Musical Heart Strings

Gretchen and her team were so easy and friendly to work with from start to finish. Her communication was always friendly and timely! The list of songs they can play are extensive and she was so helpful when I had questions. But the best part of working with her was her genuine happiness for my husband and me. She took the time to congratulate us, share with us the impact our family made on her and take our photo. Finally, she followed up with a hand written heartfelt thank you note which was not something we expected! She was so sincere and it gave such a personal touch to our experience with her and her team. We highly recommend Musical Heartstrings if you want a friendly, professional and personal touch to your big day!

If you are looking to add some beautiful music and something special and unique to your wedding, you have found what you are looking for. Stop searching and reach out to Gretchen, now! My fantasy of having strings play as guests arrived, while I walked down the aisle and during our cocktail hour was brought to life and then some by having Gretchen and Kerry at our wedding at a private home in Oakland this month! Their music was stunning and flawlessly performed. They really went the extra mile to support me in planning and executing what I had dreamed of for the day! They have an amazing repertoire of modern and classic music (go to their website and listen to some snippets, what they do is so cool!). We were so impressed by the breadth of what they offered and truly struggled to narrow down my song list (we started with something around 50 songs that I was excited to hear played - Gretchen had to reign us in a bit ;p). They are generous and accommodating - I was so tickled that Everything Is Awesome was int their repertoire and they happily indulged me by playing it a second time, when I missed it being played while we took family photos. They also exceeded my expectations in their composing of a song that I wanted for my processional, but was not in their repertoire. Not only are they musically wonderful, they are kind, clear and prompt communicators and very organized, which made the whole process of working with them a pleasure. My parents helped me plan my wedding and Gretchen and Kerry personally made each of us feel special and appreciated. They made my new husband and I feel celebrated and cared for before, during (Gretchen saved the day with a pair of nail clippers when the groom forgot to clip his nails before arriving to the venue ;P) and in the weeks since the wedding - they really do it all! I feel so lucky to have found them! If I lived in the area, I would find excuses to hire them again and again, in a heartbeat!

Musical Heart Strings played at our wedding for our outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour. They were professional to work with and sounded amazing at the wedding! They were excited about our song choices and worked with us to get the music just right for our day.

Musical Heart Strings made my daughter's wedding a very special event. My daughter wanted to walk down the aisle to a specific song and she commissioned Gretchen and Kerry to learn it. It sounded magnificent and made the couple very happy. People at the wedding commented on how beautifully they played during the outdoor ceremony. Then we wanted them to move to the deck for the cocktail hour when they used an amp. They did it seamlessly and were so warm and accommodating. Gretchen was very responsive by email before the wedding and she and Kerry were perfectly prepared, so friendly and helpful during the entire process. We couldn't recommend them more highly.

Musical Heart Strings is the absolute sweetest group to work with. Not only are they talented and always adding to their repertoire they're beyond thoughtful as they work with you in creating the perfect song selection. They made our big day extra special!

So wonderful to work with! Beautiful ensemble (we hired the trio). My only regret is that we didn't get to spend more time listening to them! All of our guests raved about their performance and how it elevated our event. Highly recommend. You won't be disappointed.

Musical Heart Strings was an absolute dream at our wedding! They played beautifully during the prelude, ceremony, and cocktail hour, setting the perfect ambiance for each moment. Gretchen was a joy to work with—super accommodating and just plain nice. They even learned a new arrangement of "Cloudbusting" for us, which was incredibly special and sounded amazing. Their music during the prelude was so touching it almost had me in tears—seriously, I was this close to ruining my makeup before walking down the aisle! Everyone was raving about how fabulous the string quartet was and how it made the ceremony feel even more magical. Huge thanks to Gretchen and the team at Musical Heart Strings for making our wedding day so memorable with their music. We offer them our highest recommendation.

Musical Heart Strings is the group to book for an intimate, special, and one of a kind musical experience. Not only were they sweet and lovely people, they also accommodated any and all requests. They are super communicative and will ensure everything is exactly perfect for your day. I can't recommend enough!

We hired Musical Heart Strings to play during our wedding reception and cocktail hour on 6/28/2024. They did an incredible job and many of our guests complimented how beautiful the music was. I chose to walk down the aisle to a song that was outside of their repertoire and Gretchen and Kerry did an amazing job making sure it lived up to what I had envisioned. Gretchen was easy to communicate with throughout the whole process and made sure every detail was thought out beforehand ensuring everything went smoothly. Their repertoire was very extensive which made choosing the music for the evening an easy process. I highly recommend using them for your future event!

We hired Musical Heart Strings to play during our wedding ceremony and cocktail Hour! They did a wonderful job and we received multiple comments from our guests on how beautiful the music was. Gretchen was easy to communicate with very patient with music selection. They have a large repertoire to select from and are willing to accommodate music outside of there repertoire given advanced notice. I highly recommend there services!

I couldn't recommend Musical Heart Strings more! They customized and made a beautiful adaptation of a song that was very meaningful to us and really made our experience. They are very talented and how they played the music made the ceremony even better. The communication was clear and thorough which made is so easy to work with them. They are professional yet friendly. Would use again and again!

We had the absolute pleasure of having Musical Heart Strings perform at our wedding, and we couldn't have asked for a more magical experience. From the ceremony to the cocktail hour, their musical talent added an enchanting touch to our special day. The duo's ability to create a beautiful atmosphere was remarkable. The ceremony music was both elegant and emotionally moving, setting the perfect tone for our vows. During the cocktail hour, their versatile repertoire had a few people, in the spirit of the holidays. Not only were they incredibly skilled musicians, but their professionalism and flexibility made the planning process a breeze. They took the time to understand what we wanted and answer any questions we had. If you're looking for talented, professional, and personable musicians to elevate your wedding day, Musical Heart Strings are the perfect choice.

Musical Heart Strings was absolutely amazing at our wedding ceremony. They were fantastic to work with throughout the process and it made our day a lot less stressful knowing that the music was well handled. We didn't need them to learn any new pieces since their existing selection of music is quite wide to match whatever vibe you're going for. 100% would recommend Gretchen and her crew!

Musical Heart Strings, Gretchen and Julie, were absolutely the perfect choice for our wedding ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. They are professional, reliable and independent since they play there often. All of our guests complimented us for their music and huge repertoire. I highly recommend them!

Musical Heartstrings duo Gretchen and Kerry were such an amazing addition to our Ceremony and Cocktail hour. Our guests were raving about the music. They truly helped make our Wedding incredibly special. We really enjoyed that they had an extensive repertoire to choose from and allowed us to select what we would like played. Gretchen was extremely professional and responsive. She was so helpful and pleasant to work with. My husband and I couldn’t have been happier with them.

Musical Heart Strings was such an excellent addition to our ceremony. Kerry and Gretchen are professional, kind, and incredibly talented. They were so helpful from start to finish of the planning process including music recommendations and how they could best support our ceremony vision. We had so much fun choosing the songs for the ceremony and the different genres to choose from, was astounding. We got so many compliments from our guests, and we can’t recommend them enough for your event! They are truly one of a kind!

Musical Heart Strings created the magical ambience that we envisioned for our wedding! We had so much fun and ease picking out songs from their repertoire. During our wedding, we were absolutely in awe hearing the music come to life as they delivered on every song. From beginning to end, we appreciated their responsiveness, thought and care. They were extremely personable and detail oriented. We are so grateful that Musical Heart Strings was able to be a part of our wedding day to make it so special and memorable!

Musical Heart Strings played at our wedding and made the day infinitely better. From the start of the process to playing on the day, the team was professional, communicative, and amazing. They made our wedding experience feel special and played music that we chose across different genres and musical styles. They sounded amazing and everyone at our wedding raved about their sound. I couldn't recommend them more! They were the best addition to our wedding day of any vendor we could have chosen. If you're in doubt, don't hesitate - book them and enjoy their great playing, vibes and energy!

Musical Heart Strings sounded absolutely BEAUTIFUL during our wedding! Gretchen was super lovely to work with and all of our guests commented on the beautiful music during our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. The process was all super simple, I would highly recommend working with Musical Heart Strings to future brides.

We are so happy with the performance that Gretchen and her string quartet brought to our wedding. We had them play for our ceremony and cocktail hour. They had such a wide selection of music with a few of my favorites already in their repertoire. My husband and I have a special attachment to Ghibli films, and so we felt like it was a must to request some special arrangements from our favorite films. Gretchen arranged beautiful pieces from “The Wind Rises” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” to play during our ceremony. Gretchen made special effort to ensure that we heard the arrangements in its entirety, and she even played for us when we were taking bridal party photos before guests arrive! Gretchen also made an extra special arrangement for my bridal procession where she included by favorite section of the piece, and played it at the right moment during my walk. The timing couldn’t have been better. Their performance was everything we had hoped for. We even had our guests come up to us to ask where we found such talented musicians! After they finished playing, Gretchen greeted and congratulated us personally, which we appreciated All of these small gestures mean so much to us. Working with Musical Heart Strings was such a joy, from beginning to end.

Musical Heart Strings made our wedding day even more special! Thank you for being part of our history, for playing with such talent, and for being outstanding people!

Thank you so much for making our wedding day so special! Being musicians ourselves, we had some very specific repertory requests, and Musical Heart Strings went above and beyond. Highly recommend! Thank you so much - Celeste and Galen

Musical Heart Strings did the most wonderful job at our wedding! The musicians are talented, friendly and Gretchen was extremely helpful throughout the entire planning process. I'd give over 5 stars if I could!

Musical Heart Strings was a perfect addition to our wedding! We had their full string quartet at our outdoor event. The communication before the event was very responsive and helpful. We discussed a detailed plan for the ceremony music, as well as a set list for the cocktail hour. I asked for Gilbert and Sullivan music to go with our nautically-themed wedding and they were able to acquire and arrange several more G&S tunes beyond what they already had in their library! The cost of this extra service was very reasonable and led to a personalized wedding experience that was exactly as I had imagined. On the day of the event, the performers were very skilled and played beautifully. They flawlessly hit their cues in the wedding ceremony and our guests loved the extensive collection of music they played during the cocktail hour. Musical Heart Strings has a vast library of classical music, movie tunes, and pop songs to choose from, so any mood you want to set for your event can be done easily. They are all skilled professionals who really know their music and sound great on every tune they play. Thank you very much for the great performance!!

Wow! Musical heart strings was outstanding! Getting chills all over again thinking about how special they made our wedding day. The musical heart strings quartet played for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. They made each event very memorable. They have an amazing song selection list, and are so talented. The ceremony music exceeded our expectations. The cocktail hour music fit our request perfectly (classy, fun, timeless). Could not recommend this group enough. They are so kind and enjoyable to work with.

Thank you to Grethen and Kerry - 2 beautiful and talented women. They made our ceremony, cocktail and dinner hours so unique with their vast repertoire. They know honestly ALL songs 💕 We also made them learn 2 of our special songs. Honestly, everything was also magic thank to them. We are very thankful!

Gretchen is a delight to work with. Extremely talented musicians. I requested a string trio with amplification and foot percussions. Boy did they deliver and then some. Aside from a huge repertoire to choose from, they sound amazing. They made our garden reception exquisite. Music of angels. For some reason they make covers sound divine. I believe that music is a universal language and a vehicle that brings the heavens and the earth together. I would not hesitate to book them. But book far in advance.

Musical Heart Strings exceeded our expectations in every way! Gretchen is not only an amazing cellist, but also super easy and FUN to work with! She was very responsive, helpful, and kind - even when we selected significantly more songs than could possibly fit into the time frame we hired them for! We were blown away by their extensive repertoire and wanted to hear all of it, haha! From the beginning, we knew that they were going to ensure our vision was achieved, but also elevate it with their magical artistry! We are so happy we trusted Gretchen and Kerry to perform the music for our special day! They are an exquisite duo. Our guests also loved the vibe that Musical Heart Strings brought to our wedding, as we received many compliments for how professional and tasteful they were. Simply a delight to work with from beginning to end! I look forward to working with them again in the future!

Musical Heart Stings did an incredible job at our July wedding in Sonoma County! Gretchen/MHS were very responsive to questions and emails, flexible with song choices and extremely professional and kind. You can see they truly have a passion for what they do. We received a lot of compliments during and after the wedding from our guests in regards to what a beautiful touch this was on our night. If you want to add a live musical element to your wedding, we highly refer MHS and we look forward to working with them again!

Heart Strings was absolutely the perfect choice for the wedding. They are professional and lovely to work with. They added so much to the event. The music they played touched our hearts. Thank you Heart Strings!!!

We hired Musical Heartstrings for my daughter’s wedding last month at Deer Park Villa, a redwood grove venue in Fairfax. The string trio gave the venue a warm and elegant ambience, and Gretchen was one of the most responsive and friendly vendors we dealt with. I cannot say enough good things about her. We wanted my nephew to sing an Italian aria before the ceremony began, and even though it was not in their repertoire, Gretchen made it happen and even practiced with him beforehand. The choices for both the ceremony music and the cocktail hour were plentiful; we found exactly what we wanted. The flower girls twirled down the aisle to the sound of John Legend’s “All of Me” and the bridal party and groom entered with the triumphal score of “Jurassic Park,” which I — the MOB — thought an odd choice, but which turned out to be astonishingly beautiful. The cocktail hour was delightful with the trio playing in the background. Best of all, Musical Heartstrings won’t break your budget, which is something to factor in when you’re planning a large wedding. My daughter and I will definitely recommend the trio to friends planning future weddings. Thank you, Musical Heartstrings!

Booked Musical Heart String for my wedding in Sonoma and fantastic the team played beautifully on our special day. Live string music was a hit with my guests and elevated the event. From ceremony through cocktail hour, the music was perfect for an outdoor vineyard setting. I was able to pick from a wide repertoire selection on their website; they have everything from pop, classical, to fun and whimsical. My ring bearer walked down to the tune of James Bond and the guests LOVED it! Musical Heart String was professional and attentive to their client's need from initial consultation. Checked in prior to the wedding and worked seamlessly with my planner and officiant to flawlessly execute the music at the exact timing. One of the easiest vendors I worked with. 10/10. Could not recommend Musical Heart String more!!!!

Musical Heart Strings was so great to work with! Gretchen helped me through the process, and was so fun! We talked through the amount of time we would like them at the venue, and helped me choose what songs. There were so many great options to choose from, it was great listening to their past experience so I could hear what to expect. They were all so nice, and timely and professional. Couldn't recommend more!

Gretchen was so easy to work with. First of all, she was flexible and reasonable with our rescheduling requests due to covid in 2020. We had a quartet for our wedding and the quality was much better than their recordings on their website. They were also happy to play a piece arranged by my friend, to accompany my niece playing the violin during the ceremony. That of course included arriving earlier to rehearse before the contracted time, etc., extra effort! Thank you so much again ♡

We've hired Musical Heart Strings a couple of time and each time they were highly professional, friendly and customized the set list to our desires. They provide exactly the right atmosphere and their talent is top notch! I highly recommend this group!!

Absolute perfect and magical experience. They were responsive to work with (including details on the songs), their performance was flawless (not technical issues either), and the loveliest people. For the cost you seriously cannot do better -- you will not be disappointed!

We loved working with Musical Heart Strings. Communication was clear, there were no stressful moments, and the music on the day was exactly what we had hoped for. We were impressed by their attention to detail! Strongly recommended.

Musical Heart Strings was a dream to work with! They are extremely professional and they made the song selection process as stress-free as possible. I would highly recommend Gretchen and her team to anyone who is looking for live music performance at their wedding!

Musical Heart Strings went ABOVE and BEYOND for us at our wedding in April. We requested three custom arrangements and Gretchen was so responsive and gave us frequent updates to the progress of our arrangements. They even provided a midi version of our procession song for our rehearsal. On top of that, it's tough enough planning a wedding during the pandemic but they were one of the few vendors that already had their own safety protocols - evidence based and actually up to date!

The whole musical heart strings team was fantastic to work with! Gretchen was very organized and helped us choose a great selection of songs to play. Their online repertoire made it very easy to choose songs and we loved hearing their samples. The day of the wedding couldn’t have gone smoother and the music was fantastic!

We booked Musical Heart Strings for our Sonoma wedding, and they were incredible! They have and very diverse and fun repertoire. We loved being able to have classic music, as well as pop hits and even scores from our favorite movies. We got compliments all night on how fun the strings were. Thanks so much Gretchen!

I'm so glad we hired Musical Heart Strings for our wedding! They added so much to the day with their extensive and very diverse repertoire. Picking our song list was so fun because they have seemingly endless options to choose from! We ended up opting for the quartet option and couldn't have been happier. They sounded absolutely beautiful together! We asked them to play through guest arrival, our ceremony, and our cocktail hour. Working with Gretchen was a breeze - she's incredibly professional, responsive, and genuine. I had multiple people compliment me on their performances and even passed their contact information on to a friend who asked for it for another wedding! Pro tip: Think twice before letting your photographer take some pre-ceremony formal photos right next to where the Heart Strings are playing! It was an already emotional time, but the tears really started to flow with the beautiful sounds of Ed Sheeran instrumentals in the background! It was all I could do to keep it together and stay photo-worthy! :)

We had booked Musical Heart Strings for our wedding in April 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and we had to reschedule our wedding not once but twice. Gretchen was there every step of the way! They have such a great selection and are also open to suggestions! All of my guests loved the music. I was just bummed that I was taken away for photos so I couldn't enjoy their music more before they left! I would recommend them to any bride, groom, or even a family event or party! They are so friendly which is a huge plus! :)

Experienced, professionals, Musical Heartstrings will be the thing you can count on to go right with your wedding. They are prompt, always prepared. You will not go wrong.

I'm most happy with Gretchen and co's string trio performance at my wedding in October in Napa. They made our wedding beautiful and elegant, which was what I envisioned. And their performance exceeded my expectations. Our guests were very happy and gave great feedback on the music. The large repertoire of music they have ensured that I can pick the pieces i like for my wedding.

Brad R.

This review is way overdue!!! Our wedding was in July 2021. When my husband and I got engaged in 2019, we were set on a handful of ideas, including having a quartet play during our wedding while meeting the budget. However, with the pandemic around, there were many restrictions and we were worried we weren’t going to have our dream wedding. Gretchen was very understanding of our needs and she went out of her way to hire 2 more musicians to complete the quartet. She is very kind to work with and extremely responsive! As a bride, you don’t really have time to follow up on your vendors so this was a plus for me. She made sure that she played our top requested songs towards the end of cocktail hour to make sure we actually enjoyed parts of it. They beautifully played Star Wars Theme Song, Can’t Help Falling In Love, A Whole New World, Bridal Chorus, Sweet Child Of Mine, Africa, and Game of Thrones. I received lots of praise from my guests regarding the wedding and having a live quartet just made it even more romantic. It was a pleasure working with her and WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!!! Gretchen - THANK YOU VERY MUCH for making our wedding extra memorable!

Musical heart strings was absolutely amazing! Working with Gretchen was wonderful. She was incredibly flexible and understanding as we worked through navigating COVID-19 postponements. The music was absolutely beautiful and gave our wedding such an elegant touch. Though we missed cocktail hour - as most brides and grooms do - we were so happy to hear the trio was a hit and even got a round of applause after their last song. Do not hesitate! You are in great hands with Gretchen and her fellow musicians!

Gretchen was a pleasure to work with. She was very responsive, professional, kind and flexible when we had to postpone our wedding date due to covid. On our wedding day, she and her team played all of the songs that we requested and it sounded absolutely beautiful. Many of our guests were also thrilled that she played the Game of Thrones song. Thank you for everything Gretchen, you made our wedding day extra special.

We cannot give Musical Heart Strings a high enough review! From the moment we reached out to them and saw their videos on YouTube, we knew we found the perfect live music for our wedding; and they confirmed our decision every step of the way. Our primary contact was Gretchen, Musical Heart Strings’ cellist. When we had to postpone our wedding a year due to the pandemic, Gretchen was amazing. She helped us change our contract and communicated with us every step of the way. She also did a custom arrangement for our ceremony and worked overtime with our friend who sang during the ceremony. The music during our ceremony and cocktail reception was wonderful. MHS has a large repertoire of songs you can listen to and choose from on their website, so we got to create our own playlists, which was fun and added to the personalization of our wedding. Gretchen, Kerry, Dagenais, and Betsy, who played at our wedding, are talented musicians who were prompt, professional and made our wedding classy, fun and memorable. Thank you, Musical Heart Strings! You are all a gift!