Sydney & Matt | Fiddle Lake Farm Real Wedding & Feature in The Knot Magazine!

We can't even believe it - our name is officially in print! AVIVA Strings (along with a seriously all-star vendor team) was feature in The Knot magazine, Pennsylvania Fall/Winter 2017 issue! Yay! We haven't gotten our hands on a hardcopy yet but click here for digital edition!

AVIVA Strings is so excited to be featured in The Knot magazine! We loved being part of this incredible, rustic, elegant Pennsylvania wedding!

This wedding was full of magic, including a mid-ceremony 'Kiss the Girl' sing-a-long (can you guess which part of the ceremony that came before?) featuring AVIVA Strings' string quartet + pianist along with a close friend of the bride & groom leading the singing! There were so many special details, including custom arrangements for string quartet of Vance Joy's 'Riptide' and Temper Trap's 'Sweet Disposition' (one of our favorites!) as well as a 'Call Me Maybe' recessional and everything from Disney to Coldplay to the Beatles for cocktail hour! 

Check out the list of incredible vendors that made this unbelievable wedding at Fiddle Lake Farm possible! Links are below!

One of our favorite aspects of this incredible event was how involved everyone was in the planning of the details. We spoke to both Syd & Matt multiple times about their vision for the day, what sort of 'playlist' they were imagining, favorite artists, favorite songs. And we also got to chat with Sydney's mom throughout the planning process as well as their friends who took part in the musical moments during their ceremony. Sydney told me after the wedding that she loved hearing the sounds of the quartet wafting through the trees (it was like an enchanted forest, really) as she rode up to her ceremony in a vintage automobile, before taking one of the most important 'walks' of her life!

Here is what Lori, mother-of-the-bride, had to say about her experience with AVIVA Strings!

Jessica and AVIVA were fabulous. They were professional, flexible (had the wedding in the woods), had only 15 minutes before the service to practice with our soloist and it sounded flawless. The music was outstanding and contributed to a magical wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. I am the mother-of-the-bride and it is refreshing to deal with vendors who do their job so well. Thank you AVIVA. You are the best! 

Gorgeous photo, courtesy of Danielle Coons Photography, of AVIVA Strings' quartet enjoying some pre-ceremony time in the woods!

AVIVA Strings violinist performing for this incredible Poconos wedding!

Photo courtesy of Danielle Coons Photography

Vendor Team

Ceremony Strings | AVIVA Strings

Venue | Fiddle Lake Farm

Photographer | Danielle Coons Photography

Videographer | Birdhouse Wedding Films

Planning | L.C. Solutions

Catering | Epicurean Delight

Reception Entertainment | Franklin & Alison Dance Band

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | hello@AVIVAstrings.com

Serena & Matthew | Stroudsmoor Country Inn Real Summer Wedding

As the weather is getting warmer, and the flowers are beginning to bloom, all we can think about are all the incredible spring and summer weddings we have coming up! We are having the best time planning the perfect ceremony and cocktail hour 'playlists' for our couples getting married in the next few weeks and months. All of our ensembles are going to be super busy this season, from our soloists, duos, trios and string quartets, to our jazz combos and even harpists and singers! We are getting ready for a very busy couple of months!

Our string and flute duo performing for a beautiful summer wedding at Stroudsmoor Country Inn.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Holt Photography

While, wedding season has officially begun here at AVIVA Strings, we can't help but be reminded of some of the amazing, warm-weather, outdoor weddings we had the honor of performing for last spring and summer. We are excited to highlight one of the most stunning ceremonies we performed for last summer at the always-gorgeous, Stroudsmoor Country Inn located in Stroudsburg, PA in the beautiful Pocono Mountains. We positively love performing at Stroudsmoor - all of their celebration spaces are spectacular and the Stroudsmoor wedding team is second to none. 

AVIVA Strings strings ensemble warming up before a ceremony at the spectacular Stroudsmoor Country Inn in the Pocono Mountains.

Photo courtest of Michelle Holt Photography

This wedding took place Stroudsmoor's Woodsgate venue, which is tucked away in the trees to create the most magical, intimate atmosphere. Our couple chose a cello and flute duo and had special requests ranging from Canon in D to John Legend's 'All of Me' to The Beatles! We had the best time working on all aspects of Serena & Matthew's ceremony music and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!

We had the pleasure of working with some unbelievable colleagues on this beautiful wedding! 

Vendor Team

Ceremony Strings | AVIVA Strings

Venue | Stroudsmoor Country Inn

Photographer | Michelle Holt Photography

Videographer | Kevin Fonash Studios

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | hello@AVIVAstrings.com

New quartet and trio recordings (including Call Me Maybe)!!

We are just GUSHING and can't contain our excitement! We FINALLY had a moment to jump in the studio and we are so excited to share some of our new pop recordings for string quartet and trio! We're posting the quartet recordings of Call Me Maybe (because c'mon...its our favorite and we know its your favorite too), A Thousand Years, and Viva La Vida here, but head to the audio section of our website for more! Let us know what you'd like to hear at YOUR wedding or event in the comments!

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | hello@AVIVAstrings.com

An AVIVA Strings feature!

AVIVA Strings was so thrilled to be a featured vendor a few weeks ago on Seneca's Blog!

Check out our feature HERE!

We met Seneca through our local Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rising Tide Society chapter (which she started) almost 2 years ago. In addition to being an amazing, awe-inspiring friend and colleague, Seneca is the founder and principal photographer at Photography by Seneca, the owner and operator of Seneca's Bridal & Dress Boutique located in Montrose, and co-founder of Confetti Photo Booth! Click the links to check out each of her amazing businesses. WOWZA! Such a #bosslady, seriously.  

We're going to be featuring Seneca and all of her incredible businesses on our blog down the road, but for now, we just wanted to say THANKS for the shout out, Seneca! We are so grateful to know you and can't wait to work with you this upcoming wedding season!

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | hello@AVIVAstrings.com

Can AVIVA Strings travel to my wedding??

Ever wondered how far AVIVA Strings will travel for your wedding or event? We receive many questions about where our string quartets, trios, jazz combos and other ensembles perform, and many of our clients are surprised to find out that we perform everywhere from Philadelphia to Allentown to the Poconos and all places above below and in between! Literally! And of course, if you're having a destination wedding, our musicians travel and perform worldwide!

We're so excited to highlight some of our favorite places to make music in! In the coming months, we'll be doing more in-depth features on these spectacular locations and how live music can enhance your ceremony and reception in these incredible places. We're always excited to work in new venues and spaces! Where are you getting married?? Wherever it is, we can't wait to chat with you about your wedding music!

Wedding & Events in the Philadelphia & the Tri-State Area:

AVIVA Strings violin & cello duo performed for a spectacular wedding at the Riverbend Center outside of Philadelphia this past fall! 

Image courtesy of Melissa Kelly Photography

• Anthony Wayne House :: Paoli, PA
• Barn on Bridge :: Collegeville, PA
• Blue Bell Country Club :: Blue Bell, PA
• Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields :: Philadelphia, PA
• Columbia Station :: Phoenixville, PA
• Duportail House :: Chesterbrook, PA
• Ellis Preserve :: Newtown Square, PA
• Glen Foerd on the Delaware :: Philadelphia, PA                                                                         
• General Warren Inne :: Malvern, PA
• Hotel Monaco :: Philadelphia, PA
• The Lake House Inn :: Perkasie, PA
• The Inn at Lambertville Station :: Lambertville, NJ
• Meadowlands Country Club :: Blue Bell, PA
• Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania :: Philadelphia, PA
• Morris House Hotel :: Philadelphia, PA
• Normandy Farm :: Blue Bell, PA
• The Old Mill :: Rose Valley, PA
• Penn Museum :: Philadelphia, PA
• Philander Chase Knox Estate :: Valley Forge, PA
• The Presidential :: Norristown, PA
• Riverbend Environmental Educational Center :: Gladwyne, PA
• Water Works :: Philadelphia, PA
• William Penn Inn :: Gwynedd, PA

Check out this magical setting at the Old Mill in Media, PA! A truly magnificent place to say 'I do'! Our string trio was thrilled to be included in the celebration!

Image courtesy of Philly-based photographer, ME Photo & Design.

Wedding & Events in Allentown, the Lehigh Valley, Poconos, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre & Northeastern Pennsylvania:

• Barn at Glistening Pond :: Falls, PA
• The Beaumont Inn :: Dallas, PA
• The Colonnade :: Scranton, PA
• The Falls at Ricketts Glen :: Benton, PA
• Fiddle Lake Farm :: Thompson, PA
• Folino Estate :: Kutztown, PA
• Friedman Farms :: Dallas, PA
• Genetti's :: Multiple Locations throughout Northeastern PA
• Glasbern Inn :: Fogelsville, PA
• Glenmaura National Golf Club :: Scranton, PA
• Huntsville Golf Club :: Shavertown, PA
• Irem Temple Golf Club :: Dallas, PA
• Lake Paupac Club :: Greentown, PA
• Ledges Hotel :: Hawley, PA
• Mansion at Noble Lane :: Bethany, PA
• Pine Barn Inn :: Danville, PA
• POSH at the Scranton Club :: Scranton, PA
• Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel :: Scranton, PA
• The Settler's Inn :: Hawley, PA
• The Shawnee Inn :: Shawnee on Delaware, PA
• Silver Birches :: Hawley, PA
• Skytop Lodge :: Skytop, PA
• St. Ann's Basilica :: Scranton, PA
• St. Therese's Church :: Shavertown, PA
• The Pumphouse B&B :: Bloomsburg, PA
• Stroudsmoor Country Inn :: Stroudsburg, PA
• Westmoreland Club :: Wilkes-Barre, PA
• The Woodlands Inn :: Wilkes-Barre, PA
• Woodloch Resort :: Hawley, PA

A beautiful summer wedding at Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains! Can you spot our string quartet??

Image courtesy of Dove Photography

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | AVIVAstrings@gmail.com

AVIVA Strings wins Best of Borrowed & Blue for Philadelphia!

Hi everyone!

We are so pleased to announce yet another 2017 industry award for AVIVA Strings! AVIVA Strings has been awarded a Best of Borrowed & Blue Gold Medal in the ceremony music category for Philadelphia and the surrounding areas for 2017! We are SO honored and humbled to have won this award! Unlike some of the other wonderful industry awards we have won (i.e. Best of the Knot for 2016 & 2017 and WeddingWire Couples' Choice Award for 2016 & 2017), which are entirely based upon our amazing client reviews, this award is voted on by our friends and colleagues in the wedding industry. We have been honored and humbled to work with so many incredible wedding vendors in Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos and beyond - this vote of confidence is the icing on the proverbial wedding cake! We are so looking forward to working with all of our favorite wedding planners & event designers, venues, photographers, florists, caterers, calligraphers, officiants & celebrants and everyone else that works so hard to bring all of our brides', grooms', and clients' wedding visions to life this upcoming wedding season! More about this prestigious award from Borrowed & Blue:

A Best of B&B award is the equivalent of a Michelin star in the wedding world: it identifies only the most talented, well-respected vendors in all of Philadelphia. How do we know? The winners have been chosen by Philadelphia vendors themselves. Unlike any other industry awards out there, Best of B&B allows vendors themselves to choose the brightest stars (of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze varieties) from among their colleagues. As a result, these honors illuminate the cream of the wedding vendor crop. After all, what could be a more legitimate honor than a pedestal built by your peers? It's a royal feast of planning insight: know-how taken from those in the know. 

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | AVIVAstrings@gmail.com

We feel so LOVED!

AVIVA Strings violin & cello duo accompany our beautiful fall bride down the 'aisle' at the historic Duportail House outside of Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Kristland Lee Photography.

Happy Friday everyone! A quick update to mention that we've added a bunch of reviews (and pretty photos) from some of our recent AVIVA Strings wedding clients to our client LOVE page! Some of our more recent accolades include praise for one of our string duos from a snowy Philly winter bride (and omg the photo in the snow! be still, my beating heart; you can read the Real Wedding blog post HERE for more on that perfect day), beautiful words from another fall Philadelphia bride (did we mention that we <3 <3 <3 fall weddings?) who was married at the historic Duportail House,  thanks from our most recent Scranton couple who said 'I do' at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel to the beautiful sounds of their string trio, and our super sweet couple who exchanged their vows in the chapel at the Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge!

Have you worked with us in the past? Have you heard one of our string or jazz ensembles perform at a wedding or event? We would love to hear from you! Please consider leaving a review for us by clicking the links below! <3

Click here for WeddingWire
Click here for The Knot (click 'Write A Review' on the righthand side)
Click here for Facebook
Click here for Google Reviews

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | AVIVAstrings@gmail.com

Best of the Knot & WeddingWire Couples' Choice Winners...Again!

Well folks - AVIVA Strings has officially been named the winner of WeddingWire Couples' Choice & Best of the Knot awards for Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Lancaster, the Poconos and Wilkes-Barre Scranton for the 2nd year in a row! We are so grateful to all of our wonderful clients who put their trust and faith in us to create beautiful music for the most important moment of their lives! From string quartets and trios in Philadelphia to jazz combos in Allentown to chamber orchestras in Scranton - we have been honored to celebrate with each and every one of you! 

The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards recognize the top 5% of local wedding professionals on WeddingWire that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness, and professionalism. Winners are selected solely based on reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds and are determined by a combination of excellence in four factors: overall rating, total number of reviews, review performance from 2016, and consistency of reviews from year to year.

The Knot Best of Weddings is an award representing the highest-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, the world's leading wedding website and marketplace. In 2017, only 2% of the 300,000 local wedding professionals listed on TheKnot.com have received this distinguished accolade.

Thank you thank you thank you! 

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings and jazz ensembles for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

www.AVIVAstrings.com | AVIVAstrings@gmail.com

Hadley & Patrick | Snowy Philadelphia Real Wedding

It is unusually warm outside, so lets FBF to about this time last year, to one of the most exquisite, snowy Philadelphia weddings EVER! This beautiful couple was supposed to get married at Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields on the Saturday of Philly Snowpocalypse back in January. With all of the patience and composure of a saint, our rockstar bride rolled her entire wedding back to Friday without missing a beat. 

Even with all the snow, our amazing Philly bride didn't miss a beat!

Our couple honored their Irish heritage with a string duo rendition of Danny Boy. Other ceremony selections included AVIVA Strings' arrangement of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for violin & cello, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and the beautiful, traditional Irish hymn, Be Thou My Vision.

Hadley had this to say about her string ensemble and her experience working with AVIVA Strings:

“Jessica was such a pleasure to work with. She made everything so easy. She responded to every question and walked me though choosing music. My wedding got switched from Saturday to Friday last minute due to a blizzard and she was able to find musicians for me, it was not an issue at all. I am so lucky to have been able to work with them and have AVIVA Strings perform at my ceremony. I am still getting phone calls about how beautiful it was and how special it made the ceremony. Thank you so much Jessica and AVIVA Strings!!”

AVIVA Strings violin & cello duo perform for this gorgeous Philly wedding!

Photography is by the immensely talented Justin Johnson Photography and those perfect blooms are the magical work of Julie D'Agostino Designs. And of course, elegant ceremony strings by AVIVA Strings.

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Allentown, the Poconos, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and beyond!

AVIVA Strings: The Knot Best of Weddings 2016!

Hello again! Wow - its been awhile. We admit - we have been the WORST with our blogging! Going into 2016, we plan to change that. We are looking forward to updating our blog regularly with all of our exciting news and happenings so please stay tuned!

We are starting things off right NOW with a piece of news that we just can't wait to share with you! In our inaugural year as AVIVA Strings, we have been awarded by YOU, our incredible clients, The Knot Best of Weddings in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos for 2016! WOW! We can't even describe how humbled and grateful we are. We work so hard to be the very best we can, giving 150% percent to every wedding, event, special occasion, party, and memorial that we play, and we are thrilled that our clients love what we do as much as we love what we do. So thank you thank you thank you - we couldn't be more thrilled!

A little bit more about this prestigious award: 

In 2016, only 2% of the 250,000 local wedding professionals listed on TheKnot.com have received this distinguished accolade. In its tenth annual year, The Knot Best of Weddings 2016 provides an annual by-couples, for-couples guide to the top wedding professionals across the country. To determine the winners, The Knot assessed almost one million reviews from real couples across the various vendor categories—venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more.These winners represent the best of the best for wedding planning professionals that a bride or groom would want to consider in order to inspire, plan and pull off their own unique wedding.

Thank you for this immense honor! We look forward to continuing to provide the highest level of artistry, musicianship, and professionalism to all of our clients for many, many years to come!

xo Jessica

What Size Ensemble Do I Need For My Wedding or Event?

Such a great question! We get asked this question ALL THE TIME and it does not have a one-size-fits-all answer. For this post, we are going to focus on wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours. Receptions are an entirely different can of worms that we'll save for a separate post!

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the ensemble configuration for your wedding or event. Lets start with some basics: What size is your venue? How many guests are you anticipating? Is your wedding a cool and casual clambake on the beach or a black-tie affair in a swanky hotel? And of course, what portion of your budget do you want to allocate for your music? While this is not a comprehensive list of every consideration, its a good start!

Venue Size & Guest Count: This is simply a logistical consideration. If you are tying the knot in your favorite, charming, yet tiny restaurant (think half the size of your first studio apartment) in front of your 15 closest friends and family members, you may not be able to squeeze in the 20-piece chamber orchestra you've been dreaming of. However, a string trio can easily fit into even the smallest of spaces (even if it doesn't look like we will fit - its easy to come up with creative seating arrangements and we do it all the time!) and provide exactly the right balance of sound for your event - not too overpowering, yet still heard. Likewise, if you are estimating a guest count of 500 people in your church cathedral with soaring 140-foot ceilings, you may want to rethink just having a violin soloist.

Location Location Location: This is a combination of logistics and vibe. To use our beach example, if you are having a casual ceremony and cocktail hour on the beach, maybe a guitar and violin duo would provide the perfect ambiance for your day! However, if you are envisioning a harpist or pianist on the beach, it may be difficult/impossible to get those instruments to your ceremony site, or you may incur a significant cartage fee above and beyond the standard charges to account for transporting those instruments to your site. In these instances, its always best to check with your musicians to see what is and is not possible and what the extra fees will be. Pro tip: always remember to read the details in your contract (or ask your musicians directly) regarding their outdoor wedding policies. Most professional ensembles require an area that is completely or mostly shaded from the sun. In the case of rain, a completely covered spot to play is generally always required.

Budget: The least exciting topic when it comes to wedding planning, but don't let this deter you from hiring the musicians of your dreams for your big day! While live musicians may seem out of the budget at first, there is almost always a way to make it work! Perhaps you think you need a string quartet, but actually a trio or duo would be absolutely perfect for your event. Maybe you're thinking that you need 40 minutes of live music prior to your ceremony while your guests are getting seated, but actually, guests don't really start to gather for the ceremony until about 15-20 minutes prior. Are you getting married on a Sunday or during the week? Perhaps your ensemble has special pricing for non-peak days or times of the year. There are many options for making your ceremony and cocktail hour music fit within a budget you are comfortable with, and most professional ensembles will help you work within that budget. The best approach is to be straightforward with your wedding or event musicians about your budget from the beginning, so they can deliver exactly what you've be envisioning, while staying within a price range that is perfect for you. 

The best advice we could give, would be to talk through each of your ideas, questions, and concerns with your professional ensemble and book early! They will be able to guide you in the right direction and make sure the music for your ceremony and/or cocktail hour is flawless. Hopefully this has been a helpful intro to get you started with your music planning! We wish everyone happy planning and of course, beautiful music always!

Talk to you soon!

xo Jessica

AVIVA Strings provides elegant, live strings for weddings, events and special occasions throughout all of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, the Poconos, Allentown, the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, Binghamton, and beyond!