Weddings
If you are looking to set an elegant ambience, then the harp is the perfect instrument to elevate your special day. I am experienced wedding musician and have performed throughout the country at some of the UK's most spectacular venues.
Whilst I am classically trained, and have a wealth of repertoire that will suit traditional tastes, I regularly receive compliments for my contemporary repertoire. My song list is entirely devised from arrangements that I have created by listening to a song and then transcribing the sheet music by ear. I take a lot of care and consideration when learning new songs, and I pride myself in creating arrangements that both captures the character of the song and also sounds idiomatic on the harp.
The majority of the songs in my repertoire are timeless staples that will be forever popular. However, I realise that for many couples, the songs that are most significant are often undiscovered gems. With this in mind, I take requests to learn new songs to ensure that every wedding is as personal as possible.
I understand that planning a wedding can be a busy time, but I aim to make the booking process as simple as possible. When sending an enquiry, please include the date of your wedding, the address of your venue, and approximate timings (if possible). If you have any special requests please include them in your enquiry. Once I receive this information I will then be able to provide a quote for your special day.
Wedding Packages
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Ceremony and Drinks Reception (up to 3 hours). This includes 30 minutes of background music whilst guests are taking their seats before the ceremony, 1 song for the bridal entrance, 2 or 3 songs during the signing of the marriage certificate, 1 song for the exit music and background music throughout the drinks reception.
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Ceremony (up to 1 hour). This includes 30 minutes of background music whilst guests are taking their seats before the ceremony, 1 song for the bridal entrance, 2 or 3 songs during the signing of the marriage certificate and 1 song for the exit music.
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Drinks Reception (up to 2 hours). Background music throughout the drinks reception.
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Bespoke Package Every wedding is unique; I can provide a variety of personalised options to help deliver a custom package that fits your needs. Everything that is most important to you will be incorporated for your dream wedding.
Repertoire
Popular
Adele - Make You Feel My Love
Alicia Keys - If I Ain’t Got You
Aerosmith - I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
American Authors - Best Day of My Life
Avicii - Wake Me Up
Beatles - All You Need is Love, Here Comes the Sun, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Something, With a Little Help From My Friends, Yesterday
Ben E King - Stand by me
Ben Howard - Old Pine
Beyonce - Halo
Billy Joel - Always a Woman
Birdy - Wings
Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are, Marry You
Bryan Adams- Everything I Do
Calum Scott - You are the Reason
Celine Dion - Colour of my Love
Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
Clean Bandit - Rather Be, Symphony
Coldplay - Clocks, Sky Full of Stars, Viva la Vida
Commodores - Three Times a Lady
Cyndi Lauper - True Colours
David Guetta ft. Sia - Titanium
Des’ree - I’m Kissing You
Ed Sheeran - Afterglow, Perfect, Photograph, Thinking Out Loud
Elbow - One Day Like This
Ella Henderson - Yours
Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You, Love Me Like You Do
Elvis Presley - I Can't Help Falling in Love With You, Love Me Tender
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Eva Cassidy - Songbird
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams, Everywhere
Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love, Spectrum (Say My Name), You’ve Got the Love
Gary Jules - Mad World
George Ezra - Anyone for You (Tiger Lily)
Guns n Roses - Sweet Child o Mine
Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World
Jack Johnson - Better Together
James Arthur - Say You Won’t Let Go
James Blunt - You’re Beautiful
Jason Mraz - I’m Yours
John Denver - Annie’s Song
John Legend - All of Me
John Lennon - Imagine
Joseph Kosma - Autumn Leaves
Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up
Justin Bieber - Anyone, Despacito, Love Yourself
Justin Timberlake - Can’t Stop the Feeling
K- Ci and JoJo - All My Life
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know
The Killers - Read My Mind
Lana del Ray - Love, Video Games
Led Zepplin - Stairway to Heaven
Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World
Love Affair - Everlasting Love
Lumineers - Ho Hey
Maroon 5 - Girls Like You, Memories
McFly - All About You
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
Michael Bublé - Everything
Minnie Riperton - Lovin’ You
Mumford and Sons - I Will Wait
Nat King Cole - L-O-V-E, When I Fall in Love
Natalie Cole - This Will Be
Nathan Sykes - Over and Over Again
Oasis - She’s Electric, Wonderwall
Olivia Rodrigo - Drivers License
OMI - Cheerleader
Owl City - Fireflies
Paramore - The Only Exception
Passenger - Let Her Go
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise
Queen - You’re My Best Friend
Rita Ora - Anywhere
Robbie Williams - Angels, She’s the One
The Script - Hall of Fame
Shawn Mendes - Fallin’ All in You
Sister Sledge - Thinking of You
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered, You are the Sunshine of My Life
Sting - Fields of Gold
Take That - Greatest Day, Paradise, Rule the World
Taylor Swift - Lover, Wildest Dreams
Tones and I - Dance Monkey
Toto - Africa
Train - Drops of Jupiter
Walking on Cars - Speeding Cars
The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
Traditional
Ashokan Farewell
Auld Lang Syne
Calon Lan
Danny Boy
Eriskay Love Lilt
Flower of Scotland
Greensleeves
Highland Cathedral
Loch Lomond
Logan Water
My Love is Like a Red Red Rose
Mairi's Wedding
The Mingulay Boat Song
Skye Boat Song
Suo Gan
The Water is Wide
Wille ye go lassie go
Ye Banks and Braes
Movie/Disney/Musical
Alice’s Theme from Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’
All I ask of you from ‘Phantom of the Opera’
All in the Golden Afternoon from ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Be Our Guest from ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Can You Feel the Love Tonight from ‘Lion King’
City of Stars from ‘La La Land’
Colours of the Wind from ‘Pocahontas’
Concerning Hobbits from ‘Lord of the Rings’
A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes from ‘Cinderella’
Edelweiss from ‘The Sound of Music’
Engagement Party from ‘La La Land’
For the Dancing and the Dreaming from ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’
For the Love of a Princess from ‘Braveheart’
Game of Thrones Theme
Glasgow Theme from ‘Love Actually’
A Heart Full of Love from ‘Les Miserables’
How Far I’ll Go from ‘Moana’
Into the West from ‘Lord of the Rings’
I Could Have Danced All Night from ‘My Fair Lady’
I See the Light from ‘Tangled’
Jurassic Park Theme
La Valse de l’Amour from ‘Cinderella’
Let it Go from ‘Frozen’
Ma Belle Evangeline from ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Main Theme from ‘Star Wars’
Married Life from ‘Up’
May it Be by Enya from ‘Lord of the Rings’
Mia and Sebastian’s Theme from ‘La La Land’
A Million Dreams from ‘The Greatest Showman’
Music of the Night from ‘Phantom of the Opera’
My Favourite Things from ‘The Sound of Music’
My Heart Will Go On from ‘Titanic’
Never Enough from ‘The Greatest Showman’
On my Own from ‘Les Miserables’
Once Upon a Dream from ‘Sleeping Beauty’
Part of your World from ‘Little Mermaid’
Rains of Castamere from ‘Game of Thrones’
Rewrite the Stars from ‘The Greatest Showman’
Sally’s Song from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’
Sons of Skyrim from ‘Skyrim’
So Close from ‘Enchanted’
Somewhere over the rainbow from ‘The Wizard of Oz’
Storybook Love from ‘The Princess Bride’
Stranger Things Theme
Tale as Old as Time from ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Toss a Coin to Your Witcher from ‘The Witcher’
True Love’s Kiss from ‘Enchanted’
Turning Page from ‘The Twilight Saga’
When you Wish Upon a Star from ‘Pinocchio’
A Whole New World from ‘Aladdin’
You’ve got a Friend from ‘Toy Story’
Classical
Alvars - Romance in A flat
Bach - Air on the G string
Bach - Arioso*
Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring*
Bach - Prelude in C
Beethoven - Für Elise
Binge - Elizabethan Serenade
Campra - Rigaudon from Idomenee
Clarke - Trumpet Voluntary from 'The Prince of Denmark's March'
Debussy - Clair de lune
Debussy - La fille aux cheveux de lin
Einaudi - I Giorni, Life, Nuvole Bianche, Two Trees
Franck - Panis Angelicus*
Glinka - Variations on a Theme by Mozart
Handel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Handel - Chaconne in C
Handel - Finale from 'The Royal Fireworks Music'
Handel - Largo from Xerxes
Handel - Sarabande in D minor, HWV 437
Handel - Water Music- Allegro Maestoso
Hasselmans - La Source
Intermezzo - Mascagni
Massanet - Meditation from 'Thaïs'
Mendelssohn - Wedding March
Pachelbel - Canon in D
Sartori - Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiró)
Satie - First Gymnopedie
Thomas - Watching the Wheat
Vivaldi - Largo from ‘Winter’, from ‘The Four Seasons’
Wagner - Bridal Chorus from 'Lohengrin'
Yiruma- Kiss the Rain, Love Me, River Flows in You
* indicates religious music not suitable for civil ceremonies.
Christmas
2000 Miles by The Pretenders
Away in a Manger
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
Coventry Carol
FairyTale of New York
First Noel
Gaudete
Glasgow Theme from Love Actually
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Greensleeves
Hark the Herald
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The Holly and the Ivy
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
I'll Be Home for Christmas
In the Bleak Midwinter
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Joy to the World
Let it Snow
Let It Go from 'Frozen'
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Silent Night
Sleigh Ride
Sussex Carol
While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night
Winter Wonderland
Testimonials
"Thank you for playing at my daughters wedding. We all thought you were absolutely superb - we had amazing comments from everyone about how fantastic you were and even the hallmark staff commented how wonderful it was to listen to you. You really did us proud and it made the day. My mum and dad were so impressed and it made my daughters wedding special. Fantastic repertoire."
-NH
"Thank you so much for playing at our wedding on 11/11/17. You were absolutely fantastic, and my family loved you! Everyone’s commented on how talented you are, how adaptable you were, and how different it was to have a harpist there. You coped so well with the table of my cousins, who gave you ‘challenge’ after challenge, and you just kept hitting them out of the park! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone, thank you again."
-S&B
"We both wanted to say a huge thank you to you for performing at our wedding. Having the harp music for our ceremony last weekend and then playing in the background during the drinks reception made such a perfect atmosphere for our guests. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to our special day and we are very grateful to you for your fantastic playing, including a couple of requests! Everyone we have spoken to since the wedding has commented what a wonderful addition to our day having you there was; we are so pleased that you were available for our day and helped make it so special."
-W&V
"Classical and folk harp music provides an excellent complement to many communal occasions. Elinor Nicholson is an excellent exponent of the instrument and I have asked her to perform, at a number of corporate and social events, on behalf of client groups. She has a very professional approach, an excellent repertoire and a delightful manner. I would strongly recommend her."
-Dr GD
"We had our wedding ceremony in quite a large church space but were adamant that we wanted the sound of a single acoustic instrument to provide our music. The harp was perfect for the space and Elinor's playing was beautiful - she was happy to play all of our requests, from a traditional Irish folk piece to Lord of the Rings. It all worked perfectly and we would recommend Elinor without hesitation!"
-G&LA
"Elinor is a fantastic musician, she played at our wedding giving our drinks reception an extra special touch. She is professional, polite and accommodating from start to finish-even playing ACDC as my husband is a huge fan! We totally loved the harp and 100% recommend using Elinor!"
-S&P
"We hired Elinor to play at our church service and reception in Ullswater this summer. She is an excellent harpist and I can recommend her highly. While we were waiting for the bride Elinor played with such passion and emotion the whole congregation fell silent and could not help themselves but to applaud her at the end. It was simply stunning.
Later during the reception Elinor played a selection of cover songs from her diverse repertoire and some of our personal requests including Metallica, Led Zep, Stevie Wonder and Nick Drake, all of which I never thought I'd hear played on such a beautiful instrument and which all worked perfectly.
She is one very talented harpist. We did not want her to leave!"
-RG
'Elinor was outstanding at our wedding in May 2021. It's a huge thank you from us, the guests were enthralled by the harp music which we had kept as a surprise. Elinor was graceful and diligent especially given that our reception was undercover outdoors whilst the weather was not very pleasant. '
-HP
We hired Elinor to play for our guests on arrival, during the ceremony and at the drinks reception. Elinor played beautifully and the harp was a perfect addition to our wedding. Guests commented how lovely it was to have Elinor to play, there was a mixture of tracks which were played which pleased everyone. Thank you so much Elinor for making our day extra special!
-AC
I cannot put into words how amazing and talented you are, Elinor! Thank you so much for playing at my wedding. All of the guests couldn't stop talking about how great you were and how your playing just elevated the mood and added to the already very emotional ceremony! Your rendition of Clair de lune was perfect and I hope you play near Manchester soon so I can come watch. Anyone who books you is so lucky and I feel so happy to have had to play on the day, truly worth every single penny and more!
-DB
Elinor is an exceptionally talented musician who contributed to our Wedding Day on the 15th September. We asked for some Beethoven and Einaudi songs specifically and she played them so beautifully I will remember it for ever.
I couldn't recommend Elinor highly enough, professional, enthusiastic and wonderfully accomplished.
-ER
Elinor! I finally get time to write our thanks! We are so glad we chose you to provide our music for our wedding on Saturday. I was completely composed until I walked down the aisle and heard your stunning Pachabel Canon in D. That was it, I was a sobbing mess! You have been so great! Replying to my (many) emails so quickly, being so accommodating on the day and in general, an absolute delight. We can't recommend you highly enough.
-RW
FAQs
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How many songs will you play? Typically, I play 20 songs in an hour. You are welcome to create a setlist of songs for me to play. You can also request that I choose songs from within a genre, or you can ask me to ‘read the room’ and play music that I think you and your guests will enjoy.
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Can you perform outdoors? Absolutely! However, if your wedding will be held outside, I need to ensure that my harp will be safe from the elements. If it is a sunny day, my harp will need protection from the sun, ideally in the form of a canopy (bear in mind that the harp is 2metres tall). I will also need a flat surface for the harp to sit on. Due to moisture retained in the ground, this surface cannot be grass or bare earth, so pavement or decking is ideal. Finally, rain would damage my harp, so I cannot play outside if there is a risk of a passing shower. Therefore, please take these considerations into account if you are booking me for an outdoor wedding.
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What are the dimensions of the harp? The harp is about 2 metres tall, 1 metre wide and 1 metre long. I will require a space of approximately 2.5m² in which to perform.
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Moving the harp. The harp is surprisingly mobile so I can easily move between rooms within a venue- this will only take me a few minutes. I can navigate the harp up most sets of stairs, however, please let me know in advance if your venue has narrow or spiral staircases. If your ceremony and reception are being held in two different venues, please mention this in your initial enquiry.
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How will you travel to my wedding? I travel by car, and I am happy to travel throughout the UK to reach your wedding. If your wedding is a significant distance from where I am based (Manchester) I may ask for overnight accommodation to be provided. My travel expenses are included in any quote that I provide. Due to the size of the harp, I will require a parking space (preferably as close to the venue as possible).
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Acoustics. The harp sounds most beautiful in rooms that have high ceilings and hard surfaces, but it works well in any setting for a wedding ceremony. Bear in mind that if you have more than 100 guests at your wedding, the harp can sometimes struggle to be heard over the sound of cutlery on plates during a wedding breakfast. If I am performing outside, the sound of the harp does travel, but it will sound louder if I am performing indoors.
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Can you perform with another instrument? Yes- I regularly perform alongside other instruments including flute, violin, cello, saxophone and voice. If you would like this option then please mention it in your enquiry.
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Do you just perform at weddings? I also perform at anniversaries, birthday parties, dinners, funerals, marriage proposals, vow renewals, and any other occasion.
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Can you provide amplification? My harp is an acoustic instrument, and is very difficult to amplify. However, whilst the harp is an instrument that is gentle enough for wedding ceremonies, it also projects well over chatting guests.
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Do you have Public Liability Insurance? Yes- my insurance is provided through my membership to the Incorporated Society of Musicians and I am insured to the sum of £10 million.