to our ceremony

Karen and her cellist was wonderful! WOW! They sounded like a recording! Will hire again!
C
Cheryl Sent on 12/20/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fabulous violinist!

Karen was great! We hired her for our wedding ceremony. My wife and I could not have been happier. Moon River was perfectly played as my soon to be wife walked in. Karen provided excellent communication prior, early arrival at and attention to detail during.
S
Sara Sent on 12/20/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Wonderful violin duo

Our Christmas party dinner would not have been complete without Karen and Kevin violin duet. They play beautifully and we absolutely loved the selection of music they brought to our Christmas dinner. We highly recommend! And Thank you Karen for your talents!
T
Tanya Sent on 12/19/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Violinist!

Karen of Birmingham Violins played for my son's wedding ceremony this past weekend and it was absolutely lovely! And SHE is lovely! Karen was responsive and easy to work with, which was important as planning an out-of-state wedding can be challenging. She offered a wide selection of music (classical, contemporary, etc.) and was even helpful in making suggestions. With so much to do with wedding planning it was nice to just say "play what you like" and have it all turn out and sound beautiful. Karen was prompt and very reasonable with her rates. I cannot overstate how highly I recommend Karen of Birmingham Violins.
J
Jewels Sent on 03/27/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fantastic cello + violin duo!

Kevin and Karen were fantastic to work with and did an amazing job performing during our ceremony and cocktail hour! They are talented musicians and provided the perfect vibe for us. We highly recommend this group!
Z
Zac B. Sent on 12/31/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful Violin Duo

Karen's duo set the mood for our wedding ceremony. Karen was professional from the start to the finish. She has a ton of experience and is so familiar with song choices. The music planning she provided was fantastic. And the duo was so romantic!
J
Julie Sent on 12/31/2022
5 out of 5 rating

they were PERFECT!

Karen was amazing and exceeded my expectations by helping select the perfect Christmastime music to go with my favorite song. She was easy to get in touch with and answered all my questions. We had a lot of comments on how the music made our ceremony. I Couldn't have done it without her beautiful violin and the fab cello accompanist.
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Awards

29
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner

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Next Wedding Musicians: Jonathan Laird

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