WEDDING MUSIC

How Much Does A Wedding Harpist Cost?

A very difficult question to answer. There is no average and no hourly rate. Each harpist sets their own fees and this also varies greatly depending on length of time required, time of the year, day of the week, where in the UK your wedding is being held, which harpists are available for that date and time. etc, etc. For example if you wanted a wedding harpist for a civil ceremony, (depending on the above information) this can range from £150 - £480 for exactly the same service. It can be cheaper to book a harpist for 4 hours in one part of the country than it would for just an hour in another part. The best priced harpists do tend to get booked up first, so it is best to book your harpist as soon as possible. However, you may be lucky and be able to book a well priced harpist at short notice. Everything depends on which harpists are available.
This is where we make things simple for you. When you complete our online enquiry form with the details of your wedding, the event details are automatically sent to all harpists that perform in that region. If they are available, they reply confirming their charges. All the replies are collated and emailed to you, with confirmed prices and links back to this website, so you can view the details of each of the harpists you are interested in.

Generally the answer is yes, they can play outside, though there are a small minority who will not.
Those that will perform outside, will need to be protected from the weather, including direct sunlight. They will need the shade of a building, gazebo or something similar to protect them and more importantly their harp from the sun. If there is the possibility of rain (even a few drops) they must be fully protected.
They will also need some sort of matting so that the harp does not come in to contact with the ground. Most harps cost more than a decent family car and are very sensitive to heat and moisture, so must be protected.

Yes, This is quite normal and they are quite used to doing this.

In most cases the answer is yes, providing the stair area is large enough for the harp to fit. It is unlikely the harpist will be able to do this on their own. At some venues the staff will help the harpist, but sometimes the ushers or other wedding guests will need to help. If the staircase is exceptionally narrow at your venue, you should consider booking a harpist who also has a Celtic Harp.

A harpist will need approximately 1m x 2m floor space, which is about the size of an average office desk.

You need to provide a comfortable, armless, backed chair for the harpist.
The majority of harpists play acoustically so they do not require a power supply. It is best to discuss this with the harpist prior to the event, just in case amplifier is required. Some harpists charge a small nominal extra fee if an amplifier is required.
If the harpist is hired for longer than an hour please supply them with a non-alcoholic drink.
If the harpist is hired for longer than 2 hours please supply them with non-alcoholic drinks & a sandwich.
If the harpist is hired for up to 4 hours or longer, please supply them with a hot meal and non-alcoholic drinks.
A harpist will need to take breaks especially if they are booked for long lengths of time, which are usually 10 minutes in each hour. There are often natural breaks in the proceedings where they can fit these in.

You must allow up to 1 hour for a Civil Ceremony. This allows for the harpist to be in the ceremony room before your guests arrive. They will then play while your guests are entering the ceremony room, play you up the aisle, during the signing of the register, play you out of the ceremony room and continue to play while your guests leave the room. This also leaves you 5 to 10 minutes to play with, just in case your are running late.
SPECIAL NOTES;
You will probably be told that the ceremony will only last 20 to 30 minutes. This is because they are not allowing the time for guests arriving, until the time they leave the ceremony room. You must allow 1 hour.
No songs with religious connotations are allowed at civil ceremonies and the harpists are aware of this.

You need to allow at least 1.5 hours for a standard Church Of England ceremony. Some other religions can be longer.
This allows for the harpist to be in the church before your guests arrive. They will then play while your guests are entering the church, play you up the aisle, during the signing of the register, play you out of the ceremony room and continue to play while your guests leave the room. Some harpists may accompany the hymns as well.
This also leaves you 5 to 10 minutes to play with, just in case your are running late.
SPECIAL NOTES;
You will probably be told that the ceremony will only last up to an hour. This is because they are not allowing the time for guests arriving, until the time they leave the church. You must allow at least 1.5 hours.

You need to allow a minimum of 1 hour for a drinks reception. At this point you are usually off having photographs taken. If you opted for one of the larger photographic packages, you may need to allow longer for the drinks reception. This is often the part of the wedding that overruns. It could be that there is a delay with the food in the kitchen or the weather has interrupted the photographs and any other number of problems. As standard we allow 1 hour for the drinks, unless you tell us differently.

You need to allow up to 2 hours for the wedding breakfast. The harpist will play a selection of well known songs up until the speeches, when they will discreetly leave. The meal it self usually takes 1.5 to 1.75 hours. However, it is very common for things to over run, so do not allow any less than 2 hours. We will automatically assume that the wedding breakfast is 2 hours, unless you advise us that it is longer.

We have had a few brides who were trying to persuade their fiancés to agree to having a harpist. The guys often think that a harpist is a bit 'ponsy' for them and not very 'manly', especially when all their mates are going to be there. After the event, these same grooms have said that the sound of the harp had an amazing affect on the atmosphere on the day.
It's now time to test your powers of persuasion ladies! Here's some ammunition for you. Our harpists have performed with many chart acts either live on stage or in the recording studio. These include Jamie Cullum, Kanya West, McFly and many more. Not mention numerous sound tracks to films such as 'Lord Of The Rings'. It's also a fact that you and he sit and listen to classical music nearly every day, without even knowing it. Many of the TV programs and adverts you listen to, have classical musicians, including harpists, playing the music in the background.
Think of the TV drama 'SPOOKS' or '24'. Much of the tension and excitement is actually created by the music in the background, which you hardly notice is there.

Most harpists can play a selection of modern contemporary music as well as well known classical pieces. For you they will play more romantic soothing music unless you request differently. Some of our harpists have played tracks like 'Stairway To Heaven' - Led Zepplin and 'Everlong' The Foo Fighters.
We supplied the harpist for David Jason's party after he received his OBE from the queen. If it's OK for Del Boy then it must be 'cool'. We supply harpists at special events all over the UK and often for the British army as well.
If you still can't change his mind, trade him in for a wiser model!