Cobalt Strings - Blog

The BEST Taylor Swift songs for a wedding!

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:38:09 GMT

Taylor is engaged!

Raise your hand if you're excited about America's royal wedding coming up! (Eeek!)

One thing about Taylor, the girl can write a romantic, lovey-dovey song. We frequently play Taylor Swift songs at weddings for just that reason! Not only are they sweet songs, but they usually translate really well to strings. (Dare I say, they might sound even better on strings! Not that I'm biased, haha)

Below are my personal favorite Taylor Swift songs for weddings! This is not an exhaustive list, of course. She's got a huge library of music! But these are the best-of-the-best in my opinion.

#1: Wildest Dreams

This is an EASY #1 pick for me. I just never get tired of playing this song! It's fun yet romantic, it's got some really dice dynamic peaks and valleys, plus it's really catchy! I will never say no to playing this song. Click below to hear our version!

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#2: Invisible String

#2 might be an unexpected choice, but I LOVE "Invisible String." It's got some really fun parts to play, and I also love the idea behind the lyrics--that we are connected to the people we love by an invisible string. Time can pass, we can be in different places, but still our hearts are connected by an invisible string.
Click below to hear our version!

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#3: Love Story

Ok, "Love Story" has to be near the top of my list if for nothing else--pure nostalgia! This might have been one of the first Taylor Swift songs that I really heard (and it immediately got stuck in my head!) This is a great choice for a wedding, not just because it's sweet and the lyrics are wedding-y, but because everyone recognizes it immediately! This is a great choice for a recessional because it's a bit more upbeat than some of the other songs on this list.
Click below to hear our version!

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#4: Enchanted

I'll be honest, I somehow hadn't heard this song until a bride requested it a few years ago, but it quickly became one of my favorite songs to play. All of the sweeping melodies are so fun to play on violin. You just have to take my word for it!
Click below to hear our version!

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#5" Lover

Finishing off my list at #5 is Lover. A sweet song with really cute lyrics.

Honorable mention: Daylight

I have to have an honorable mention on this list, and that goes to the song "Daylight." Definitely a bit more unexpected, but as you'd expect, it's a sweet and flirty song.

I hope this list gives you song song ideas for your upcoming wedding! If you need any help choosing the songs for your wedding, don't hesitate to reach out! I am always available to help, and I'm nothing if not opiniated (haha!)

Talk soon,
Amber

Venue Review: Terminus 330

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 17:49:31 GMT

Hi friends, Amber here! Today I want to review another wedding venue in the heart of Atlanta, Terminus 330.

All of the photos in this post were taken by the amazing Ashley White. Be sure to check her out at www.AshleyWhitePhotos.com. This wedding last fall was absolutely too precious for words, and Ashley did such a great job of capturing this sweet couple!

As always, I have a lot of thoughts about venues. Let's start with my positives.

First of all, I just love the "vibe" of the space. It's got sort of an industrial feel with all the brick, exposed pipes, metal railings, etc. But they warm up the space with lots of florals, velvet sofas, drapery, etc. I LOVE the brick backdrop for a wedding ceremony.

In the photo above, you can get a better idea of the "industrial" feeling with the metal railings. I love the natural light coming in from the big windows!

Another great thing is that Terminus 330 is an all-inclusive venue, so they have the ability take care of in-house catering, in-house beverage service, setup and breakdown, etc. As I understand it, they also offer other services such as design and florals, but in the case of this wedding, there were other vendors brought in for things like the florals and live music. I'll tag all the vendors at the bottom of this post!

WHAT IS MY FACE DOING IN THIS PHOTO ABOVE? I DO NOT KNOW. Lol

The ceremony space transforms into a gorgeous space for the reception. I'm loving the natural light streaming in through the big windows. So magical! During cocktail hour, guests can go outside onto the back patio while the ceremony space is being flipped. That back patio is also a great place to take photos in natural light with some city buildings in the background! You'll see a few of those photos farther down this post. You know I love a venue that has somewhere fun to take photos! That's always a plus in my book.

Now onto my negatives.

The biggest negative for me is parking (if you know me, you're not surprised by this, haha.) Like many venues inside the city, parking is not easy at this venue. There's no parking at the venue itself, so you have to find parking at one of the decks nearby. The decks are not super close, so there's a good bit of walking involved. If my memory is right, I think for this particular wedding, we parked at a nearby hotel, and our parking was validated (yay for parking validation!)

The biggest thing that I'm mindful of with this venue is unloading/loading all of our gear. In front of the venue, there's no lane to pull over and unload, so it's honestly a bit of a safety hazard to just stop traffic in the middle of the road in order to unload. I always assume that perhaps there's some backdoor loading dock that I just don't know about, so I'm hoping that's the case with Terminus 330. Just something to keep in mind!

This last thing is going to sound super random, but I just tend to notice everything, haha! It's important to know that the kitchen is directly beside the ceremony space, so when you walk into the venue, there's a really strong food smell. This could be a good or not-so-good thing, depending on who you ask!

Oh my gosh I love all these natural-light photos though! This is the outdoor space I was talking about earlier. I love how you can have the cityscape in the background!

Overall, I give this venue a 7.5 out of 10, with my biggest considerations being parking and safety in terms of unloading.

Let's make some noise for this precious little family! The puppy smiling, I die.

Here's all the great vendors for this one!

Photo: @ashleywhitephoto
Wedding Planning + Design: @popandfizz
Venue + Bar: @terminus330
Doggy care: @fairytail_petcare
Catering: @dogwoodcatering
Beauty: @vigilantecosmetics
Floral: @luxeandbloomatl
Bakery: @gingerspicebakery
DJ: @ballroomblitzevents
Strings: @cobaltstrings
Linens: bbjlinen
Rentals: @atlantapartyrentals
Chandler’s suit: @tomjamesclothing
Kacey’s dress: @whitemagnoliabridal alterations: @tkbridalandalterations

A Venue Review of the Carlyle in Atlanta, GA

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:50:30 GMT

Hi friends! Amber here.
Today I'd like to review a new(ish) venue in Atlanta: The Carlyle. I can't remember exactly when it opened, but if my memory serves, it was late 2019. We've played numerous weddings at The Carlyle over the past couple of years, and I'd love to share my thoughts with y'all.

All of the photos in this post were supplied by the lovely and talented Laura Watson. Y'all go check her out at www.LauraAnneWatson.com

First, let's start with the pros.

This venue is gorgeous and modern. It's got more of an "open concept" type feel, and there are tons of open spaces that would be great for customization.

It's got a lot of blank white walls, including a dreamy outdoor courtyard with white walls that is just PERFECT for photos and portraits. You'll see some of the courtyard pics below!

I mean...look at this beautiful courtyard!!
I love the crispness and airiness.

This white, airy courtyard provides the perfect crisp backdrop for photographers to work their magic. Venues always get extra points from me when there are good spots for photos.

Let's talk about 2 more things I love: the lighting (I mean, look at how Laura was able to use the natural lighting in the photos above!) and the acoustics. The openness of the spaces and the high ceilings make for really great acoustics. The sound is naturally amplified and carries really well. Good acoustics are a plus in my book!

The entryway (pictured left,) is huge, and is a perfect cocktail hour space. There are 2 other homongous, open spaces, both of which make great spaces for the wedding ceremony. Pictured above you'll see one of the spaces transformed for the reception. I love the openness!

Now I unfortunately have to talk about some things I do not like about this venue. And those things are: parking and safety. It's important to know that there is almost no parking at this venue. Parking is extremely limited, and vendors can't park at the venue at all. Vendors have to park across the street at a business complex, which is totally fine and not that unusual in the city. BUT there is no cross walk, no street lights, and really no actual intersection at the venue. So we have to quite literally sprint illegally across many lanes of busy traffic on a crowded, unsafe road. All while carrying armloads of musical gear. At the last wedding, there was (thankfully!) a police officer outside to help us cross the street after the wedding, but there wasn't an officer out there to help us get to the venue before the wedding. I have no idea about the logistics of this at all, but it would be worthwhile to see about getting a police office to be out on the street way before the wedding to help all the vendors actually get to the venue. I almost got completely run over by a car, and y'all I'm just not ready to meet Jesus like that. It's also not a super close walk, so I would advise other vendors to wear flat shoes that you can sprint through traffic while wearing. I'm just looking out for y'all! LOL

All in all, I give this venue a 7/10, with all deducted points due to the safety issue of parking across the street and risking life and limb running across a busy Atlanta road, haha! Other than that, this is a super awesome venue!!!

I really hope y'all enjoyed my review of the Carlyle in Atlanta, GA. Let me know if there's another venue you'd like me to review!

Lots of love,
Amber

Vendors:
Photographer: @lauraannewatson
Event Planner: @gloriaschulzevents
Venue: @thecarlylevenue
Event Designer & Florist: @bloominghites
Stationery, Gifts + Signs: @fromsirwithlove
Hair & Makeup: @itmeanspretty
Cake Artist: @cake_envy_ga
Wedding Attire: @thesentimentalistatl
Jewelry: @songbirdsarajewlery
Entertainment: @cobaltstrings
Models: Tammy & Zelon Noel
Rentals & Decor: @tabelmadeco
Linens: @bbjlinen
Florals: @gracerosefarm
Film Lab: @richardphotolab

Venue Review -- Barnsley Gardens

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 17:06:27 GMT

Hi everyone, Amber here!
It's been quite literally an eternity since I wrote a blog post, and my only defense is just "life craziness!" But I'm back with another honest venue review from the point of view of a vendor. This time, I'll be reviewing one of our favorite venues, Barnsley Gardens.

Scroll all the way to the end to read about why this couple is one of my very favorite couples of 2019. Hint, it has to do with my undying love of Chick-Fil-A and those delicious chicken sandwiches. If you ever want to buy me a present, send me a CFA gift card, LOL!

All photos in this post are courtesy of Jessica Williams, who is FANTASTIC. Go check her out!

PROS:
Overall, Barnsley Gardens gets high scores from me.

Really cool historic ruins that you won't find anywhere else
Tons of great places for photos. We've played literally tons of weddings at Barnsley Gardens, and the photos are always stunning and unique. Again, the ruins are so interesting and beautiful--they make for a great backdrop and unique photos. Check out the photos in this post to see how beautiful the ruins are for portraits.
Ceremony is usually held outside at the ruins or in the field under a beautiful, gigantic tree, both of which are beautiful.
Cocktail Hour is usually held in the ruins, which again makes for a really cool and interesting space. Most people bring in sofas, chairs, and even small tables to make it feel warm and inviting.
The reception is typically outside behind the ruins, but it is often tented, which is great if there's a threat of rain.
Guests can stay on-site in the Barnsley Gardens cabins and villas. This is super convenient for destination weddings or out-of-town guests
Lots to do besides have a wedding: they have horseback riding and other fun outdoor activities. You can even take a historical tour of the grounds to learn about the ruins and other neat historical facts about the area. Again, this makes it extra fun for guests who are in from out-of-town. You can make a whole weekend of it!
The venue has golf carts to transport guests across the grounds--this is convenient since it's such a large property.
PET FRIENDLY!! As a self-proclaimed "crazy dog lady," this is a big plus for me. I LOVE seeing doggy ringbearers at weddings! Please have your dog in your wedding, and please invite me to play violin so that I can hug your dog. Please and thanks.
Free parking! Y'all know this is huge to me. Nothing makes me more frustrated than when parking is expensive and inconvenient at a venue.

I MEAN, LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THESE RUINS ARE. AND THE TREES OMG.

There aren't a lot of cons for me, but the few that I do have are listed below!
CONS:

The weather issue. It should be stated that Barnsley DOES have indoor options in case of rain. The ceremony and reception can all be moved indoors (often into Georgian Hall, although they have other indoor spaces as well) in case of bad weather. However, in my experience, many people choose Barnsley purely based on the beautiful-ness of the ruins. So this is one of many venues in which you're really taking a risk in terms of the weather. Yes, it can be moved inside if it rains. No, it's not going to look the same. This is purely one gal's opinion, but to me there are so few venues in existence who have indoor/outdoor options that are of equal beautiful-ness. So it's a risk, but depending on the time of year, it's a risk worth taking! (p.s., please don't have an outdoor wedding from November through Feb/March. Your guests absolutely will freeze to death, and there's a high chance of rain, sleet, ice, etc. Please!! haha)
Large property: while this is a "pro" if you're a guest, it can be a challenge if you're a vendor. We often have to carry large amounts of gear a great distance, which can be tiring.
Load-in can be a tiny bit challenging. Sometimes we are allowed to drive our cars closer to the ruins to unload our gear, and sometimes we aren't. As a vendor, we have to think about these things. We have to keep in mind load-in time when we are planning our arrival time.
Distance: I personally don't mind the drive at all. I grew up in the country, so curvy roads and country livin' don't bother me one bit. But for some guests, this venue might be a trek from the city. And of course, sometimes you're battling weak cell service, weak gps, etc. You're also not super close to "civilization" in terms of restaurants and such. I personally love the fact that it's a secluded venue. I love the peace and quiet! None of this bothers me at all, but it's something to keep in mind as you choose your venue. Be sure to ask your vendors about their travel radius and mileage fees!
This is super random, but if your wedding is out in the field, the only bathroom is in the basement of the ruins, which is a super long walk away. So keep this in mind for your older and younger guests! (and myself, because I tend to drink too much water, lol)

LOOK at this ceremony site with the ruins in the background!! We always play to the right hand side, on the porch of that blue house. That way we are super close to the action, but we are covered from the hot sun, wind, etc. It works out great!

How beautiful are the ruins set up for the cocktail hour?! So breathtaking.

You'll see we've positioned ourselves in a great place to play fun music for the cocktail hour!

This is the reception space behind the ruins. I love that it's covered, and I love that the grass is fake (astro-turf,) so that it looks amazing year-round and won't get torn up with folks dancing on it.

NOW THEN. We have to talk about why this couple is the best. They had CFA sandwiches catered for their reception, AND they had the CFA cow there breaking it down on the dance floor. I mean. I never thought I would have clients who love CFA even more than me.

I'm laughing so hard at this cow dancing, I truly cannot breathe. I'm so glad Jessica captured all of this fun! I should've thought to have a CFA cow at my wedding, lol!

It's time to get back to practicing for me, but if someone wants to send me a CFA sandwich, waffle fry, and a Dr. Pepper, that would be great. ;)

Barnsley Gardens:
Overall score: 8.5 out of 10. I love the beauty and seclusion of Barnsley Gardens, and I love everything this venue has to offer. My only deduction is because of weather considerations and the fact that you'd have to give up the gorgeous outdoor views if it rains!

Venue Review! -- The Hotel at Avalon --

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:09:58 GMT

It's time for another venue review! Today I'm reviewing a new venue, The Hotel at Avalon, which is located at the Avalon in Alpharetta.

We had never played a wedding at the Hotel at Avalon before, and I have to say that overall, I thought it was pretty great! I'm a big fan of the Avalon (my husband works 1.5 miles from the Avalon, so we have a lot of date nights there!) I love the shopping and the restaurants! It's a really cool place and it's got a really fun, modern vibe.

Big thanks to My Life Photography for sharing all of these great photos with us! You can check them out at MyLifePhotoBlog.com

PROS:
Overall, I have lots of great things to say about this venue.

Fun/unique backdrop for photos! If you like a "city-vibe," then the Avalon can provide a really cute backdrop for photos. The inside of the hotel also has a few nice spaces for photos, like the greenery wall + swing you see above. I also really like the idea of having photos of the couple walking around the mall. Look at the photos above to see how cute they turned out!
They have multiple ballrooms of different sizes, all of which could be great options for receptions, parties, corporate events, etc. Keep scrolling for ballroom pics.
I absolute LOVE the ceremony site that you see pictured below! It's a really cute circular nook situated at the corner of the building. Because it is walled in on all sides (it just has a small opening on one side,) it has a very intimate feeling.
Acoustics: I was COMPLETELY SHOCKED by how great the acoustics were in this ceremony space. And I do mean Completely. Shocked. Most indoor spaces were not necessarily designed with acoustics in mind, so as an acoustic musician, it's always a treat to find a space that sounds good.
I really like all of the natural light that comes in, and I love the drapery over the windows. I like the idea of being able to have all of the natural light coming in, even if the weather is bad.
Indoors! Georgia weather can be super unpredictable, so I think the Hotel at Avalon is great because you don't have to worry about anything if it rains! Or sleets while the sun shines simultaneously! (Lol y'all know what I'm talking about! That crazy GA weather...)
Location: I think that the Hotel at Avalon would be a really great venue if you have a lot of out-of-town guests coming. Obviously the convenience of having a place for guests to lodge is great. But also, the Avalon is just a super fun place to hang out. They have tons of great restaurants and shopping, and the movie theater is really nice. I also think it's great because it has more of a city feel without having to fight Atlanta traffic so much.
Staff: Ok this really stuck out to me. The staff at the Hotel at Avalon were incredibly helpful and kind. The moment I arrived, a staff member appeared at my side with a cart and he offered to load all my gear on the cart and help me get to the ceremony site. He even insisted on pushing the cart for me! And when my music stand wouldn't balance on the cart, he insisted on carrying it in his free hand! My regret is that I didn't make a mental note of his name so that I could tell them to give that guy a raise!

CONS:

Parking: ya'll know me and parking! If it's not easy and free, it's a bit of a point deduction in my book. And at the Hotel at Avalon, there is NO free parking in their parking deck. Not for vendors or for guests. They did give us vendor discounts on parking, but the discount was only a couple of dollars, so I think we still had to pay maybe $8 per car? I can't remember the exact amount. It's just important to be aware of parking costs beforehand, because many vendors require their clients to pay for parking. The parking is pretty easy, though. The deck is conveniently located next to the hotel. Sometimes traffic can get congested inside of the Avalon, so it's important to plan for that as well.
Small-ish ceremony space: The ballrooms are nice and large, but the ceremony site that you see below is a bit on the small side. It was the perfect size for this wedding, but if you have a larger wedding, you could potentially be a bit cramped for space.
Not a ton of variety available for photo-backdrops: since it's a fully indoor venue, you might not have as much variety in terms of backdrops. I think the backdrops that are available are super cute! It's just that you might not have *as* much variety as some other venues.

The ballrooms have plenty of room for dancing!

And I LOVE the way the Avalon looks at night! Look how fun!!!!

Again, big thanks to MyLifePhotography for these photos!

OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 OUT OF 10: I love the Avalon so much, and I really enjoyed the Hotel at Avalon. The only reason I had to make deduction out of 10 is because vendors have to pay for their own parking.

I hope that you all found this review helpful. Let me know if there's another venue you'd like me to review!

--Amber

Venue Review! --Crowne Plaza, Atlanta GA--

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 17:21:15 GMT

Something that I've been wanting to do for FOREVER is venue reviews. We play so many weddings at so many different venues, and let me tell you, the venue the you choose for your wedding is EVERYTHING! You'll find a lot of client reviews online, but there are a ton of logistical aspects that the vendors deal with--things that the clients are often unaware of. Hopefully a vendor's perspective will give brides and grooms a better idea of things to ask their venue, as well as what to look for in a great venue.

My goal is to give a completely unbiased, honest review of venues where we play. The good, the bad, and everything in between!

To be completely clear, this is NOT a statement about any particular wedding that we have played at the venue, but rather an unadulterated review of the venue itself.

First up, CROWNE PLAZA in Atlanta, GA.

All of the photos in this post are courtesy of AHP Photo + Video, and I chose this particular wedding to highlight because of how much I loved these photos! Seriously, your eyes are in for a real treat with these pics. Have you ever seen such a precious couple? AND THAT DOG OMG.

Now then, on to the nitty gritty!

Crowne Plaza Midtown, Atlanta GA

PROS:

Centrally located in the city
Convenient for out-of-town guests or "destination" weddings. Not only would would it be easy for out-of-town guests to lodge at the hotel, but there would also be tons of fun things for guests to do nearby. (Tourist attractions, dining, shopping, etc.)
Great skyline views of the city--lots of great opportunities for "rooftop" pics! Atlanta has a really beautiful skyline, and rooftop photos make for seriously stunning photos.
"City" photos: Because of its location, this venue also provides a fun opportunity for folks to get some fun "city" photos down on the street. Scroll down to see some cute pics of these two strolling down the streets of Atlanta.

CONS:

Parking: The parking situation at this venue is pretty bad. They do not validate parking for vendors--they just give a tiny discount on parking for vendors, not to mention that the discount is a huge hassle to even acquire. Parking ends up being $10-$15 per car (my memory is not perfect on the exact amount,) which can really add up for vendors. There is an option to valet park, but it is $30 per car, so financially it's just not a good option.

Logistics: It's also a bit of a logistical headache. The vendor parking lot is very difficult to get to, and it is an EXTREMELY long walk from the vendor parking garage to the actual ballrooms. And I mean that quite literally. It can easily take 30 minutes to park and walk to the venue. You have to walk through multiple different buildings, taking these sort of sky-bridge walkways between buildings, and then once you're inside the hotel, you have to then get to the proper floor, etc. We have a good bit of gear that we have to carry with us (music stands, instruments, etc.) so when venues make it difficult for us to unload our stuff and get it to the actual ceremony site, it is a big downside for us. Doing valet parking would make logistics infinitely more convenient and easier, but the financial burden of valet parking is a big consideration.

Take a look at that view though!!!!!

Lighting: Something that I notice with a lot of venues is that there are often a lot of windows, which is both a great thing, and sometimes a not so great thing, depending on which way the sun is coming in. The Crowne Plaza has tons of floor to ceiling windows, which is great except for the areas that end up being "backlit." I'm not a photographer, but I do know that it's difficult for photographers to get good indoor photos when things are backlit with the bright sun. If a photo is backlight, what *can* end up happening is that the subject of the photo is a silhouette and whatever is outside the windows ends up being a white haze. AHP Photo +Video did an amazing job photographing this venue! Not all photographers could have done such a good job with these windows. (Sidebar: no matter the venue, floor to ceiling windows can sometimes get very hot!)

Gahh look at this preciousness! I HAVE NEVER LOVED A RING BEARER DOG AS MUCH AS I LOVE THIS PUP.

YESSSSS CITY STROLLING CUTENESS

I CANNOT HANDLE THE CUTENESS OF THIS BRIDAL PARTY.

Overall score: 5 out of 10. This venue gets a low score mainly because of the parking and logistical difficulties. Venues that make it more difficult for vendors to work are always going to get low marks from me!

Puppy score: 12 out of 10 for unbelievable cuteness and preciousness

If there is a venue that you'd like me to review, let me know in the comments below!

That time there was a weenie dog at the wedding and I didn't get a picture.

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMT

This wedding was awesome for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that there was a tiny weenie dog and I got to pet her. The tragedy is that I forgot to get a picture. But trust me, she was adorable. One of the goals of my professional life is to play more weddings with doggie ring bearers. Any other crazy dog people out there?

Ok. Now that you all think I'm a little bonkers, let's move on to the many non-dog reasons that this wedding was great.

First of all, the photos are spectacular. All of the photos in this post were shared curtesy of River West Photography (riverwest.co) I will apologize in advance that there are so many photos, but believe me, I wanted to post about 50 more.

This wedding tok place at The Foundry at Puritan Mill, which is an awesome venue. It's got a cool, industrial feel, but it still feels warm and romantic.

Have you ever seen such a precious bride?

This wedding was coordinated by one of our very FAV planners, Kristen J Scott of Kristen J Scott events. She is hands down one of the most meticulous, organized, and thoughtful planners that we have the privilege of working with.

We also really enjoyed the music for this wedding. They chose a mix of classical tunes and modern, romantic songs.

If you look closely, you'll see that we are playing a classical tune called "Traumerei," which means "dreaming" in English. This wedding really was like a dream!

During the lighting of the unity candle, we played a string trio arrangement of "The Prayer," which is one of my very favorite songs! It's such a beautiful and romantic song, and it works really well as a "background" song during a unity ceremony.

Brb, I'm dying.

How stunning are these florals by Gertie Mae's Florals?!

All in all, this was a stunningly beautiful and romantic day. The next time there's a dog, I'll be sure to take a picture!! :)

Vendors:
Planning: Kristen J Scott Events
Photography: River West Photography
Venue: The Foundry at Puritan Mill
Bridal: Sweet Elegance Bridal
Dresses: Anthro
Tuxes: The Black Tux
Floral: Gertie Mae's Floral
Hair/Makeup: BrushWorx
Catering: Endive Catering
Video: Active Prod.
Linens: BBJ Linen
Stationary: Swoozies

The best STRING songs of the 2018 Peongchang olympics (YAY strings!)

Sat, 24 Feb 2018 22:09:40 GMT

Do y'all love the olympics as much as I do? Summer, Winter, I love them both. But when the winter olympics come around, I LOVE to watch figure skating. Figure skating is awesome enough, but the music selections are what I really love. And the 2018 Peongchang olympics were no exception. I watched every minute of figure skating that I could, and I was beyond thrilled to hear so many string-heavy selections. There were so many great songs, but I'm going to round up a few of my favorites below. So crank up your Spotify or YouTube, because you're going to want to listen to these tunes!

photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty

First up we have probably my #1 favorite song of the games, which was selected by Mirai Nagasu of the USA. (GO USA!!!) She skated to Nocturne no. 20 in c#minor by Chopin. Originally written for piano, it has been adapted for violin and is now part of standard violin literature. PLEASE go listen to this piece! Your heart will break of beautifulness.

Nicole Schott of Germany skated to the theme from the movie Schindler's List by John Williams. Possibly one of the most beautiful melodies ever written, it was famously recorded by one of the greatest violinists alive today, Itzhak Perlman. Seriously, look up his performance on YouTube and tell me how much your soul could not contain the gorgeousness.

Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazhakstan skated to Carmen Fantasie as performed by the violinist David Gerrett. Garrett is a very popular violinist who often gives a modern twist to classical favorites. Requiring technical skill of virtuosic proportions, this piece is super exciting and worth a listen.

photo: nbc olympics

Finishing first overall and earning herself a gold medal, Alina Zagitova skated to Don Quixote, which is a very famous ballet. It was exciting to hear so many classical standards played at these games! There were a lot of selections from operas and famous ballets during these Olympic games, like Tchaokovsky's Swan Lake. Yay classical music!!!

Michael Christian Martinez of the Philipines skated to a song that really took me back to my childhood. He chose Emerald Tiger by the fusion violinist Vanessa Mae. I absolutely LOVED Vanessa Mae when I was young. She is a "fusion" violinist, meaning that she combines classical training with non-classical music. I was super inspired by her when I was young, and I listened to her cds until they were warped. Her music is so fun and worth a listen!

photo: nbc olympics

Una Shoma of Japan finished 2nd overall and earned a silver medal. He skated to a VERY famous classical piece: Winter from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. The Four Seasons was written in 4 parts, with each part representing a different season. We frequently perform movements from each season, and Winter is actually one of my favorites!

Dmitri Aliev of the OAR skated to another famous classical selection: Masquerade Waltz by Khatchaturian. Masquerade Waltz is a very fun and exciting piece written for orchestra. Khatchaturian is also famous for writing an awesome violin concerto, which I also highly recommend for listening fun.

This brings me to another one of my VERY FAV tunes. (Although I feel like I keep saying that each one is my favorite, haha. But this time I'm serious!) Misha Ge of Uzbekistan skated to Massanet's Meditation from Thais. I cannot overstate how much I love this piece. We play this piece every chance we get because it is just that beautiful. It features violin melody lines that are so beautiful your ears will be in a constant state of disbelief. If we have ever played your wedding, there is a good chance we played this at some point. It's so pretty!!

I could ramble on for hours about all the great string and orchestral music I heard during the 2018 olympic figure skating events, but I will wrap it up with my favorite from pairs skating. Astakhova/Rogonov of the OAR skated to a medley, but it began with one of my all-time favorite pieces of music: Adagio for Strings by Barber. If you have never heard it, I highly, HIGHLY recommend you look it up. It's one of those songs that is so beautiful but tragically sad at the same time. But mostly it's just soul crushingly beautiful.

Thanks for reading along! Let me know if you fall in love with any of these tunes. Yay strings!!!!!

I'm already excited for Beijing 2022!

Go USA!

Elegance at the Estate

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

It's Throwback Thursday! And that means we are throwing it back to one of the gorgeous weddings we've played recently. Today we want to share Molly and Joe's wedding, which took place at The Estate in Buckhead back in October. This wedding was beyond elegant, but with some unexpected twists! All of the images in this post were shared with us curtesy of Sandra with Picture This Photography. (We've done quite a few weddings with Sandra and she's always awesome!) Keep scrolling to view the beautifulness.

These two...I mean just look how beautiful their portraits are! So sweet. The Estate really provides some beautiful spots to take wedding photos.

The elegance of this wedding is obvious. But what I loved is that Molly and Joe put their own personal twist on their wedding. Their music selections were some of my favorite of this whole year.

Molly asked me to write music for a few of their favorite songs to be played during their wedding. She requested "Little Talks" by Of Mice and Men, and "Stubborn Love" by The Lumineers. I had so much fun arranging these songs for strings! I especially loved "Little Talks," which they used as their recessional song. It's so fun when our clients ask us to learn new music, because then their wedding is really a reflection of them and their personal tastes. When details of a wedding are customized, it really adds a special touch.

After the wedding, we headed upstairs to play the cocktail hour. The Estate is really cool because it has so many different areas. We kept the set list for the cocktail hour fun with lots of modern, upbeat songs!

Don't mind me, I'm just casually dying over these florals and tablescapes.

I mean! I can not get over these lights. All the heart eyes for this reception.

What a fun day! It really doesn't get any better than when a client combines classical elegance with modern, fun twists. Congrats to Molly and Joe!

Vendors:
Venue, catering, bar, & florals: The Estate, Michele Lend with Legendary Events
Planning: Suzanne with We Tie the Knots
Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music: yours truly, Cobalt Strings!
Photography: Sandra with Picture This! Photography
Video: Matthew Baxter
Band: Atlanta Showstoppers
Hair & Makeup: Brushworx
Transportation: Atlantic Limo

Beautiful Big Canoe!

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 08:00:00 GMT

Hey friends, Amber here! Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we are throwing it back to a beautiful wedding we played back in August at the always beautiful Big Canoe! All of the photos in this post were shared with us by Frank Gibson, one of the sweetest photographers around! You can find more of his work at www.frankgibson.com

We were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather for the wedding, and then moments after the ceremony ended, the bottom fell out. But I think the rain made for some gorgeous photos! Big Canoe is always so pretty, but I think the misty skies are especially beautiful.

For the prelude music, we played a mix of hymns and modern, romantic songs.

For the processionals, we played "Falling Slowly" and "Canon in D," and for the bride's entrance, we played "A Thousand Years!"

Frank caught us laughing about something or other. ;)

I mean, let's talk about that view. How breathtaking are those trees with the lake in the background?!

Mary Catherine and Jim were such a precious couple. We are so lucky to have great clients!

I love all these gorgeous detail shots that Frank snapped of our instruments!!!

Congrats to MC and Jim!

Vendors:
Venue: The Chimneys at Big Canoe
Planner: Winey Blonde Events
Ceremony Musicians: yours truly!
Florist: Kasey Currie
Caterer: Talk of the Town
Cake: Sweet Treats by Leigh
Hair/Makeup: Tammy Frye
DJ: Pirone Entertainment
Photography: Frank Gibson Photography
Rentals: Party Time Rentals