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XP - Ceremony Musicians

4n6chick4n6chick member
Third Anniversary 100 Comments
in Maryland-Baltimore

(Crossposting this on the Maryland and DC boards)

We decided we would like to have a string quartet/trio for the ceremony only.  Our reception venue is about half an hour away from the church, so we won't be having them travel there for the cocktail hour (our DJ will handle that part).

That being said, what is a reasonable price?  I've been quoted anything from $500 to $800 for a quartet, slightly less for a trio.  We want all strings, no flutes or guitars or harps.

I've read a lot of good reviews for Antares, but they were at the high end of the price range.  Chesapeake Strings also had some decent reviews.

Who have you worked with in the past and would you recommend them?  Is $800 reasonable for an hour of work?  And do I need to tip them on top of that?

Thanks in advance.

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Re: XP - Ceremony Musicians

  • brenda2000brenda2000
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Contact Soheil Photography. He has worked with a lot of local vendors.... http://www.soheilphotography.com
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  • 4n6chick4n6chick member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you!
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  • Petit_OiseauPetit_Oiseau
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We used Hill Chamber Music for a string quartet for our wedding in 2008 and paid $500 (it's possible they now charge differently). At the time, the person I talked to told me it was $400 for a trio and $300 for a duo. As I remember, they were at the lower end of the range when I was shopping around. I do recommend Hill Chamber Music - they did a great job and were very responsive. Good luck!
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  • 4n6chick4n6chick member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you!!!
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  • kmartini1021kmartini1021
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I'm seconding Hill Chamber Music. They're playing at my wedding next weekend. I'll be sure to do vendor reviews afterwards. I'm paying $575 for the trio, and I paid an extra $35 for them to purchase an arrangement for Light My Fire by the Doors, which they'll be playing during the Unity Candle lighting at FI's request. =)
    The Fit for Life Wife Blog
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  • 4n6chick4n6chick member
    Third Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks so much, kmartini!  I'm going to contact them - I like that they'll do special requests like that, I really want the Pure Imagination song from Willy Wonka to be played.  I'm not even sure why, I'm not even that big a fan of the movie (the book was better!), but I'd really love it to be played.
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  • smange10.10smange10.10
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We used Bay Strings.  They were great.  Martha was fabulous to work with.

    http://www.baystrings.com/
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  • HoosierTerpHoosierTerp member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We used, and loved, St. Charles String Quartet.  They can play whatever requests you have and were very reasonably priced.  You can book then as a quartet or trio.  I did the trio for 2 hours and it was around $550 (granted this was 09)!

    I don't remember the website, but you can check in my bio reviews.
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