Stephanie Babirak, Harpist Reviews
Reviews
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Awards
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![Jeremiah]()
Jeremiah Sent on 12/30/2025Magical wedding music!
Steph was amazing. She helped us plan our songs and was open to working with us on some less familiar songs. Very professional and experienced. All that was sugar on top. Her performance was perfect and added such a special element to our wedding. We will never forget it. Highly recommend. -
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Vidya Sent on 12/30/2025
Magical Harpist!!
Steph truly made our reception magical. Throughout the planning process and during the event, she was kind, professional, responsive, warm, and so darn good at her art! She helped us make choices about music ahead of time that we didn’t even think of and she composed a special arrangement of our song. She helped us navigate the equipment and sound system logistics and communicated directly with our venue and the DJ. All our guests were raving about entering the space to ethereal modern-meets-classic harp melodies. We sincerely cannot recommend Steph enough - we love her! -
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![Kellie]()
Kellie Sent on 06/04/2025Highly recommend!
I hired Stephanie to play during our wedding! She preformed the classics during my ceremony to welcome guests and as I walked down the aisle. She also played popular songs during our cocktail hour. I loved working with Stephanie, she helped us navigate song selection and was always quick to respond. It was important for us to find someone talented, professional and kind to be apart of our special day and Stephanie was all of these and more. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! -
![Brianna]()
Brianna Sent on 06/03/2025Incredible musician!!
Stephanie was so incredible to work with!! She is extremely communicative and prepared for anything. We had a small micro wedding in NYC and she was the perfect addition to the ceremony and cocktail hour. Absolutely beautiful music and customized so well to the couple. -
![Kiana]()
Kiana Sent on 05/31/2025EXACTLY what we were looking for!
We had the absolute pleasure of having Stephanie and her team perform during our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour, and they were nothing short of incredible! My husband and I have a pretty wide range of music tastes and could not decide on whether we wanted to feature more classic wedding music, modern top 40, or R&B/Hip hop hits, but thanks to Stephanie, we didn't have to choose! She fully understood our vision from the first consultation and was able to create a seamless setlist based solely on us sharing some of our favorite songs from various genres. In addition to perfectly blending twists of pop, hip hop, R&B, and the classics, Stephanie was able to tap into her network of seasoned talented musicians and fulfill our request for a violinist accompaniment. She took so much stress and mental load off of us during a time when we were so overloaded, and we are just as appreciative of that as we are for the beautiful music.
Stephanie created a truly unforgettable experience for us. Our guests still rave about the gorgeous music to this day, and to have been able to work with someone who is so talented, kind, and knowledgeable made all the difference in the world, not only for our wedding day, but for our planning experience as a whole. Thank you so much, Stephanie! -
Leica Sent on 03/11/2023
Stephanie is the best!
Stephanie was amazing to work with for my wedding. She was so friendly and kind. I needed direction, which she provided, but she was also open to suggestions. Our guests all mentioned how they loved her harp playing at the ceremony and reception. I HIGHLY recommend her! -
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153Ef78B3B1Dd51Cda063E9Eabe31F48552F74Fc Sent on 02/21/2023
Beautiful touch
Stephanie and her music added such a beautiful touch to our wedding. She helped me decide what music to play and my guests commented on how moving it was to have her play during the ceremonial procession.Stephanie Babirak, Harpist's reply:
Thank you so much Karen! It was such a pleasure to be a part of your wedding! Wishing you and your husband a beautiful future together. -
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Varsha Sent on 01/17/2023
Highlight of our ceremony
Hire her now!
She is an excellent harpist and it was such a smooth process from reaching out all the way until our wedding day. We had our ceremony in Central Park and she figured out a way around the small space and the cold...for that we are SO thankful. Her music turned our special moment magical. She is communicative and thoughtful. Her music is still talked about today among friends and family. Thank you, Stephanie!!! -
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![Nava]()
Nava Sent on 11/19/2022Wedding Ceremony and Cocktail Harpist
We really enjoyed working with Stephanie. She was professional and attentive. We would highly recommend her. -
![Anthony]()
Anthony Sent on 09/28/2022Incredibly talented, made our day
Stephanie was absolutely fabulous to work with! She played at our wedding at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and made the day so special. She went above and beyond, including practicing and performing with a friend of ours (a singer) who she’d never met. They drew a crowd of not just our wedding party but of everyone passing by at Brooklyn Bridge Park, it was an incredibly special moment. We can’t thank her enough! -
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![Michael]()
Michael Sent on 03/18/2022Professional and unbelievably talented
Stephanie Babirak was a delight to work with. Her professionalism and her demeanor for the entire process were delightful for my partner and I. She offered so much guidance on songs to play, on ambience and overall feeling of our wedding before and after the ceremony. She was prompt in her response, professional and easy to communicate with. I could not recommend Stephanie Babirak more. My partner and I are forever in her debt for helping us to create a such a special day. -
![Conor]()
Conor Sent on 02/08/2022Amazing harpist!
We can't say enough amazing things about Stephanie! She played the harp at our wedding ceremony in October. The performance was so beautiful and moved my uncle to tears! The guests were all blown away and still continue to talk about it. We would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a professional, kind, and incredibly talented harpist for an event! -
![Hannah]()
Hannah Sent on 02/07/2022Professional and SO TALENTED
Even if everything else about your wedding goes wrong, know that if you hire Stephanie the music will go right! We got married in the depth of COVID, and had a lot of anxiety about safety and care leading up to the event. Stephanie was receptive, responsive, and highly professional. She was consistent and punctual up to and on the day of the event. This is all not to mention her actual service, and Stephanie is evidence of why harps are associated with angels and love throughout history. She made the event feel other-worldly, and made us and our guests feel transported to a more connective, loving, present time and place amidst the chaos of 2021. Stephanie is so brilliant, talented, kind, and professional. -
![Jan]()
Jan Sent on 12/01/2024Talented Solo Harpist, but think twice about hiring her selected musicians for an ensemble
Let me start with this: for our main wedding film, we ultimately had to ask our wedding video editor to mute Stephanie’s string ensemble’s performance during our ceremony and replace it with the original cover we had requested—because the performance simply didn’t meet even a basic standard of quality. It was one of the few disappointments on an otherwise perfect day.
Also, don’t be misled by the seemingly flawless 5-star reviews on The Knot. My previous review—written respectfully and without violating any guidelines—was removed, which is why I’m sharing this here. I genuinely wish someone had warned us before we booked.
Stephanie is a truly gifted harpist—her solo performances are captivating and elegant. However, I urge caution to anyone considering hiring additional musicians from her ensemble. While Stephanie’s own talent is undeniable, the same cannot be said of the some of the musicians she brings on.
We hired her alongside a violinist and cellist for our ceremony and cocktail hour, and at her suggestion, we added a violist last-minute to complete a string quartet. This turned out to be a major mistake. After reviewing our wedding footage, it was obvious that the violist lacked professional-level skill. His bowing was hesitant, he often fell out of sync with the others, and at times, his sound was either inaudible or simply wrong. Upon further research, we could not find any public record of formal training or relevant experience. For Stephanie to include someone that underqualified in a once-in-a-lifetime performance was, frankly, a serious lapse in judgment and integrity.
When I brought this up with her afterward, she dismissed our concerns by saying that “they hit the notes”—as if that’s the only thing that matters in a professional performance. Not only is that a deeply reductive view of musical quality, it was also untrue—as evidenced in videos I will upload, the violist didn’t consistently hit the notes (in many of the clips you can’t even hear a violist playing), and even when he did, he visibly struggled to keep pace and match tone. That response told us everything we needed to know about her standards for live performance.
Additionally, multiple key musical moments we had carefully requested were ignored. Our custom “Perfect-Jesu” medley (Ed Sheeran’s Perfect + Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring) was agreed upon, but the end result sounded nothing like the sample I provided. The groom’s entrance song was never played—because they continued repeating the ring bearer’s song instead, missing the cue entirely. These weren’t minor slip-ups; they were signs of poor preparation and lack of attentiveness.
When we voiced these issues, Stephanie pointed to our wedding coordinator’s praise as evidence that the performance was fine—ignoring the fact that we, not the coordinator, were her clients. It’s also worth noting that our coordinator is likely not a classically trained musician. My husband, on the other hand, is a trained violinist and former concertmaster who immediately noticed the ensemble’s lack of cohesion and polish.
If you’re booking Stephanie, I would strongly recommend hiring her as a soloist only. Her harp playing is beautiful and elegant. But if you care about musical quality, reliability, or professionalism in an ensemble, look elsewhere. Juilliard-trained students offer far more skill and consistency—often at the same or lower price.
We’ll later be uploading her ensemble’s excerpts from our ceremony to YouTube for those who want to see and hear the performance for themselves before deciding to book. You’ll be able to find them by searching for “Stephanie Babirak’s string ensemble’s wedding ceremony performance”
Our wedding day was unforgettable, and we’re grateful to the many incredible vendors who brought our vision to life. But trusting Stephanie to curate and lead an ensemble was one of our few regrets—and we hope our experience helps others avoid the same mistake.Stephanie Babirak, Harpist's reply:
Thank you for your detailed feedback. I’m disappointed and very sorry to hear that our music did not meet your expectations. We all worked very hard to make your wedding music and day as perfect as possible and I am genuinely sad that it wasn’t everything you wanted it to be. However, I’d like to provide context for a few of the points you raised.
1. Bridal March (Perfect-Jesu Arrangement):
We performed the Perfect-Jesu medley as discussed, beginning with “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” and transitioning into Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” The arrangement was adapted to our specific instrumentation of harp, violin, viola, and cello. Because your reference recordings featured a traditional string quartet, there were inevitable differences in texture and voicing. These were musical decisions made to preserve the integrity of the piece within the ensemble we discussed and agreed upon.
2. Groom’s Processional:
The groom’s entrance medley—Pachelbel Canon and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”—was fully prepared and we played it during the rehearsal when the groom walked down the aisle. However, due to unexpectedly close pacing in the processional and a lack of cueing from a worker at the event, we weren’t able to perform the excerpt- doing so would have meant stopping the current song and starting the groom’s song while he was already midway down the aisle which would have been awkward and disrupted the flow of his processional. We adjusted in real time to ensure a smooth processional.
3. The Ensemble members:
The violist played in tune and fulfilled their harmonic role in the ensemble. I have played with this violist many times in many contexts. I also confirmed quality with our violinist and cellist, both are highly experienced colleagues and trusted collaborators. I respectfully disagree that anyone was struggling to keep up.
4. Cocktail Hour: I am glad that the cocktail hour, which featured a variety of carefully curated pieces from your requests, seems to have been well received. It was a pleasure to provide music for this portion of the event
5. Wardrobe Challenges:
We received a change in wardrobe color and style—including instructions for specific undergarments—at 1 a.m. on the wedding day. The dresses were not ready upon our arrival, and significant time was spent preparing them. Despite this, we adjusted quickly and professionally to align with your vision.
6. Overall Performance:
Your wedding included many custom musical requests and logistical pivots, including dancers, special cues, and last-minute adjustments. My team and I worked very hard to fulfill these creatively and professionally. I’m genuinely sorry that you weren’t 100% satisfied. We cared deeply about your wedding music and brought care and dedication to every aspect of your day. I remain proud of the quality of the performance.
Weddings are intricate with many moving parts. While everything didn’t go 100% perfectly, I stand by the quality of service that we provided and I hope it’s clear to future clients that we were thoughtful, prepared, and responsive—before, during, and after the event.
I wish you both all the best.
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