LCQ Musician Blog

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!