Have you ever walked into a room, taken an initial look around, and knew you were in a place where magic was about to happen? That's what it felt like for us, stepping into LUCE on Kettner for a beatitul, late June 2024 wedding that was all about vibrant colors, gorgeous flowers, and soaring music. 

Our bride and groom decided to go all out with amazing decor that lightened up everything about the space. LUCE on Kettner is already a cool spot, just due to it's location and history. But it is a blank slate, and our couple here went all out ensuring that their guests and their celebrations would be surrounded by amazing colors of all hues. 

Is that not the most beautiful and colorful chuppah you've ever seen? We love performing at Jewish weddings because the music is incredibly fun, but when we saw this chuppah, wow we were floored! On top of that, all of the kippot were different pastel colors, and as you'll see from many of the pictures, the florals throughout were just amazing!

While we provided the ambiance through live performance, a huge team was involved in making this an extra special day for our couple: 

Venue: LUCE on Kettner @luceloft
Cantor: @pabloduek
Coordination & Planning: @sweetblossomweddings
Florals: @bestbudfloral
Rentals: @adorefolklore & @catalogatelier
Transportation: @masterpiece_limousine
Catering: @toastcateringsd
Live Music: @leftcoastquintet 🎶🎵
DJ: @socaldjent
Photography: Artistic Pro Photography
Makeup: @thatgoddessglow

All of the photos from this post are via LCQ Operations Manager - Michelle 

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Picture this: the bride glides down the aisle as she hears the familiar strains of "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin, played by a live quintet. The groom's heart swells with emotion as he takes in the magical ambiance created by the enchanting melodies. This is just a glimpse of the transformative power of live Disney music in a wedding ceremony.
Our ensemble has perfected the art of incorporating Disney music into wedding celebrations. With a lineup featuring a clarinet, flute French horn, bassoon, and oboe,  our custom arrangements breathe new life into beloved Disney classics, adding a touch of elegance and whimsy to the celebrations.
One of the most enchanting aspects of incorporating live Disney music into a wedding ceremony is its ability to evoke fond memories. For many couples, Disney movies have played a significant role in their lives, serving as the backdrop to cherished moments shared together. Visits to Disneyland Parks and the music of yesteryear performed on Main Street by live ensembles is nostalgic. By choosing to include Disney melodies in their nuptials, couples pay homage to the joy, love, and magic that Disney has brought into their relationship.

Congratulations are in order, and trust me, you'll be hearing "congratulations" a lot in the coming weeks and months. You've just gotten engaged to the love of your life, and everyone is going to be thrilled!

(sidenote - if they aren't thrilled, screw them and be happy anyway! They probably suck or are jealous). 

I think the best thing to do after you get engaged is to just enjoy being engaged. It's your time to get to awkwardly call your significant other your "fiancée" or "fiancé" however you want to pronounce or spell it. The little apostrophe's are ridiculous, but don't mind me. You'll fumble around for a few weeks, still calling them your "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" and then, when it starts to hit that you've really passed a milestone in your relationship and you're starting to plan your life together, bam! Your terminology will magically correct itself and you'll be golden. No - that won't actually happen, you'll still mess it up all the time and be totally awkward with it, because French terms for describing the person who you're committed to but not yet married to but planning to marry are weird. I digress. 

Once you've come to the conclusion that it's time to start planning your wedding, there are three big decisions that need to happen first before really anything else can happen.

The Three Big Decisions:

#1 - how many people do we want to invite to this shindig?
#2 - how much money do we want to/have to/need to spend on this?
#5 (no - #3 sir!) - where do we want to host our celebration, and is there a certain time of year we are shooting for?

If you didn't get the Monty Python reference above, you need to go watch the Holy Grail, then you can come back to reading this. While the rest of this blog post has nothing to do with Monty Python, it's a great movie, and you should watch it. 

Back to the planning! Those three main decisions will determine the trajectory of your wedding planning. Knowing how many people need to be there will determine if you are going to have an all-out knock down crazy huge wedding, or an elopement at the courthouse, or something perfect in between. Do you need to invite your mother's neighbors gardeners nieces dog-sitters step brother? Well, maybe, if that person happens to be your fiancé, then probably...otherwise, no you probably don't. In reality, outside forces such as parents, especially if they are paying for all or a good portion of the celebration, will determine how many people are coming. If parents are paying, it is really hard to say no to certain people coming that they want to be there, even if you don't. Ensuring you have really open communication about what you want will hopefully help, but family dynamics are a pain in the ass and I'm a musician, not a family psychotherapist. 

We already talked a bit about the money, but you need to figure out who or how you are paying, and what you want to spend. Weddings ARE NOT CHEAP! There is no such thing as a cheap wedding. But also, events in general are not cheap. There are many factors to consider when looking at prices, and it isn't just the money going to the professionals you hire, the food you eat, the venue you party at. In reality, the prices for these services are high because everything else that we as professionals pay, costs money too. We have to pay for business licenses, insurance, equipment (and replacement equipment sometimes), costs for raw materials like your flowers if you're a florist or your basic food if you're a chef, etc etc. Many pros don't have a different charge for weddings as we do for any other event, it's just that getting 50-150 people together and having a full day event is not going to be cheap. That being said, there are ways to make your wedding absolutely amazing without spending a down payment on a house (which in San Diego is around $20-30k btw). I have performed at some amazingly lovely ceremonies that were in the $7-$15k range, and everything was beautiful. It all just depends on flexibility, finding the right venue, and bringing on the right people.

Finally - location location location. San Diego has more wedding venues than you'll ever be able to tour. If you even stretch your search out to Temecula wine country, or the beautiful hill country of Ramona and Julian, you'll find even more amazing places. These venues range from beautiful hotels and resorts, to wineries, castles, parks overlooking the ocean, community club rooms, equestrian centers, golf courses...I can keep typing. Actually, I already did - I put together this great list of some amazing venues we've performed at in the past, and you're welcome to browse them here. This list is by no means comprehensive, but when we have an opportunity to check out and perform at new venues, I try to make a new page with info that will hopefully be helpful to you. 

Your location will also determine what time of year will be best to host your wedding, for a number of reasons. San Diego is beautiful year round, but the summers in East County can get toasty, so if your crowd overheats easily, that might not be best. Spring time along the coast is amazing, but it gets cold at night and is usually foggy in the morning, so you want to consider that for pictures or for what your guests are wearing. Ultimately, talking to the venue, your planner, or your friendly neighborhood musician who knows San Diego County really well will help with determining what time of year is best at different venues. Also, keep in mind that San Diego does not have a traditional "wedding season" - we host weddings all year here in beautiful Southern California, but there may be some dates or days of the week that might save some money.

The Next Steps:

Once you've checked your budget, figured out your date, and secured your venue, now it's time to start checking in with the wedding professionals you want to bring on to make your day amazing. Here is a list of the wedding pros that are usually hired towards the beginning of the planning process, because they book out long in advance and sometimes you want to find a specific person to fit your style and budget:

• Officiant - this is typically one of the first people hired on once you have a date set. Officiant's will make or break your ceremony, you want to ensure that you hire someone that has experience, is comfortable, and has time to get to know you as a couple. Many officiants have "homework" assignments to complete that will help them build out their ceremony so it is personal to you both and meaningful for your friends and family. I have been to weddings that have been officiated by a newer celebrant or a friend or family member, it isn't always great. They get nervous, they get lost in the ceremony or say the wrong thing, they think they're being funny but they are cringy. This isn't the case for all friends or all new officiants, some are absolutely amazing, but if you want to ensure your wedding ceremony is lovely and touching and correctly funny and personal, I have some amazing officiants I can recommend. Remember, your officiant also needs to procure, fill out, and file all of the paperwork with the County of San Diego properly for you to be legally married - it is pretty important to get someone who knows what they are doing.
• Wedding Planner - also on the top of the list of pros to book early on. Many people think they can plan their wedding entirely on their own and that friends or family will help execute it, and I've seen it fail so many times. I can tell you stories of couples who didn't have it organized and it got to the wedding day and the ceremony time, and I've had to step in to make sure they know how a ceremony is orchestrated or how to get people down the aisle. A wedding planner is a valuable person to bring on, even if it isn't full planning and they just help with advice and coordination, it will save so much stress for you. Planners know...everything. They know everyone. They know amazing wedding pros to recommend, they insure they have the timelines for arrival and equipment and departure, they make sure the venue has everything needed, and they are there to make your day amazing, instead of relying on Aunt Linda who really just wants to be there to celebrate you, not to set the flowers out on your table. For those that are eloping or having a really small ceremony, a day-of planner is still a great person to rely on just to keep the timeline going and ensure everything happens. Keep in mind, if your venue has a coordinator - that person IS NOT your planner. They are there for the venue to make sure all the venue's needs are met. Unless your venue specifically provides a wedding planner, that coordinator is not contracted to help you out (but they probably still will, most venue coordinators are awesome people). 

Those are the two big ones, so lets move on to the other wedding professionals you might start reaching out to. You'll need to ensure you have a date, time, location to secure these services, because all of these pros work off their calendar and would need to check to ensure the date is available:

• Florals & Decorations - this is a must for many people, and the amount of florals and decoration will vary by wedding. Some opt for a full floral suite where they basically drag an entire garden into your venue and the bees outside are like "what the actual f...." ! Most people go for a modest amount of flowers in their ceremony and with centerpieces that suggest how special of an occasion this is and help accentuate colors. Some people need almost no florals at all, especially if you are in a well decorated space already or outside in a garden - and maybe flowers just aren't your thing. You'll still want to get ahold of your florist at least 8-12 months before your wedding to ensure they have the date available, and they can see if they'll need to bring on extra staff or order special arrangements in advance for setup. 
• Photography & Videography - most weddings have a photographer to capture all the feels, but I've seen more and more people bringing on a photo/video team to make sure all of the memories are not just still frame, but also live motion. Recent trends are also inclusive of a wedding content creator so you can post to all your followers about the amazing day you had and all the "behind the scenes" actions. Good photographers are booked almost a year out, and trust me there are few really good ones, a lot of pretty good ones, and then a bunch of people that went to Costco and bought a camera and now call themselves photographers. Don't get me wrong, photographers who have honed their skills and have been shooting weddings for a long time are amazing professionals and I have some great recommendations, but you'll find in many of the Facebook groups that when you ask for a photographer, you'll have over 100 people replying, because it's an easy field for people to get into with little initial skills and still call themselves a photographer. It's a little BS in my opinion, I wish there was a way to weed out amateurs, but again if you'd like recommendations on people who know what they're doing and aren't stealing someone else's images or using AI for their website, happy to chat with you. Don't rely on your friends to take mediocre cell phone photos of you, yes cell camera's are amazing, but you really want someone who knows the angles and the lighting and will make you look fab-u-lous! Side quest here - if you want to use the same photographer for your engagement shots, you'll need to book them sooner. Engagement photos aren't' for everyone, but they do give you a chance to have nice photos for your website or invites, and an opportunity to work with your photographer and get more comfortable with them. Your photographer will probably spend more time with you on your wedding day than any other person - yes, any other person.
• Rentals - similar to florals, you may need rentals, and you may not. If you're planning on getting married at an open slate venue, you'll need to coordinate tables, chairs, linens, maybe an arch, etc etc. San Diego has a number of one-stop rental companies who have an amazing selection of quality equipment that they can deliver, and the prices will vary depending on their availability and the type of rental you get (for instance, folding dinner tables may be less expensive than beautiful stained hardwood tables). You should contact rentals about 8-12 months out to secure them, but many of the larger companies in town will be able to work on a short timeline too. 
• Catering - this will make or break your wedding celebrations. Some venues like restaurants and hotels will have in-house catering, and they may not let you bring in outside chefs or caterers. This is an important thing to think about when looking at your venue. You may love a venue that is right on the water overlooking the harbor, but hate their food...keep looking for another venue, because their event food may not be to your liking. Also, don't automatically assume that the food from a restaurant you love going to with your sweetie is going to be the same that they put out for large events; many restaurants bring in a different chef or a catering team that might have a different style. Make sure you get to try all of the food that they will be serving your guests, and read the reviews from past couples on their wedding food. Your guests will, I REPEAT THEY WILL, comment on the amazing (or crappy) food from your wedding, much longer than they talk about almost anything else. Catering companies for event venues not associated with a restaurant would probably like between 6-9 months of lead time to get everything set and reserve the date with you. 
• Cake - here's the thing, I don't like wedding cake much. Yeah, they're this beautiful traditional thing that just screams "WEDDING" but by the end of the night, I typically don't want to eat anything else and I just would love some little finger food desserts. That being said, some of the cake masters in San Diego will present to you what can only be described as absolute tastebud and visual masterpieces, and having a unique and beautiful and scrumptious cake at your wedding is a sweet way to end the evening (see what I did there). The traditional "cake cutting" where one of you shoves a piece of cake at the other is hilarious. I think a great compromise is having a small cutting cake with your cake topper, and then having a bunch of other tasty treats like cookies, chocolate dipped strawberries, etc, so guests can choose what they'd like. Contact your preferred wedding cake designer about 6-8 months prior to your wedding. 
• Entertainment - yay that's us! Well, sorta us. Our group is the live music ensemble of many clients dreams. We make the ceremony and the cocktail hour burst with memorable and exciting tunes, and as part of the entertainment package, we really elevate the experience. But we aren't a dance music group, and most weddings have dancing, so you might also want to get ahold of a great DJ/Emcee or a live band for later in the evening. The emcee is a really important part of the wedding, and finding one that is comfortable, knowledgeable about your timeline and not cringy is really important. The emcee keeps the night moving, should play reasonable (read: low volume) music when guests are eating and chatting, and know how to get people on the dance floor when that's appropriate. Or, you can skip dancing if you'd like, it's your wedding - do what you want! DJs and live music groups tend to be contacted between 4-8 months before a wedding, and we do book up especially on weekends. Your DJ probably has packages for lighting, photobooth, and other forms of entertainment too - I can recommend some amazing DJ/Emcees who all have different styles and are excellent people.
• Makeup/Hair/Beauty - there are so many things to consider here. What you want to appear like on your wedding day is in the hands of someone you trust to make you look how you feel. Whether you are more minimalist, or want to cover up and change everything, is entirely up to you. Each beauty artist has their own style and has experience working on different clientele, so check with someone you connect with to see if you fit. You should be looking around 4-6 months out to book this professional. 

Some other things to consider that don't deal specifically with wedding pros, but that you'll need to add in your timeline:

• Wedding formal wear - if you're planning on dressing up (tuxes, dresses, etc) you'll need to get that sorted out with enough time for alterations, but also consider that people sometimes change in their shape each year (sometimes, cough cough). If you order a wedding gown too early and have it all finished up and altered, make sure you're checking on it a couple months out and that it still fits where you want it to. If you have a tux or a suit make sure to try it on at least a month out since those are easier to alter. Big time tip: you can take fabric off, but you can't put it back on....
• Wedding insurance - this is really important. You should look into getting an insurance policy that covers a number of things, including any injuries, or a postponement due to weather or a natural disaster, or a sickness to a family member. There are many possibilities that might happen, and there are different insurance policies that you can explore to see what might fit. You wouldn't want to spend multiple thousands or tens of thousands of dollars only for a massive emergency to require you to postpone, but you can't get money back. Insurance will help!
• Check the weather, but don't rely on anything. It may be hot in San Diego in January, or humid. It will definitely be overcast in May and June. It might rain in the fall or early winter. Our weather patterns are somewhat but not fully predictable. Most guests coming to San Diego have no idea what to pack, and don't expect that you will get four completely different weather forecasts depending on where in San Diego County you are (check it out: coast, inland, mountains, desert, it's crazy). 
• If you are planning a full weekend of activities and are not from SD, understand that San Diego is a MASSIVE county, and things generally are not close. Your out of town guests may need a rental car or you may need to provide transportation (I didn't put that service above, maybe I'll add it later). If you want everyone to be close and have a lot to do, consider planning all of your festivities near the San Diego Airport. There is A LOT to do around there, plenty of hotels of all price ranges and amenities, it is close to downtown (nightlife and restaurants), tons of museums and activities (and a world class zoo) in Balboa Park, lots of things to explore in Liberty Station, Sea World (if you're into that), boats on the bay, etc etc. If you'd like some ideas of fun wedding weekend activities in San Diego, feel free to reach out, I love being creative and talking to people about what they can do. 
• Wedding websites are incredibly helpful and you should have one that is updated regularly with helpful information, especially for out of town guests. People will need to get plane reservations, hotels, maybe a rental car, so having as much information on locations and timing is going to be beneficial. There are many places to make a simple yet nice website, including wedding planning websites like The Knot or WeddingWire (and others, I'm not specifically promoting them). 

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I will keep adding to this as time permits - are there things I'm missing? Feel free to put it in the comments. I hope this helps for some of your wedding planning and that reading this gave you a chuckle and put you somewhat at ease for your planning. This engagement is meant to be joyful and celebratory, but yes there are inherent stressors in there too. Don't let the stress ruin the mood, work with your partner to plan out what makes you happy, don't listen to negative people, and you'll be fine - YOU GOT THIS!

The San Diego Style Weddings Magazine had an amazingly well attended launch party this week at Venue808 in downtown San Diego. Bringing together professionals from the wedding industry including planners, photographers, designers, craft drinks, catering & desserts, musicians, and many more awesome people. It was my first time getting to visit Venue808, which I was so looking forward to after seeing the amazing pictures of the space all over social media - it did not disappoint!

Here are all of the wedding professionals that were there - we got pictures of/with many of them, but others provided amazing contributions behind the scenes that made the event epic:
Venue | @venue808
Host | @sdstyleweddings
Catering | @socialtapcatering
Event Design | @tbdsandiego
Photo Booth | @selfiestationco
Live Music | @bonniefosterproductions
Live Illustration | @isjcreative
Candles | @socalcandlerentals
Visuals | @rhodes.audiovisual
Rentals | @bbjlatavola @annettelbravo
Cake | @connorscraftcakes
Party Favors | @bygrace.decor @refinedbysuher
Cabetos | @cabetospops
Champagne Skirt | @melschampagneskirts
Event Design | @conceptseventdesign
Signage | @fastsigns_encinitas
Coffee | @intuicioncafe

​Getting to perform at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is always a treat for the Left Coast Quintet. Providing live wedding music as such a special and magical venue allows us to bring out some beautiful musical arrangements that help to tie the entire celebration together. When you've got the savanna behind you, the beautiful hills, the awesome animals, and all of your family and guests, bringing them into the ambiance with live music helps to create the place and set the tone of the day. 

​LCQ arrived early and got to golf cart up with Safari Park staff, what a way to ride! Say hi to the LCQ selfie!!

Once we got to Kijami Overlook, we took some time checking out the space, and set up our instruments over by the front of the ceremony site. They just installed some new artificial turf, which was incredibly comfortable to walk on! It takes a lot to set up this group:

• Getting 5 instruments put together
  
• Ensuring (for three of us at least) that we have the right reeds ready
  
• Turning on and getting our tablets to the right place
• Setting up stands for music and instruments
• Chair placement and finding the right spot under the shade umbrella

After that, we get to start warming up, running through a few passages, and meeting with the wedding coordinator and site staff to make sure everything in the timeline is good to go!

Our prelude music consisted of a mix of light classical and a few movie themes. Our clients requested music like La Rejouissance, Water Music, and other classical favorites, alongside movie themes from Forrest Gump, the Lion King, and the Magnificent Seven! Rarely do weddings start right on time, and it is really easy for us to roll with changes in scheduling - we just play more music for people to enjoy. While the ceremony itself was still getting set up, we entertained guests who had arrived and sat down with a bunch of fun music. 

For the ceremony processional, we performed classical music by our couples request, which included Ode to Joy, Canon in D, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring; and then Mendelssohn's Wedding March for the recessional. 

After the ceremony, it was time for us to get into our cocktail hour set, which was a blast. With more movie and jazz numbers, we were able to connect with the guests while the wedding party was taking pictures. It was so much fun to have some of the younger kids dancing to music that they knew, and we had many of the wedding family members come up to chat about how great everything was. 

Right before leaving and turning everything over to the DJ for the afternoon, we had to get a picture of the cakes which were just spectacular, and take a selfie with the group in front of the savannah. We also have some videos of the rhinos and giraffes running around through the plains - check our our Instagram as we upload some things there. 

We can't wait for our next return to the Safari Park for another wedding or event, we already have one scheduled later this year. For those considering a beautiful, wild, and unique wedding venue in San Diego, definitely check out the San Diego Zoo Safari Park!

In December, the Left Coast Quintet had the pleasure of providing music to a really beautiful wedding that took place in San Clemente, which is in south Orange County, CA. It was held at La Ventura, a really nice events center with a great outdoor patio and a nice indoor ballroom. We were hired to provide prelude, ceremony, and cocktail hour music, and our clients were some absolutely wonderful people who, like us, are big Disney fans!

Prelude music consisted of all Disney tunes, including music from Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, and much more! The signage welcoming guests and used all around the wedding celebrations was decked out in Disney fonts and appeal, including "Fast Pass" tickets for guests to find their seats for the reception!

Ceremony music was custom designed by our couple to reflect the participants. Our officiant walked down to Bruno Mars "Marry You", the groom and his parents strolled down to "Soul Bossanova" which is commonly referred to as the Austin Powers theme song, the wedding party entered to Luke Combs "Better Together", and our bride requested Elton John's "Your Song" which timed perfectly to end right when she got up to the front. The ceremony was rounded out by Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" which had everyone in a great mood heading into cocktail hour, where there were....LLAMAS!

So we got to play music for llamas...and humans too! Cocktail hour was filled with a bunch more Disney themes, some Broadway, pop covers, jazz standards, and more. Guests came up with huge smiles on their faces between songs to talk about their musical instruments, how much they loved a rendition of a song we performed, or request a few pieces of music - and while it wasn't planned, we were able to pull up many of the requests and perform right there!

Overall, a wonderful evening of playing music, and a huge thank you to our couple, and to Tatum and Andrew (not pictured, he had to take off before we got the llama pic) for subbing in with the group! We got some amazing reviews from our couple and Melissa from Novelty Events:

The other professionals that made this wedding happen:

Venue : La Ventura Event Center
Wedding Planner & Designer: Novelty Events
Catering: La Ventura Event Center
Photographer: Peterson Design & Photography
Live Musicians: Left Coast Quintet
DJ: Pacific Entertainment
Florist: The Nature of Things @thenatureofthings
Hair: Hair by B @babehairbyb
Makeup: Stevens and Cross Cosmetics
Custom signage: The Kimi Collective
Tabletop & Rentals: Signature Party Rentals
Photo Booth: Desert Luna Photobooths
Dessert: Handel's Ice Cream & Elizabethan Desserts @elizabethan_desserts
Coffee: Rugged Coffee
Transportation: Streamline Valet & Shooting Star Livery
Llamas: SUGAR SWEET FARMS

We had an absolute blast performing a final concert of 2023 at the Pacific Beach Library! It was nice to see a full house full of all ages enjoying the music, swaying along to the beat, and listening to their favorite holiday tunes. LCQ was joined by the JAMB! Bass Clarinet Ensemble, which our clarinetist April is also a member of. We had the opportunity to each perform separately, and RB Anthony (French Horn/arranger) put together a few tunes for our octet to perform together!

We are looking forward to a great 2024 full of concerts, public events, weddings, and holiday parties as well. We can't wait to see you all after the break and announce our 10th year anniversary season! 

Until then, follow along on Facebook and Instagram to see some of the recordings from the concert:

https://www.facebook.com/leftcoastquintet

https://www.instagram.com/leftcoastquintet/

​Have a great New Year!!

This past weekend, we were hired to play for a wedding at one of the iconic San Diego restaurants, the Bali Hai on Shelter Island. This Polynesian styled property is right on the water overlooking San Diego Bay and downtown, with a  stunning outdoor ceremony location and a really nice flow between ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception.

Our bride contacted us back in May 2023, and as a former clarinetist she definitely wanted a wind ensemble. She was excited to see how much music we had from different genres, and gave us a list that included Lord of the Rings and Sleeping Beauty for the wedding ceremony, and we added other prelude music from movies like The Princess Bride & Indiana Jones, some Broadway flare with Phantom of the Opera, a bit of classical, and some pops covers from the Beatles and Elvis.

Cocktail hour saw us move over to the patio closer to the building, where we got to entertain guests and also were entertaining some of the Bali Hai customers who were sitting above us on their deck enjoying dinner and clapping between songs. We kept up a really fun and varied mix of music from the brides requests including Star Wars, Game of Thrones, some Celtic music in honor of her Irish mom, and pops covers including more from the Beatles, some oldies and some jazz. That moon rising up over Bankers Hill was just gorgeous - can't wait to see the professional photographers photos of that!

Thank you to our regular subs Andrew and David who filled in on French Horn and Clarinet respectively!

We got to enjoy the Fall Open House at the Intercontinental Hotel and had a blast checking out some of their event spaces, meeting events staff, and networking with many other San Diego wedding and events professionals! Here are some photos and info on the property in hopes it helps in your search for a beautiful, modern downtown venue with absolutely amazing views of the harbor and sunsets!

While the Intercontinental has great large event spaces as well, the focus of the Open House was on their two restaurant/event spaces, called the Vistal Bar and the Garibaldi. Both of them have outdoor patios with these  views, as pictured above and below, that look out right on to the San Diego bay. We saw the Disney Magic of the Seas cruise docked which ended up disembarking while we were there, with their classic "When You Wish Upon a Star" whistle blow!

The Garibaldi restaurant not only has a nice dining room, but they also have a private dining/board room pictured below that would be perfect for engagement dinners, wedding parties, or corporate events!

We are very much looking forward to many returns at the Intercontinental Hotel to provide some live music for events taking place here!

On Sunday, October 8th, we had the pleasure of serenading guests and future brides/grooms at the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club wedding social. It was organized by friend Chelsi Duff who runs events at the venue, and Lindsay Dean who is an amazing event planner in town. Our trio spent a couple of hours out on the patio playing while people mingled, enjoyed some samples, and schmoozed with other wedding and event pros!

Got a couple pics below of some of our neighbors at the showcase:

Here were the A-list rockstar wedding and events pros who were at the showcase:

The Grooms Grotto - awesome selection of fine menswear. @groomsgrotto
Archive Bridal - @archive_bridal
Robed with Love - @robedwithlove
Poured with Love - @pouredwithluv
Loop & Swoop Calligraphy @loopandswoopcalligraphy
CAKE - The Fabulous Cake Girls! - @cakesandiego_
1022 Gelato - delicious! - @1022gelato
The Groove DJs - Andy is the man - @thegroovedjs
Evermore Floral - @evermorefloral
Hilton Del Mar - @hiltondelmar
Left Coast Quintet - hey it's us! - @leftcoastquintet
Calire Alyse Makeup - @clairealysemakeup
Pics by Starlight - @pics_by_starlight
Joni Bilderback Photography - @jonibilderbackphotography
Lindsay Dean Events - the hostess with the most'ess - @lindsaydeanevents
Adore Folklore - @adorefolklore
Catalogatelier - @catalogatelier
Concepts Event Design - @conceptseventdesign
Shade Collective - such nice people! - @shade_collective
Lomas Santa Fe Events - the incomparable Chelsi Duff! - @lomassantafeccevents
Lloyd Film - @lloydfilm
Nick Powers Productions - @nickpowersproductions
Organic Babes Jewelry - @organic_babes_jewelry_bar
Nix & Co Creative - @nixandco.creative
Ever After Bouquet - awesome and unique preservation ideas! - @everafterbouquet
Aly Rose Beauty - such a sweet person! - @alyrosebeautyteam
Helena Holleran - on the guitar - @helenaholleran
Sierra Vera Solis Photo - @sierraveraphoto

Lomas Santa Fe Country Club is hands down a gorgeous wedding and events venue and I highly recommend you check them out if you are searching for your next celebration space. I didn't get pics of the inside during this trip, but they have a great banquet hall as well, and their food is killer!

The ceremony site is right on one of the putting greens, overlooking a beautiful green golf course, typically with views of either the ocean or the fog in the background - today was a mostly sunny day but still some lingering fog in the distance which was whimsical! 

While all the above photos were taken by me, the below professional and gorgeous photos come from the event photographer that was on site, Joni Bilderback!

Last night, our trio performed for a wonderful evening wedding reception at the historic Mille Fleurs restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe. We enjoyed serenading the family and guests of our couple, who also got a chance to enjoy the atmosphere at this cozy establishment. Our set list consisted mainly of old time jazz, the kind of music you'd expect in a 1920s style bar. We also hit into Broadway numbers, and a few movie themes that were recognizable and enjoyed by the crowd. 

Guests started arriving just after 5pm, and were greeted by some awesome appetizers, drinks, and a live music show - just how you want the evening to start to set the mood. We had a great time talking to guests between numbers, and a few different attendees came up to talk about how they used to play various instruments and how much they loved the performance. We also had our own little flower girl, so we incorporated some Disney music just for her to dance around to!

What a beautiful venue! Mille Fleurs is a historic building right in the heart of the town square of Rancho Santa Fe, in north San Diego County. This restaurant is known for some incredible food and has won numerous awards over the years, but what makes it stand out so much are two things - the beautiful courtyard and historic buildings, and a fabulous and kind staff! We got to meet many of the employees including Matre d' Marko Dedic who was just fantastic, funny, and kind. 

If you are looking for the perfect intimate and romantic spot for your wedding reception, holiday party, birthday, or other special occasion - definitely check this place out, and bring us along for some live music! 

There is a beautiful new hotel in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter - the recently opened Margaritaville Hotel! We got to take a tour of the property with the National Association of Catering & Events (NACE) and experience everything the property has to offer. 

Located in the heart of the Gaslamp, only 2 blocks from Petco Park, the Convention Center, and tons of restaurants and activities, this beautifully renovated hotel boasts awesome spots for events, weddings, and hang outs. 

The Left Coast Quintet was again honored to perform the National Anthem for the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on August 22nd. This was our second year doing this, and it is such a fun time!

We arrived around 3pm and set up in our private green room to warm up the chops. Nothing too fancy, we don't have a rider in our contract for only green M&M's or anything, but it is nice to have a space to put cases, use the restroom, grab some water, etc. 

​We then headed through the belly of Petco Park to get on the field for soundcheck, and got to observe some batting practice from the Padres and then the visiting Marlins teams. Getting to hang out on the field while all the players are warming up was awesome, especially when some came over to chat or ask about the instruments. We did our usual soundcheck run through of the anthem, then back to the green room until game time!

We had a chance to walk around, grab some ball park food before the game, and watch all the fans streaming in. Around 6pm, we gathered back in our green room, warmed up again, and go ready to hit the field for show time! Again through all the tunnels, with all of the Petco Park staff looking at us and our instruments, it was pretty funny. We popped up on the field behind 3rd base, then walked out while they were setting up for the first pitch. Once all the pre-game items we taken care of, we surrounded home plate, and got an introduction from the stadium announcer to "please rise as our veterans salute the flag, and join the Left Coast Quintet in the Star Spangled Banner" or something similar to that...

We "knocked it out of the park" so to speak, and got a huge ovation from the crowd after a really nice rendition of the SSB. It was incredibly memorable to be asked back for our second year in a row, and we can't wait to make this a tradition for the quintet!

If you'd like to watch a video of the performance, we have it up on our Instagram account here! 

It's always fun to reminisce about beautiful events we've attended in the past, and this month marks the 5 year anniversary for a special former client of ours who was married at Ethereal Gardens in the summer of 2018. We had a few property pictures (like the one above of their absolutely gorgeous ceremony site) and just today, got a few that she was looking through specifically of our quintet performing for them! As you can see, the wedding was a dreamy, boho inspired rustic outdoor ceremony, and Ethereal was the perfect choice for this couple. 

Huge thank you to Rachel and Josh number one for bringing us in to provide wedding ceremony and cocktail hour music for you, and for finding these fun pictures of our group performing at Ethereal Gardens! It was such a special day - thankfully not too warm although we had our own shade, and the music of our group filled the air.

Ethereal is a very open location with a large field that can be designed however your imagination will see fit. Bringing in a wind quintet to this location was the perfect choice, since our sound was able to project out and be heard by all of the guests. We had so many family and friends coming up to us between songs and chatting about how much they loved the music and ambiance we were providing for the celebrations. 

We were delighted to join Samantha and Connor at Seagrove Park in Del Mar, CA at their wedding ceremony this weekend. Seagrove is right in the heart of Del Mar, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and just steps away from the little shops and restaurants that Del Mar is known for. While it's a public park, it is such an amazingly beautiful location and easy to set up for wedding ceremonies of all sizes. 

For this celebration, Left Coast Quintet performed for prelude as guests arrived, for the wedding ceremony, and for a postlude while everyone took pictures with the happy couple. Our selections took us from Disney classics like Aladdin (A Whole New World), Beauty and the Beast (Be Our Guest), Pinocchino (When you Wish Upon a Star), and Cinderella (A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes), to more pop covers from John Legend (All of Me) and Bruno Mars (Marry You). We also did a lot of jazz standards (Que Sera, Sera, Besame Mucho, Llorendo se Fue, and more). It was a fun and diverse mix of music that helped initially set the mood, then bring all the fun emotions of the couples favorites songs into their wedding mix. 

A few pics above of the quintet, enjoying the ceremony and preparing to perform for the recessional, which was Marry You by Bruno Mars!

We are always eager to return to Del Mar and to perform at these beautiful outdoor wedding venues that the San Diego area has to offer. 

For the third year now, we were once again honored to perform for the Mission Hills Garden Walk, put on annually around the neighborhood in various backyards. Our assigned house this year was absolutely phenomenal - a gorgeous modern home with an extensive back yard, fountains, walking paths, and views over the whole city!

Our group set up for two hours in the afternoon, and ran through so much incredible music. You can check our YouTube and Instagram accounts to see a few videos that we've put together from the afternoon as well. 

We look forward to returning and performing more often in the Mission Hills community. Our ensemble fits in perfectly in a backyard setting for providing ambiance, background music, and a focal point while people gather and enjoy the space. 

LCQ was honored to attend the spring wedding and event open house at Tom Ham's Lighthouse on Monday April 17th! We met so many couples that were touring the venue and are looking forward to returning with them to perform for their wedding ceremony and cocktail hour reception! I guess spring is just wedding open house time, as we have been to a lot of them lately. They are all fun and valuable in meeting new clients, networking with other professionals, and seeing updates to the venues we enjoy returning to.

BRICK in Liberty Station is a wedding and event venue that inspires a lot of imagination. As a blank slate, it allows clients to completely invent how they want the space to look and feel - they can bring in different types of tables, seating, decorations, and more. Each year, BRICK hosts open houses and invites potential clients to come check out their preferred vendors and some different ideas for set up. 

Left Coast Quintet is proud to be one of BRICK's "Epic Vendors" on their preferred list, and we joined them for the March 2023 open house along with a variety of other wedding and events professionals. 

The evening had a "Bridgerton" theme, so we tailored some of our music selections to pieces you might hear in the television program. We featured some classical music, many "classical" versions of popular modern songs, and of course soundtracks to movies and tv shows that guests at the event really enjoyed. It was a pleasure to interact with everyone at the event and get to know a little about what they were looking for in live music. 

We of course had a few opportunities to have some fun as well - trying out the photobooth and some of the food from the different catering companies that were there. I guess we'll need to work on if we are making a funny picture or a serious one, half the group got different memos! 

Overall, just a great night of performing and meeting new people, which is what open house events are all about. We can't wait to come back to BRICK in Liberty Station for future weddings and other events! If you have any questions on the venue please don't hesitate to reach out for advice. 

Shout Out to all of the Wedding and Event Pros that were at the Open House:
​Planning, Venue, and Bar | @brick.828
Astray Photo & Video | @astrayphoto
Archive Event Rentals | @archiverentals 
MR Floral and Events | @mrfloralandevents
COAST Catering | @coastcatering 
Culinary Concepts Catering | @culinaryconceptssd
Lyanne's Touch (Signage) | @lyannestouch 
My Marquee SD | @mymarqueesd
Ansom Productions | @ansomproductions 
Left Coast Quintet | @leftcoastquintet
Jenny Wenny Cakes | @jennywennycakes 
VG Donuts | @vgdonut 
Kendra Scott | @kendrascott 
Onyx Bridal | @onyx_bridal 
Posh Privy | @poshprivysd

The Left Coast Quintet (that's us!) was awarded both the prestigious "Best of Weddings 2023" from The Knot, and the "2023 Couples Choice Awards" from WeddingWire in the category of Ensembles and Soloists, and what's even more awesome is that we are the only ensemble in the category of the four musicians that won that award this year.

But winning awards isn't really what wakes us up every morning. Coffee does that! Plus, the feeling of pure excitement that we get to do what we love doing, performing beautiful and meaningful music for weddings in San Diego and Southern California.

The is definitely a lot of stress that goes along with performing at weddings. All of us in the group are used to being on stage, performing for large audiences, and presenting information at concert series. The pressure comes from the wedding ceremony - making sure that we have all of the details right, that we're following cues on where to start playing, that we fade off at just the right moment when the wedding party get to the front of the aisle, or that we know when the officiant is going to conclude so we can start the recessional. There is no down time on wedding day events for us - we make sure we're looking good, we get there early, make sure we have the right contacts, and have ourselves set up in the ideal spot to see everything and be heard by everyone. For us, the wedding day itself is not the beginning of our work, it is preparation before hand with the couple in choosing music, making sure all of our tablets are set up, that we are well rehearsed on the songs requested, and that all five of us know where to go, where to park, time to meet, and more.

Getting into performing at weddings is not a simple thought of "oh I can play some music, let me be a wedding musician" as some people might believe. There is a lot that goes into making each client happy with the services being provided and ensuring that the atmosphere and soundtrack of the event are on point.

Long story short - thank you to all of our couples over the past year who voted for us to be the Best Wedding Musician in San Diego, we are so incredibly honored and can't wait to meet our next couple!

It was a great evening at the San Diego Convention Center for us as performers, and for guests who just finished a day of conference lectures and presentations, to enjoy an hour of music, food, and libations! We were hired for the GridTech Connect conference, and there were around 200 people that came through the conference room, were entertained by our fun arrangements, and got to chat with their fellow conference attendees. 

Why have a wind quintet for a corporate cocktail hour? Well - there are many great reasons. First of all, it's us! We are super fun! Our over 700 unique arrangements of music spanning jazz, ragtime, pop covers, movie soundtracks, and more are a welcome sound for attendees who are looking to relax. LCQ's music just envelopes everyone with a sense of "happy" and there were so many people with smiles on their faces listening to songs like "Anything Goes" with a twist from Indiana Jones, or some of the Latin flare we put in to "Hernando's Hideaway." 

We are there mainly to provide just some background ambiance while people unwind, and while we are off to the side of the event in most cases, we still get so many people who come up between songs and share stories of how they used to play an instrument, or how a song brought up a special memory, or just how much they enjoyed what we are doing and how much we love performing together. 

LCQ really looks forward to returning to the San Diego Convention Center for more of these corporate events, and we are always so happy when event planners and organizers reach out to see what we can offer. Whether we are doing more background music for a cocktail hour like this, or performing more center-stage for a concert for attendees, or providing music for an awards dinner or gala, we are excited and ready to bring some magical music to unique spaces around San Diego. 

On Saturday January 28th, 2023, the Left Coast Quintet performed for the Carlsbad Library & Arts Foundation "Showtime @ the Shulman" series. The evening was so much fun, and we really appreciate the City of Carlsbad, the Library & Arts Foundation, and the amazing community members who came out to the show for being in attendance!

We performed a really diverse and fun lineup for music, mostly centered on fun movies and upbeat pieces. Our set list included themes from Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride, The Godfather, Monster's Inc, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and more. We also threw in some fun Habanera from Carmen, an Italian mashup of popular songs, and closed the night out with I Feel Pretty from West Side Story. Of course, we all feel very pretty with the blue light backstage! 

We can't wait to return to this beautiful auditorium and put on more concerts in the Carlsbad area. You can check out our Instagram where we'll be uploading videos from the concert over the next few weeks!

Thank you to all of our fans, community members, clients, and families who supported the LCQ through this past year! It's been such a fun time getting to perform all over San Diego County! We had 15 wedding clients, 8 corporate events, a few other random gigs sprinkled in, and performed for the Chula Vista Lemon Festival and the San Diego Art Walk in Liberty Station - definitely a successful year for the quintet. 

Of course the most exciting wedding of the year for us in 2022 was our clarinetist April, who married Benjamin at The Abbey in Bankers Hill earlier in the year. We had the quintet performing for prelude, ceremony, and cocktail hour, and it was incredibly special to be there with our dear friend and colleague at one of the most important days in her life!

We are looking forward to the upcoming 2023 performance year. We have a few exciting bookings already so far, and plans to play at new venues all over San Diego and Southern California. We'll also continue to update our blog, Instagram, Facebook, and whatever other new social media comes out so you can follow along on our adventures!

From all of us at LCQ, wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy 2023!

Talk about a beautiful location to have a wedding! We performed today at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort, right on their lawn overlooking the San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego. It was really beautiful, a small and intimate ceremony with our favorite officiant, Bethel Nathan! We started performing for prelude while guests arrived and took their seats, about thirty minutes of music with accompanying laughter of small children running around the lawns and playing with each other. Honestly it was a small concert for us, and the guests really enjoyed the music! We performed Rainbow Connection from the Muppets, a few pieces from Beauty and the Beast, When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio, Storybook Love from the Princess Bride, Sound of Music, and more.