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Shelley Otis, Harpist
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Greater Boston, Rhode Island & New Hampshire
About This Vendor
Harpist Shelley Otis works with wedding couples throughout Greater Boston, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. With a repertoire of over 400 songs, her musical style varies from elegant classics to her own lively and upbeat arrangements of pop songs. Couples can choose from a variety of genres including popular, classical, jazz, and various world traditions, with the option to request additional songs she doesn't already play. She is committed to finding just the right music for every couple, and enjoys the artistic challenge of adapting any kind of music to the harp. Shelley also plays piano and organ, and collaborates with a violinist, cellist, flutist, Uilleann piper, percussionist, and bassist, and occasionally others. Any combination of instruments is possible. Let her know what you want and she'll make it happen!
Details
Business Attributes
Women-owned Business
Instruments
Bagpipes, Bass, Cello, Flute, Harp, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Violin
Music Genres
Celtic, Classical, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Rock, World Music
Music Services
Live Music, Sound Equipment
Wedding Activities
Rehearsals & Parties, Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding, Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, Reception
Awards and Affiliations
Shelley Otis, Harpist Reviews
Share your thoughts with other couples
Shelly did a beautiful job ! She was a big hit at our wedding ! Thank you so much !!!
Unfortunately I had to reschedule my wedding and this time cancel the reception, due to COVID 19. Shelley was very easy to work with and after I rescheduled the first time she offered to record music that my husband and I could play for our mi...
nimony (we got married in a park on our original wedding date). It was absolutely beautiful and I really appreciate her being so considerate while we went through such a hard time. The small deposit was non-refundable, which is understandable, but to us it paid for the music she provided for our minimony. I am sad, however I didn't get to experience her for my ceremony and cocktail hour. her music sounds glorious.
Response from the Vendor on 12/06/2020
Cheryl thanks so much for the kind words! I really wish I could have been there in person, but we made it work! I’m sad that I won’t get a chance to be a part of your reception this time around, I've really enjoyed working with you even though ...
it didn't turn out as planned. Wishing you both much happiness in the coming years!
Shelley was a joy to work with from start to finish and her beautiful music made our special day even more magical! I can not recommend her enough. We had the pleasure to have her provide music for both our ceremony and cocktail hour. Her talen...
t is phenomenal!
Response from the Vendor on 10/23/2020
Thank you Holly! I'm glad you liked the music. I really enjoyed working with you and I'm glad I could help you celebrate your wedding!
Shelley was such a wonderful addition to our intimate COVID wedding. She set the mood and even learned two of our most favorite songs days before our last-minute wedding! Shelley was personable, kind, professional, and extremely talented. Would...
highly recommend for any wedding or event!
Response from the Vendor on 10/23/2020
Thank you Anna! I really enjoyed learning both of the songs you asked for. They are both becoming some of my favorite songs to play, and I'm grateful for the addition to my set list. I'm glad I could be there for your wedding. Wishing you both ...
much happiness!
Shelley was incredible at our wedding. She played in our ceremony on boat deck, and it was so special walking down the aisle while she was playing. We got to talk before the event and she was very accommodating with the music we selected and sc...
hedule. I’m very happy Shelley played at our wedding ceremony, best decision ever(:
Response from the Vendor on 10/23/2020
Thank you for the kind words Jeanette! I really enjoyed meeting you and working with you. And I loved being on the boat for the wedding...what a special, romantic venue for a wedding! Thanks for having me be a part of it. Wishing you both much ...
happiness!
Pre-covid, Shelley was not one of our original vendors, but if there was good to come out of covid, it was in being able to hire Shelley for our intimate wedding! When we first hired Shelley, we thought we only needed music for our ceremony and...
cocktail hour. When we changed our plans (again) to have a full ceremony and reception for 30 people, Shelley seamlessly worked with us not only to learn two new songs, but to add a violinist and percussionist to our day to make sure all our needs were covered (and Cami and Fabio were truly fabulous)!
Shelley's music is beautiful. She has an astounding repertoire of music that was nothing short of delightful on our wedding day. Shelley moved effortlessly from playing songs like Hallelujah during our ceremony (for which there wasn't a dry eye in the house) to playing Taylor Swift cover songs (which had everyone in awe, giggling, and bopping around). We, our families, and our guests were nothing short of thrilled by the music that Shelley provided - she added such joy, elegance, and wonder to our celebration. At the end of the evening, Shelley asked us if she could play one more song, as if there was any chance in the world that we wouldn't want to hear more from Shelley! One of my favorite memories of the day was dancing with my family to that last song.
Working with Shelley was easy - she is compassionate and passionate about what she does. We requested a recording of our first dance song so we could practice, and Shelley got us the most beautiful recording in ONE DAY. Not only that, Shelley told us that what she gave us was a rough copy - it was beautiful and I am dying to have other recordings from Shelley. Any wedding would be that much better with Shelley, and I am forever grateful that we were gifted the chance to work with her and to have her music surrounding us throughout our day.
Response from the Vendor on 09/28/2020
Avery, thank you so much for all the kind things you said! I’m so happy that you liked the music. I really enjoyed working with you, and I—we—had a lot of fun putting together the music for each segment of your wedding, from the ceremony to the...
dancing through dinner and after . I loved it when you all started dancing at the end...there’s nothing else that tells a musician better that people are enjoying the music. I wish you both much happiness. Thanks for having us be a part of your day!!
Working with Shelley was such a pleasure and a breeze! She is incredibly talented and really wants to make your day extra special. After my initial meeting with Shelley, it was a no brainer to hire her. We had no idea what kind of music we want...
ed and she gave us so many selections, even offering to learn music if we didn’t like any of it. She was able to play our selection of music throughout our ceremony. Extra props to her as our wedding day was incredibly hot and you wouldn’t have even noticed looking at her. Thank you for being a part of our day Shelley - we couldn’t recommend you enough!!!
Response from the Vendor on 04/26/2020
Thanks Cherry! I'm glad I could be a part of your wedding. Wishing you both all the best in your future together!
We hired Shelley Otis as our Harpist for our wedding in September 2019. Shelley was easy to work with leading up to the wedding and patiently answered all my questions and emails. She is professional, her price is reasonable and her music added...
a perfect ambiance and special element to our wedding day. Leading up to the wedding we touched base to plan out the set list and completely customized the wedding music. On the wedding day, Shelley arrived early to get herself set up, then played before the ceremony, for the bridal recession, one song during the ceremony and then during the entire cocktail hour. I would definitely recommend this vendor!
Shelley was wonderful to work with. Very responsive and attentive. Her musical talent is beyond words. The harp was a lovely addition to our ceremony and cocktail hour!
She was very good to work with and was able to help us pick out songs and give us some examples, and during the ceremony it added the last little extra, and all of the guests loved it.
Shelley was an absolute pleasure to work with!! She made it easy to meet, to plan, and helped ease the process of picking the right songs for our ceremony. I couldn’t of asked for a better harpist for my wedding day!
Shelley was an amazing ceremony musician for us. From our first meeting, where she brought a travel harp and played any song from her list that we wanted to hear, to her samples online, she gave us great ways to envision what our wedding day wo...
uld sound like. She also learned a new song for us! She was very easy to work with and professional leading up to and on the day of our wedding. We highly recommend Shelley!
Shelley played during our wedding ceremony and was just fabulous to work with! All of our guests commented how cool it was to hear current music as well as classics on the harp. It really set the tone for a wonderful day. Shelley was extremely...
accommodating and even played a song with our relative who sang as the bridal party entered. We can’t say enough good things about our experience with Shelley!
There is no one like Shelley. Not only is she an extremely talented musician, she is incredibly kind and warm. We were so lucky that Shelley wasn't booked on our wedding date as we decided to add live music to our ceremony fairly last minute. T...
he harp is such a beautiful and slightly unusual instrument. I can honestly say, it truly made our ceremony one of a kind.
I approached Shelley with two ideas:
1. My husband really likes a song called "Is and Is and Is" by White Denim (definitely an untraditional choice) and I thought it would be a fun tune for him to walk down to. Despite never hearing the song before, Shelley embraced the challenge and created such a fun arrangement for us!
2. I got the idea of singing during my ceremony and Shelley was on board right away. She played a stunning, slowed down version of "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles to accompany me. She was even willing to transpose the song to a different key that worked better for my vocal range. I was nervous (nearly chickened out several times!) but I did it, all thanks to Shelley's calm, encouraging presence. It was an amazing experience.
My husband and I are beyond appreciative of Shelley's hard work and could not recommend her enough. Book her! People won't stop coming up to you to tell you how much they loved her music, even months after your wedding.
Shelley was impeccable- she made our ceremony and cocktail hour simply magical. She was very kind, respectful, and her music transformed the event into a dream-like experience. I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you Shelley for making our wed...
ding even more memorable!
Shelley Otis was fantastic to work with. Her skills were fantastic and she was highly professional, and ended up learning 5 new songs for our wedding without a hitch. Her music was so elegant, and her calm demeanor helped us stay calm for the b...
ig day!
If you are in search of a Harpist - Shelley Otis - is the Best!
I was planning my wedding and was having difficulties booking a Harpist. When I contacted Shelley, she moved some appointments around to accommodate me. As if that wasn’t eno...
ugh, she sent me a few songs via drop box. One of them happened to be “Perfect” by Ed Sheehan - the Wedding Song my husband & I had already selected! Shelley is warm, personable, friendly, accommodating and a joy to work with. I can honestly say that a true friendship came out of planning this wedding with Shelley Otis! Shelley is sensational! I highly recommend Shelley Otis!
Shelley was very easy to work with- both ahead of our wedding with planning and on our wedding day. She was happy to play (and learn to play) the songs we wanted and had hundreds of options for us to choose from. We used Shelley for our ceremon...
y and cocktail hour music - would use again!
Shelley was flawless. Everyone enjoyed her music during our ceremony! I had no idea what I was doing but she knew exactly when to play the music for my bridesmaids and me. She added an extra special touch to our wedding day.
Shelley played harp for our ceremony and during cocktail hour. She was amazing. Super talented lady!
Shelley was fabulous; her performance was excellent, and she was very professional. Her songbook covers a wide variety of styles, and she recorded herself performing a few, making it even easier to figure out what's going to work best. Thank yo...
u!
I was waiting to review Shelley until I received my wedding video back so I could replay our ceremony OVER AND OVER AND OVER but I just couldn't wait to share how amazing Shelley was throughout the entire process. From the first conversation, s...
he was more than willing and able to help our ceremony be just as magical and special as my husband and I imagined. She went above and beyond for us. We went back and forth on email and even at the very last minute, I added a third musician! Shelley didn't even blink and made it happen. They were beautifully positioned and dressed at the ceremony. We were able to chat briefly before the ceremony and then after, she came up to me to make sure we had a nice connection. Walking down the isle, I blacked out but before the ceremony I could hear them playing and it was just beautiful! I highly recommend Shelley and anyone she recommends to make it a beautiful moment for you and your groom. She is a lovely person and that shows through her demeanor and music. It was very special. Thank you Shelley.
Shelley is amazing!!! She learned and performed a rendition of CREAM by Wu-Tang for when I walked down the aisle and it was beautiful and elegant for those who didn't recognize it (and those who did) and absolutely bada** for those of us who di...
d!
She played absolutely beautifully for our ceremony, she was responsive and friendly, and a cost effective option for unique ceremony music.
HIGHLY recommend!!
While planning our wedding, we knew from the start that we wanted a harpist to play our ceremony. When we received the list of musicians from our venue, Shelley immediately stood out to us. Her music is beautiful. She was hands down the easiest...
vendor we worked with. She provided us with a list of songs she’s played in the past and even offered to learn a new song for us, if we had anything specific in mind. The variety of music on her list blew us away! You simply cannot go wrong with Shelley as your musician.
Shelley was an awesome person to work with from start to finish! We had originally signed with another harpist, to who our luck cancelled on us, but it was a meant to be. We hired Shelley and it was absolutely perfect. She came to our house and...
did a little demo for us and it was so great my mom cried a little! Although as the bride I was not able to enjoy the beautiful music at the ceremony or the cocktail hour (where she played piano for us) I could hear her playing my song as I walked down the aisle and it was amazing. Those that I asked said she did an amazing job. I would recommend her 110% of the time, she was fabulous! She even played some rock hits for my husband, he loved it!
Shelley performed at our daughter's wedding in August. The entire process of hiring her was simple and enjoyable. I would be lying if I said that rates weren't a factor in our decision. As I am not very versed in the harpist community, I was...
n't sure what to expect. Her rates were extremely reasonable, and I did several comparisons. She met with us privately and got a feel for the kind of family we were, what songs we might enjoy and what mood we wanted to create. Our song choice for the Bride's entrance, instantly made us cry, and we knew, at that moment, Shelley was the right choice for us. Of course, we did this planning with so many factors in mind - a garden wedding, a warm summer day, harp playing under the shade of a tree, formal yet fun... However, the wedding day was not without challenges. One thing we did not plan for was the amount of torrential rain that fell on that day! All our planning was around the beauty of the outdoor venue. But adjustments were made and everything was perfect. Shelley's harp music basically made us feel that the rain had disappeared! The ceremony music was so beautiful. For cocktail hour, instead of playing under a tree, Shelley played inside the estate as if it was meant to be that way. She was such a great addition to our daughter's magical day. She is extremely professional yet humble. I recommend her highly. She played a variety of songs - each one perfect! My guests are still talking about the harpist and how wonderful she was! She offers many genres of music and she understands her audience. Other than the ceremony pieces, she was given free rein on song choices and she was astounding. If you are looking for that perfect, unique addition to your event, Shelley should be your choice. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!
She did a wonderful job and was receptive to all my feedback! She was perfect and skilled!
Shelley is an amazing harpist! She is so easy to work with and even learned a new song to play at our wedding ceremony! The harp was a beautiful touch to our wedding! Thank you so much!
Shelley was AMAZING! She was easy to work with and sounded absolute amazing during our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. All of our guests complimented the music. She gave such a romantic feel to the rustic venue! I highly recommend her.
We hired Shelley for our ceremony and cocktail hour. Her services were a great addition to our special day. She was really flexible and very helpful. We told her only a few weeks before the wedding that we wanted to have her also stay for the c...
ocktail hour and she had no problems with us adding that. Also when planning our ceremony we knew we wanted to incorporate music but didn't know how, so she reached out to our officiant and took care of it for us which lifted a lot of stress off of us - and it was everything we could have wanted. She plays absolutely beautifully, and she asked what our dress code was to ensure she was dressed appropriately. Additionally, she has a huge list of songs across many genres she already knows and is open to learning new ones if there is a song you want that isn't on the extensive list she already has. Everyone raved about the music, so I am very glad we went with Shelley!
Shelley was such a great find!! She played beautifully and the guests absolutely loved her and her musical talent! Shelley was professional, accommodating, and continuously prompt to respond to any correspondence throughout the entire process.
Shelley is an absolute professional! She made booking her and our music choices for the ceremony/cocktail hour so easy. Before booking Shelley I had an idea of a song I wanted to walk down the aisle to (Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran) that was orig...
inally not on her song list. When I told her about it, without hesitation she said she would learn the song for our big day to make sure everything was perfect. And it was!! Our guests were blown away by her and we got so many compliments following our wedding how she added a "wow" factor. Shelley is so sweet and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a harpist for their event... you won't regret it! :)
Shelley was the perfect addition to our ceremony and cocktail hour. After the wedding we received so many compliments on how great she sounded and how special it made our ceremony. Leading up to the wedding Shelley was a great partner, and was ...
very helpful in making our vision come to life.
Shelley was very helpful. Met with us a few times over the phone, even playing some songs to help us decide. Our ceremony started late but it was really nice to have her playing for our guests while we all waited. Her playing was a perfect touc...
h to the day!
Shelley was a perfect addition to my ceremony. She played beautifully and I got so many compliments from all the guests on how amazing she sounded. She makes it so easy to work with her - we had our first meeting via facetime and my final payme...
nt was through venmo...and I honestly couldn’t have loved that more! It’s just so convenient when you’re the do-it-all-yourself bride and super busy throughout the entire planning process.
Words cannot describe what a pleasure it was to work with Shelley. She played the harp during our ceremony and brought to life our wedding vision, making our outdoor ceremony absolutely enchanting. Her musicality, professionalism, genuine heart...
, and humble nature are what make Shelley a master of her craft and a true joy to be around. Shelley is a talented musician with a true passion for what she does, and has such a rich repertoire from pop music, jazz, and classical. The first time we met, Shelley talked us through all the details, and also listened to our needs and requests. She is prepared and thorough, patient and understanding , and knows that each wedding is unique. With all of the emotions of the day, I only wish I were able to sit in the audience and enjoy her playing as a guest :)
Shelley was great - super easy to work with (even though I live overseas) and the music was simply beautiful! Thanks Shelley!
Shelley was amazing from start to finish. I booked her relatively early in my planning process due to her great reviews. It ended up being a wonderful choice. Shelley performed a mix of contemporary and classic songs during our ceremony prelude...
, processional, and recessional, and she executed each piece flawlessly. Her timing was perfect. She helped us choose the music and was professional, responsive, and friendly from start to finish. Highly recommend!
Shelley is absolutely amazing!! She made our ceremony beyond perfect. She played all of our songs we requested and played our last song at the exact time we asked her to. A pleasure to work with. Highly Recommend!
Shelley was beyond amazing! First and foremost, listening to her play the harp is stunning. We loved having her for our ceremony and cocktail hour music. She was able to transform a fast song into a slow version of itself as a request from us, ...
as well as learn an entirely new song that she had never played before. She sent us a recording of it prior to our big day to make sure we were 100% satisfied. We were 200% satisfied! We just wish we could have heard more of her playing at cocktail hour instead of taking photos! She is easy to correspond with and very reasonably priced given her amazing talent and professionalism.
Shelley is so talented!! Her harp playing was beautiful and elegant and the perfect touch to our ceremony. She has a huge list of great songs - it was so hard to pick which ones we wanted to use during our ceremony! Shelley was very responsiv...
e and made the whole booking process so easy! I would highly recommend her for anyone looking for beautiful music!
Shelley's harp music was a beautiful addition to our wedding ceremony!! Shelly was so professional, responsive and easy to work with. We met once prior to the wedding, via FaceTime, to discuss the details - she even had her harp ready so we c...
ould hear any songs before our big day. On the day of our wedding, Shelley played perfectly and the ceremony would not have been the same without her :)
Shelley was an amazing asset to our wedding. She was amazing to work with, extremely knowledgeable about venues and open to ideas. She was extremely prompt are returning messages and her music is just absolutely beautiful!!! It was the perfect ...
added extra to our ceremony! Thank you so much Shelley!
Shelley performed the ceremony music at my wedding in May. As soon as I started walking down the aisle, I noticed the beautiful harp music playing above all else. She is professional, very talented, and excited about music! I was amazed at her ...
sample performance and knew right away that I wanted her to play at my wedding. The guests loved her and really appreciated the music!
My partner and I had an intimate wedding at The Chanler in late April and were interested in a classical harpist. We were recommended Shelley; and we were very glad we were. Shelley was beyond awesome. From the start, Shelley was easy to work w...
ith, eager to make our vision come to light, and game to add new music to her repertoire. Shelley also shared her thoughts on what we could consider for our ceremony and reception. We listened and hired her colleagues to play percussion and the cello. Shelley is incredibly talented, professional and a pleasure to work with. She comes highly recommended.
We used Shelley for our wedding at the Biltmore in Providence and she was wonderful! I think having a harpist made the ceremony extra unique and elegant :). Shelley provided great professional service and beautiful music! She also provided m...
ics for my officiant and Spanish interpreter which was super helpful.
I can't give Shelley enough stars. She is truly a dream to work with. She is so relaxed and easy to be around yet so knowledgeable about her work of art. She is SO TALENTED! We had a religious ceremony which usually goes hand in hand with the o...
rgan, singer from a church choir, etc. I really did not want that, what I really wanted was a harpist! I just think the sounds is so beautiful and really was the feel we were going for and Shelley did an unbelievable job. People are still telling us how incredible the harpist was!!!! I know some steer clear of the harp for fear that it won't fill a room with the sound but Shelley comes prepared with her own equipment and that harp certainly filled the chapel. I also wanted a mix of traditional religious ceremony music with a touch of modern. Shelley had such a wide range of music (I swear it is over 500 songs to choose from) ranging from the classics to the current Top 40 hits. We were able to have alleluia responded yet play Elvis as I walked down the aisle. It really was so wonderful to have her and customize our ceremony. Thank you Shelley!!!!
Shelley did an amazing job providing music for our wedding at the Providence Public Library. The music was truly beautiful and it added the perfect ambience to the library and to our ceremony. I have also heard from many family members and fri...
ends who loved the music she provided. Would definitely recommend her to anyone getting married!
Shelley performed the ceremony music for my October 1st wedding and it was beautiful. Shelley was so easy and pleasant to work with. I unfortunately did not get to hear much of the music before I walked down the aisle, but my guests loved it....
I highly recommend! Thank you Shelley!
Shelley was wonderful!!!!!! From day one, she was very responsive and answered many of my questions. She even FaceTimed with me before I booked her and played some music on her harp so I could hear it live!! It was so awesome and that sealed...
the deal! She plays a lot of modern songs along with the classics!! It was so cool to have her play a mix of modern songs before my ceremony and during the cocktail hour. She is so talented!!! I HIGHLY recommend her!!! She works with you on on pricing and is very accommodating!!
Shelley did an absolutely fantastic job for our ceremony music! We have received so many complements about the harp music. She was very easy to work with and answered any questions promptly. She was willing to learn new music as well! I hig...
hly recommend :)
Shelley was the kindest, most easy-going vendor we worked with throughout our entire wedding planning! She was extremely accommodating and helpful. Most importantly, she played the harp with perfection! I'm looking forward to having Shelley pla...
y at the next event we plan!
Shelley performed at our ceremony at Nahant Country Club.
Her beautiful music made the moment that much more special. So many of our guests have commented about how romantic the ceremony was with the harpist.
Loved it!
Shelley was very professional to work with from day one. The skill she has on the harp is magical. Anything from rock, classics, to pop can be played. She made our ceremony and cocktail hour so special. My whole wedding enjoyed her music. T...
hanks for making our day special and romantic with your amazing talent Shelley!
Shelley played the harp for our outdoor ceremony at OceanCliff and she sounded fantastic. Cannon in D as I walked down the aisle sounded beautiful and was exactly what I envisioned for my wedding day, and our guests enjoyed all of the other so...
ngs she played during the pre- and post-ludes. Shelley was very easy to work with, let my mom and me come to her house to hear her play, learned a new song for us, and had a great sound system for her harp and for our officiant so everything could be heard. I would highly recommend Shelley!
Shelley is amazing and so much fun! We were trying to cut back on the budget for the ceremony music, so we decided to hire Shelley instead of a group. I’d never heard a harp at a wedding before, and now I don’t know why more people don’t choose...
it- it’s the perfect instrument to stand on its own, always sounds good, and can play anything. We didn’t want anything too ‘wedding’ sounding (Pachelbel, Here comes the Bride), and she had plenty of awesome suggestions- I walked down the aisle to ‘Here comes the sun’. I wish I held other events I could invite Shelley to play at!
Contact Info for Shelley Otis, Harpist
Greater Boston, Rhode Island & New Hampshire
$$ Affordable
Starting Cost
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