Sweet Harmony’s team of talented live musicians are in the moment with you, on one of the most important days of your life.
Image by Gelfman Photography, courtesy of Sweet Harmony
Picture it – you’re taking your first steps down the aisle, surrounded by family and friends, with a beaming fiancé to meet you at the end. What do you hear in this moment? A gentle piano playing the chords to “A Thousand Years”? Perhaps “Canon in D” from a string quartet?
No matter your tastes or preferences, music plays an enormous role in your wedding and live musicians take your music to another level. That’s why Sweet Harmony views themselves as an integral part of your day, providing a meaningful soundtrack to one of the most important moments of your life.
“It started in a humble and fun kind of way.” – Sweet Harmony
What began as a meetup of musicians grew into something more. “I’m a pianist, and I met a violinist through some people we knew from church,” said Tara Bhrushundi, owner of Sweet Harmony. “We just started to play some music together and I thought, ‘Hey, this is fun. Let’s call ourselves Sweet Harmony and try playing for people’s weddings.’ It started in a humble and fun kind of way.”
Image courtesy of Sweet Harmony
As the group’s popularity grew, Tara began adding more musicians to her network. “A customer might say, ‘I’d like to try cello and piano instead of violin and piano.’ Or we’d have someone say ‘can we have a trio?’ Instead of saying ‘no, we can’t do that,’ we decided to branch out. That’s the principle of how the company has grown, and now we offer soloists, duos, trios and quartets, and even larger ensembles such as quintets or sextets.”
“We need live music. It’s a part of our soul.” – Sweet Harmony
Despite lighthearted beginnings, Tara’s drive speaks to a deeper mission. “We have a message and a service to provide, and that message is that live music is vital to society,” she said. “We see ourselves as more than an added touch. We need live music, it’s a part of our soul, even though in daily life it doesn’t always get noticed.”
“When you have the element of live players, there’s something warm and real,” Tara continued. “You have people that are in the moment with you, and you’ll feel that support. It’s something special, and a wedding deserves that.”
Image by Four Doves Photography, courtesy of Sweet Harmony
“We work with couples to help them build their visions.” – Sweet Harmony
Since Sweet Harmony offers a diverse range of ensemble options and musical styles, how do you decide what will work best for your day? “We work with couples to help them build their visions,” Tara said. “I love it when people are excited about live music and what it will bring to their wedding, and we love to make that happen for them.”
“One factor is going to be budget,” she said. As you add musicians, your rate will increase. Weather might be another consideration – if the couple has their heart set on an outdoor wedding in November, it might be a good idea to have instruments that aren’t sensitive to weather.”
Tara also suggests thinking about your style or theme. “Are you a more traditional or elegant type of person, or do you want to break the boundaries? There are different ways of doing that as far as instruments. You have your typical string ensembles, but if you mix it up and put a guitar in there, then you’re going to get a little more of a modern touch. We’ve also had a couple of recent requests for a sax/cello duo.”
Image courtesy of Sweet Harmony
“Variety is the thing.” – Sweet Harmony
When it comes to song selection, couples are venturing into new territory. “Variety is the thing,” Tara commented. “People aren’t requesting the same songs. It’s getting more and more diverse, and we get new requests all the time.”
“I love it because our couples are creatives and resourceful, and we’re being introduced to music that we might not have known otherwise, “ she continued. “At one upcoming wedding, we’re going to play ‘All Night’ by Beyoncé. The song starts out with Beyoncé telling a story. When an artist is speaking words, there’s no melody to play, but we can improvise or create an arrangement that matches the rhythm of what’s being said. This makes the song recognizable and beautiful to the listener. It’s one of the adventures and the challenges of modern wedding music.”
Image courtesy of Sweet Harmony
“You have people that are creative and talented, and you can trust them.” – Sweet Harmony
After many years and hundreds of weddings under her belt, Tara had some wise words of advice for brides of Long Island. “What you have on your wedding day is a lot of very hardworking and talented people that are doing their best for you,” she explained. “You can expect a level of excellence. You have people that are creative and smart, and you can trust them.”
“These are people that have worked hundreds of weddings and special events, so we know what’s good for the event. Specifically when it comes to music, we know what parts of songs to play so that it will build nicely, we know how to time things, we know which songs will flow well together.”
“So, I would tell couples to relax and trust your vendor team.”