I had an eventful wedding last weekend at Forrest Hills Resort in Dahlonega, GA.

It was scheduled to be an outdoor wedding, but when I showed up an hour before playing it was pouring rain. Hurricane Florence was beginning to cast a few arm of rain into our area, so the rain was going to be intermittent. I found a staff member setting up chairs in the little chapel next to the gazebo where the outdoor wedding was scheduled. By all accounts, the wedding had been moved indoors, so we went about making a place for the harp.

I got unloaded and put my cover and cart in the car and drove it up the hill to park it. I had 15 minutes to tune and get dressed! Back in the chapel, both restrooms were occupied, so I got ready to tune the harp. As I put my tuner on the stand, a bridesmaid said something about wedding moving outside. I stared in disbelief for a moment as they began toting flowers outside.

After the obligatory “This is for real?” I began walking back up the hill to get the car because my harp cart was in it. Halfway up, I realized that my keys were in my bag in the chapel. Going back down  I started calling groomsmen I saw hanging out to bring everything except the harp under the gazebo. They were great and perhaps eager for something to do. I started back up the hill again, huffing my 5 month pregnant body to the car.

One groomsman was waiting to help me with the harp, but I still had to change and tune. I put out a general statement that anyone could move the Prius if they knew how to drive one, but I didn’t have time!

I changed in the bathroom, shoving my other clothes under the sink to get later. As I began tuning, I realized that my speaker was still in the car as I wasn’t going to use it in the chapel. I then sent a volunteer wedding guest to get my speaker from the car.

I don’t think I was too late getting started on the prelude music, but I forgot my phone in the car and didn’t know what time it was. Everyone was packed into the gazebo with me while they toweled off seats for the ceremony. The ring-dog played my bass strings a little bit with her tail. Those labs and their big otter tails. 😜

The ceremony went beautifully, and the sun even came out by the end. I had to cut some songs short in the postlude because my high register strings were still adjusting from the air conditioned chapel to the humid outside. But if that’s the only problem, then I’m happy with that!

I am so used to being autonomous, but under the circumstances, I was glad to have so many helpful people to get me where I needed to be.