Musical Heart Strings

ere perfect. They customized certain melodies that I wanted and executed this perfectly. I’m only sad that as the bride I didn’t get to enjoy much of their performance during ceremony seating and cocktail hour. I would recommend to all in Napa Valley or San Francisco area. They were wonderful to work with and did an excellent job.

years ago at our friends’ wedding and were completely blown away, so booking them for our own was a no-brainer. Their music brought such warmth and elegance to our ceremony and cocktail hour, and they struck the perfect balance between timeless classics and modern favorites. On top of being incredibly talented, Gretchen and her team were also so kind, professional, and easy to work with. If you're looking to add something truly magical to your wedding day, this is it!

One of the most special elements we wanted was a custom arrangement of the bride’s processional song: a softer, lighter version of Love Wins All by IU, based on a rendition by YouTube pianist James Wong. We spoke with a few local string quartets, but the moment we connected with Gretchen, we knew she was the one who could make it happen. Gretchen immediately knew the pianist we were referring to and mentioned she had even done custom arrangements of his work before, including a beautiful blend of Lover x Daylight. From the very beginning, she was incredibly engaged and genuinely cared about making the arrangement perfect. She was always communicative and thoughtful, offering detailed insights and suggestions with every email exchange. Whenever we asked for adjustments, she responded quickly and sent updated audio clips for us to review. She even created multiple versions in different lengths to help us find the one that fit our timeline best. When we heard the final version, we were absolutely thrilled. It was everything we had hoped for. On our wedding day, Gretchen and her team played for two hours. They performed during guest seating, for the bridal party processional and recessional, and during our cocktail hour. The music was flawless, and they created a beautiful, elegant atmosphere that we’ll never forget. Gretchen has an incredibly extensive repertoire on her website, covering everything from classical pieces to video game soundtracks, movie themes, and modern pop songs. We got to select every song ourselves, which made the experience feel even more personal and special. We are so happy we chose to work with Musical Heart Strings. If you're not looking for a full quartet, they also offer duo and trio options. Gretchen is a true professional and artist, and we can't recommend her highly enough.

attentive to details. On wedding day, we had both Gretchen and Kerry play music for our prelude, ceremony, and cocktail hour. There is nothing like having live musicians play at your wedding as they bring such an elegant, timeless, and romantic feel to the day! Gretchen and Kerry very also super friendly! They made an arrangement per my request for when I walked down the aisle and it sounded BEAUTIFUL! I lived out my "Bridgerton" dreams and they were able to make my vision come to life. They knew exactly the best part of the song for me to walk out to and I just wish I could relive that special moment! 100% recommend MHS.

made a new arrangement of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys for our wedding and it turned out great! They were on top of things and were upfront about what they needed from us, if anything. Gretchen and Kerry were also super nice when we met them!

nd 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!

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!

out our song choices and worked with us to get the music just right for our day.

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.

in creating the perfect song selection. They made our big day extra special!

rformance and how it elevated our event. Highly recommend. You won't be disappointed.

retchen 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.

d all requests. They are super communicative and will ensure everything is exactly perfect for your day. I can't recommend enough!

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!

e 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!

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!

r, 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.

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!

ince they play there often. All of our guests complimented us for their music and huge repertoire. I highly recommend them!

ing 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.

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!

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!

mazing. 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!

mony, cocktail hour, and reception. The process was all super simple, I would highly recommend working with Musical Heart Strings to future brides.

n 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.

ighly recommend! Thank you so much - Celeste and Galen

give over 5 stars if I could!

ful. 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!!

ding 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.

s 💕 We also made them learn 2 of our special songs. Honestly, everything was also magic thank to them. We are very thankful!

m 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.

nd 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!

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!

earts. Thank you Heart Strings!!!

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!