Serenata Strings

Booked Serenata strings for our wedding 09/16/23. Everyone played beautifully and brought my dream of having a quartet at our wedding to life . The only issue, we paid to have a song transcribed, and somehow they lost their place on the timeline, the incorrect song was played for the groom, and my mom (mother of bride). Other than that , it was beautiful and affordable.

Karen and here team were excellent! Planning was so easy thanks to their guides and they were very responsive and helpful during the process. On the day of, we got so many compliments on how beautiful they sounded. It was a dream to have them!!

We booked Serenata Strings for our ceremony at The Virgin Hotels Dallas. We chose a string quartet with all modern music. The team arrived on time, played flawlessly as guests arrived, and followed all processional and recessional cues perfectly. We had so many compliments on the elegant addition to our wedding. Kim was incredibly easy to work with - straightforward and competitively priced. Highly recommend Serenata Strings.

We hired a string trio from Serenata Strings for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. They assisted in creating the perfect playlist for our wedding and were extremely professional. The music was so beautiful and added significant value to our wedding day.

One of my wife’s only requests was to have live musicians at the ceremony. Karen was very communicative and attentive to our needs. We asked for instrumental versions of a couple of songs not on their list, and they didn’t skip a beat. Karen quickly bought the scores and invoiced us, and we didn’t have to worry about a thing. The actual musicians were so talented and professional, and it added a special touch to an already beautiful ceremony. Great choice!

I have always dreamed of having live music at our wedding, and serenata strings made that happen! We booked the guitar and violinist solo, and we were not disappointed. The duet was on time and very professional. Reaching out to the owner was not as fast as we would have liked, but did take care of everything. Including helping make song suggestions and focusing on the flow of the music.

I hired the string quartet and piano player. They were so beautiful and such talented musicians. Being a former instrument player myself, It was amazing to hear live music for my ceremony. I loved how on time they were, and how they even stayed and played the full hour requested even when people were leaving for cocktail hour. The lady I spoke with was also helpful and responded fast which I appreciated! The only issue I had was the quarter did not play the ceremony music how we discussed. I asked if we told loop a measure or two so I could walk down on a certain part. My coordinator was giving cues to help them as well. The musicians didn’t loop the measure I wanted and so I ended up soaking down on a part I didn’t plan on, which was upsetting. I wish they could’ve attended the rehearsal to avoid this. Overall I enjoyed having them and loved the way they enhanced the ceremony!

Not only are they consummate professionals, incredibly skilled and with an extensive repertoire, but they are also easy to work and communicate with. We had wanted to use Sereneta Strings for both the ceremony music and our reception, but we were unclear as to whether we would have the space at our reception venue. It turned out we didn't, but they were so understanding between the back and forth. In the end, our guests could not stop praising them and the atmosphere they created for the ceremony. Highly recommend them - if we ever host another party, we'd be looking to hire them again.

We had serenata strings at our October 2021 wedding. It was everything I wanted! I would highly recommend

Karen and her team at Serenata Strings were incredible to work with! They came recommended to me by my venue and I am so glad we chose to use them for our ceremony music. We use two string players and it added the perfect amount of elegance to the ceremony. They have an extensive list of songs for you to choose from and can also add your own with advance notice. I would highly recommend using them for your wedding ceremony or cocktail hour!

Karen, HUGE thank you for the wonderful and beautiful music you and your fellow musicians provided at the BRIK in Fort Worth on July 3 at my daughter's wedding. I was so very pleased with it. It was everything I was hoping for, and more. The music and the flowers are such a vital part of the wedding, and we were blessed with both. I was so happy to find Serenata Strings. Your music provided exactly what I was looking for, for my daughter, our guests, and myself! Thank you, THANK YOU! Melissa Parks, Houston, TX

The coordinator, Karen, was timely and informative and easy to work with! She made sure that our timeline and songs went perfectly with our schedule. The actual musicians were on time and performed beautifully and on cue. The string trio impressed the wedding party and guests, and many of them were musical so it was high praise! I would definitely book them again.

Karen and her team did a great job! We hired them for our ceremony and cocktail hour. We were able to have two free special requests after providing the sheet music, and bit songs were played flawlessly. I was so sad to not be able to hear more of them, but that is par for the course when it is your wedding. My guests were very impressed with the quality of their music. Thanks for making our night so special.

A big thanks to the quartet that performed at our wedding-they really did a terrific job, played everything we wanted at the right times & just made the ceremony & cocktail hour really beautiful :-)

Serenata Strings played at our wedding ceremony. They were very responsive and flexible as we had to change our ceremony site three times due to COVID. Unfortunately, they showed up fairly late for setup and shortly before the wedding started, they were saying they didn't know when to end each song even though I had filled out a program months in advance. Thankfully it was beautiful during the ceremony but just unfortunate they were so unprepared moments before the ceremony started.

We worked with Karen at Serenata Strings for a string trio at our wedding ceremony. The musicians from Serenata Strings were very talented and professional! Their music was the perfect touch to the wedding. Would highly recommend Karen and her team!

Serenata Strings was outstanding! They were very helpful in choosing not only the type ensemble, but also the music to ensure that we captured the ambiance we desired. The musicians were timely and accommodating AND talented. Wonderful experience planning with them and seeing it come to life!

Serenata Strings created the most beautiful ambiance for our wedding. We booked the violin + guitar ensemble and Karen was so easy to work with when we had some special requests / back and forth on what songs we wanted to hear. They are truly incredible artists and did a great job with the very wide range of requests we threw at them. We had classical music, Bruno Mars, Journey, even some Disney songs, and they played them all perfectly. I felt like they really wanted to make our night special and they put in the effort to show it!

Serenata Strings played for our Wedding Ceremony this past Saturday. They did an incredible job! It was absolutely beautiful! They were very accommodating and very easy to work with. I would highly recommend!

We had a string trio for our wedding and they really helped set the mood for the ceremony and cocktail hour. We were so glad to have them as part of our day!

My husband and I were married on 11/17/19 in an outdoor country wedding ceremony. Serenata Strings provided a string quartet for our outdoor ceremony and the cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony and they were absolutely amazing. My husband is a musician and we had a ton of musicians at our wedding and we heard so many comments on how beautiful the music was. Our wedding day was this gorgeous, clear blue Texas sky day, way out in the country and we were surrounded only by the quiet, peaceful sounds of nature and the music from that beautiful string quartet. The beautiful sounds produced by Karen and her fellow musicans made our wedding ceremony so very special. Karen is not only a very talented musician, but she is an amazing person. In January, when we started this journey of planning our November wedding we were turned away on our first weekend of touring venues because we were a same sex couple and the owner of the venue told us that we were not part of God's plan for marriage. It was heartbreaking. We shared our story and pressed pause on our plans, unsure if we were up to the challenge of planning a wedding in Texas as a gay couple. We were not prepared to come out to every one of our vendors and hope that they would accept us. One of the many vendors that heard our story and jumped to our defense was Karen at Serenata Strings. She offered to play at our wedding for free. We were blown away! She didn't have to do this, we were complete strangers, but she wanted to do it to show that she is committed to equality. It's one thing to say that you are LGBT friendly and welcome business from everyone, it is another to freely give of your time and talents out of the goodness of your heart to help right a wrong. Karen is the real deal. We know that you have plenty of options when hiring musicians for your wedding but if it is important for you to support a small business that is not only incredibly talented, but celebrates all couples (and their guests) then please give Serenata Strings a listen. We cannot recommend them highly enough!

Serenata Strings handled the music for my wedding ceremony. Pro - they were well priced, easy to book, Karen was easy to communicate with and, they showed up on time. Cons - we booked a trio and only two people showed up, they didn't play all of the songs that I had requested in my program for the processional and, they started my song to walk down the aisle too early. When I began to walk down the aisle, they had to shuffle around their music even though my wedding coordinator let them know that she would cue them when it was time to begin my song. They continued to play while guests were exiting and while we were having our photos done. During this span of time there were a few issues with the songs (scratchy tones, off-key), my mother asked them to go ahead and pack up a little early. Having them there was a nice touch but, in hindsight, I probably could have done without. I will note that Serenata Strings did not charge us the remaining balance after the wedding, which we appreciated but, this was still a disheartening experience and I cannot fully recommend them to any other brides.

We loved having the string trio for the ceremony! It was such an elegant touch. They played whatever we wished and were very professional.

We booked a string quartet for our outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour. They were easy to communicate with via email. On the day of the ceremony, they were on time, professional, and played beautifully. I would hire them again.

Awesome! Hired guitar and violinist to play during our ceremony. Unfortunately as the bride I didn’t get to hear much of the music prior to walking down the aisle but many guests told me they sounded beautiful. We picked mostly “contemporary” songs over more of the traditional classical music. Easy to work with, and handled communication via email which was very convenient for me. Can’t wait to see our video so I can listen to the music!

Karen and her husband were the kindest people in the world and our ceremony was perfect because of how beautifully the band played. We were so happy with how it all turned out!

Solomon

I wish I could give them 10 stars. I had an outdoor wedding in November, the forecast was suppose to be 76 degrees. However, the day of the wedding it was a harsh, cold 42 degrees. The two piece ensemble still played outdoors in the cold. It was beautiful, and exactly what I had in mind for my special day! Thanks again for baring through the cold for me & my dream wedding.

We had a wonderful experience with Serenata Strings! They were SO easy to work with - very flexible and responsive. We had a string quartet for our ceremony and cocktail hour at the Dallas Arboretum and their beautiful music really helped create that WOW atmosphere we were looking for. They were on time, played our song list exactly as we requested and were just overall a pleasure to work with.

We found Serenata Strings at the Dallas Bridal Show. They played for us a little while there, and then gave us a deal we could not ignore. We only needed them to play our ceremony and cocktail hour. Communication was slim to none at the beginning, but by the time of the wedding everything was worked out. They have a wide variety of music to choose from, and we were able to hand select the songs we wanted played.

Great job Serenta Strings who performed for us at Bella Donna Chapel in Mckinney!! Beautiful job. Musicians wore black and looked eloquent and music sounded beautiful. Thank you for a wonderful job! Sheri and Mark Hlavenka June 2018

Pros: they sounded beautiful and were definitely the best price we could find for a string trio! Cons: Karen is very nice, but very hard to communicate with. She had trouble responding to emails promptly (or at all until you reminded her a few days later). But even when she did answer, she uses basically a form letter when responding to you and words things in a very confusing way. We asked for the musicians’ contact info for the day-of, just in case, but she said all communications had to go through her. At the wedding, they sounded great, but left several long gaps when they were supposed to start playing (a groomsman made it all the way down the aisle, and we got a minute into the unity candle lighting before they started the song). They left their personal belongings and papers scattered around their chairs so it looks sloppy in the pictures… They are talented musicians. But I’d recommend paying the extra money for someone else.

I have been in communication with Karen Lim-Smith with Serenata Strings by phone and by e-mail since the first of June. She contracted with me to have a violinist perform the ceremony music for my July 4th wedding for $225.00 After signing the contract that was sent to us and sending in the credit card information for payment, they responded with a "new contract price" of $300.00 because July 4th is a holiday. July 4th was the date communicated to her on every e-mail. The subject line of EVERY email always read "JULY 4!" Knowing that I could not possibly find someone else to perform with only TWO WEEKS before my wedding, she pulled this price switch and refused to adhere to our original agreement. Today (June 20) was the first time the possibility of a new price was even mentioned! Do NOT use this vendor and risk the "bait and switch" that she pulled on me at the last minute! So frustrating!

The music they provided for our outdoor ceremony was absolutely wonderful. They have a large repertoire and played beautifully!

Serenata Strings did an amazing job at our wedding. We booked the Piano Trio (cello, piano, violin). They added that extra special touch to make our wedding vision come true. Loved every minute of the music. They truly made it an even more magical day!

Coordination and planning with Serenata Strings was less than easy. I had to double email and call their planner, Karen, on several occasions to get my questions answered or update my package request. That being said, it was well worth it in the end. I chose non-traditional music for my ceremony (The Beatles, Queen, Etta James) and they nailed the performances. They were dressed professionally and the music was clearly heard during our ceremony. Despite the hiccoughs during the planning phase, the musicians themselves were well worth it. They were a sophisticated touch and the ability to choose modern songs, but have them played on classical instruments was priceless. I highly recommend this group!

I was in total awe from the moment my ears listened the sweet sound of their violins. I met a few of the violinist at an open house, and knew right away they were the ones. I couldn't have been happier the day of our wedding, it was all so perfect. They even learned a new song upon request for our bridal party entrance. I would definitely recommend to any future bride.

We are so grateful for Serenata Strings and the service they provided. Your musicians truly added the perfect addition to our ceremony and cocktail hour we were wanting. The music for the ceremony was so elegant and beautiful. We received so many compliments! Thank you so much.

Serenata Strings did an amazing job performing at our wedding!!! We had several special song requests that they played for us. Everyone loved their music. Thank you so much, the music was elegant and beautiful. They are wonderful and talented musicians to work with.

I really wanted a string quartet at our ceremony and Serenata's String's affordable prices allowed me to have it. I was able to hand pick the songs that were played before, during, and after the ceremony. It was a little difficult sometimes scheduling times to talk to the manager, as she was always very busy, but in the end their performance was stellar and everything went smoothly!

Although not always the best at responding, Serenata Strings played a cello and violin duo for my wedding ceremony, and did it beautifully. There is just something about strings that make weddings so romantic and ethereal. They were also affordable compared to some other string musicians. I recommend!

Our experience with Serenata Strings was amazing! Karen was so helpful in helping us plan our special day. They have music samples on their website and also send you a CD with samples, as well. This made the whole process extremely easy for us, which is SO important in the wedding planning process.

Our wedding planner recommended Serenata Strings to us. They were wonderful to work with and offer many options to complement your wedding. They have music samples on their site for just about every instrumental arrangement, which really helped us out. We decided to book a guitar and violin for both our ceremony and cocktail hour. Our guests loved it! In fact, we were told that the moment the music started it made everything “magical.” I would highly recommend Serenata Strings!

I used serenata strings for my wedding this fall. They played beautifully and were willing to play all the special songs I asked (not all were on their list). They made the wedding very elegant and romantic and I am so happy I used them.

My venue recommended Serenata Strings as a preferred vendor and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to them play at a bridal show before booking them - I didn't need to hesitate! They are professional, courteous, friendly, timely and listen to your needs and requests with precision. All correspondence is answered quickly and thoroughly - Karen is so polite! My ceremony was elevated and simply beautiful, in part, thanks to Serenata! I highly recommend Serenata Strings for your ceremony and wedding - you won't be disappointed!

We had a professional cellist and trumpet player attend our wedding, when they compliment the musicians, you know you chose a good group. They were professional, on time and lovely people.

Very pleasant, easy to schedule. They sent a CD for song selection and did a great job with the music for my outdoor wedding.

Thank you so much for the wonderful music! I would highly recommend this group. My guests had nothing but fabulous things to say about them.

We had a string trio for our wedding ceremony. The communication prior to the wedding was great. They are very polite and prompt in their responses. Every time I emailed them with questions I got answers very quickly. I have no complaints with this company. They played beautiful music and made our day that much more special!!!

We used Serenata Strings for our outdoor ceremony and they did a wonderful job. Everyone commented on how beautiful the music was. Karen and Jay were great to work with as well. :-)

Used them for our Stoneleigh Hotel wedding! VERY AFFORDABLE!! Did a great job, used all the music that we asked them to use. Replied to emails typically within a couple of hours. Karen was so sweet and very easy to work with. Our only wish is that they had stayed for the full hour instead of leaving slightly early.

Serenata strings provided us with a guitar and violin combo. They were extremely professional and were able to play every song we requested! They were there promptly on the wedding day and even had to stay a little longer for the ceremony but they played beautiful music and it w exactly what we wanted!!

We hired the string trio for our ceremony, and they were able to play all the songs we wanted, including a song from the movie Amelie, as long as we provided the sheet music. They have a huge repetoire, and they were very professional. They did charge us for overtime since our ceremony ran late, but overall, they were reasonably priced.

Loved Loved Loved them! They were so elegant and played everything that I wanted. They are reasonably priced compared to other string quartets in Dallas and very professional. Would highly recommend them.

They are were absolutely wonderful! Would highly recommend