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. 

We had an amazing opportunity to perform for a really unique wedding ceremony at a new venue for us, the Mingei Museum in the heart of Balboa Park! This was really a cool opportunity, completely thought out by our couple who are also musicians and wanted something totally different!

We started off the afternoon by performing while guests arrived, and it was a great variety of fun music to set the mood for the wedding ceremony. The "Married Life" theme from the movie Up, Anything Goes from Indiana Jones, Puttin' on the Ritz, and Clarinet Marmalade made their appearances while guests were finding seats.  

Once given the cue, we started our wedding ceremony with a custom arrangement of the Downton Abbey theme. Really a perfect piece of music for this beautiful space. 

The wedding ceremony was set up as a story book, with the officiant reading about the lives of our couple, how they met, dates they went on, favorite things. Each small story segment was intertwined with a live music performance from us! So, for one of their date nights, they went to see Rhapsody in Blue, and LCQ immediately burst into the beautiful opening clarinet solo of the Gershwin piece. Further along, as part of their love for opera, we performed the famous passage to Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. There were around seven different segments of music intertwined in the ceremony, where the couple, officiant, and audience got to sit back and listen to the quintet perform music that accompanied their life story up to this point. 

​We capped off the ceremony with a lively version of Hevenu Shalom Alechem, a traditional Yiddush dance performed often at Jewish wedding ceremonies. The guests were all clapping along and it was the start of an evening of celebration. 

Of course we had to take an opportunity to get a picture with the artwork of the Mingei, and this sculpture was perfect! Really looking forward to future events and weddings at this beautiful museum!

On Wednesday September 7th, we were absolutely honored to perform the United States National Anthem for the opening of the San Diego Padres game versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a really fun and memorable experience for all of us! 

We've been communicating with the San Diego Padres organization about doing this for about a year now. They have a number of musical acts that come in to perform the anthem throughout the year, mostly singers, but once in a while a musical ensemble gets to join in on the fun! Pretty sure we are the first wind quintet to bring the Star Spangled Banner to Petco Park, although many other classical musicians from local groups including the San Diego Symphony have performed here before. 

The day started pretty early with a check in at security, and being escorted to our own green room. We got to relax a bit before sound check, and then headed to the field for our warm up and to be introduced to the audio team. 

On our way to the field, we got to meet one of the Padres Pups! He was adorable. After our soundcheck, back to our greenroom, and we hopped out to grab some dinner (ballpark hotdogs, pretzels, and nachos!). Then as we approached our 5pm call time, got ready and put on our jerseys for the big show!

It was a whirlwind experience for the quintet and we are so happy we got to perform for an amazing team and awesome crowd. We have a number of videos that were sent to us, some of them have been posted up on Facebook and Instagram for you to check out (we can't upload videos in a blog). We sincerely can't wait to be invited back and hope to perform similarly for other events and teams in the San Diego area!

The quintet was delighted to play for a wedding ceremony at the historic and pink La Valencia Hotel this past weekend, and we had a blast. From custom arrangements of Israeli pop music to beautiful classical interludes, as well as a sprinkling of movie soundtrack magic, we elevated the atmosphere and put a smile on our bride, groom, and the guests!

One of the best things we can hear from people after we finish playing is how much they loved the performance. In this case, it was quite warm outside, so the guests sitting in the sun while we played prelude were sweating in their suits and dresses but still had a great time. We had people coming up, to chat between songs, lots of toe-tapping, and some really special music selections. 

La Valencia is a gorgeous location. Located right above the Pacific Ocean in the downtown village area of La Jolla, it's known as the Pink Lady for obvious reasons - it's exterior stucco color and it's charm. The hotel boasts scenic views all over the property, whether you're enjoying the restaurant, you're down in the garden, at the pool, or in the Veranda Room for cocktail hour, there are lots of places to explore. Our couple had their wedding ceremony in the Garden, or El Jardin, and you can see the setup in the above pics. A beautiful flower arch was built on the front of the Chuppah, a traditional Jewish wedding structure with a tallit hanging above that the couple gets married under. 

The quintet did a prelude selection of movie music from films like Cinema Paradiso, An American Tail, and Fiddler on the Roof, as well as pop covers of the Beatles & the Beach Boys. We hit some classical notes with Debussy's Petite Suite, and some Israeli/Jewish music including Yerushalyim Shel Zahav and Erev Shel Shoshanim, both beautiful melodies that set the tone for the day as one of wonder, beauty, and excitement. 

If you're reading our blog and searching for wedding inspiration, I hope you check out La Valencia and the La Jolla area, there is so much to do and no one needs a car. Lots of parks, museums, stores, amazing restaurants, and of course the views of the Pacific during sunset, all make for a great event weekend for family and friends! 

The Left Coast Quintet had the pleasure of returning again to Ethereal Gardens, north of Escondido, for a beautiful July 4th wedding ceremony. We performed for prelude, processional, and recessional, and had some custom music arranged from the Twilight movies specifically for the bride. 

Ethereal Gardens is a lovely place to get married! A large 40 acre private estate, the gardens include lush landscaping, private suites to get ready, numerous fountains, an indoor bar/lounge, a large outdoor party tent, and space for lawn games. It is truly an all-in-one wedding venue where your guests can come, celebrate, and enjoy themselves. 

Our quintet fit in perfectly here. We don't need amplification to easily be heard across the lawns and the seating areas, and we performed many fun arrangements while guests arrived including music from West Side Story, The Little Mermaid, How to Train Your Dragon, Lady & the Tramp, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Romeo & Juliet, and many others. For recessional, another custom arrangement for our group of Born to be Yours by Imagine Dragons & Kygo set the mood for the rest of the festivities. 
​

Many thanks to Jim George for subbing in on clarinet! Jim has played with the quintet and our trio on numerous occasions and is a fantastic musician and doubler - he's actually able to fill in for us on either clarinet or flute, so you may see him at future gigs in either roll. 

Also a thank you to our fabulous couple who were so easy to work with and so cheerful! They even gave us this beautiful thank you card when we finished which was the icing on the cake!

Our own clarinetist April tied the knot recently, and we couldn't have been happier to celebrate with her and her new husband at the beautiful Abbey on Fifth! Performing with April is always a blast, and getting to plan with her all of the music for her own ceremony was easy and fun. 

The Abbey is a historic building right in the heart of San Diego, in a really cool neighborhood called Bankers Hill. This vibrant district is just north of Downtown, offers a ton of amazing food and entertainment options, and is just one block from Balboa Park - so it's a perfect location for celebrations and gatherings. The vaulted cathedral ceilings, wood paneling, and amazing stained glass windows harken to a royal stately type of feel for a venue. There is even a music balcony right there above the alter where our quintet fits perfectly!

The quintet performed for prelude, and got to play for April and her wedding party while they were getting ready and still doing final touches before guests arrived. We played some meaningful music for the ceremony, and stayed up in the music loft to do an hour while cocktails were being served. LCQs wide range of music styles blended perfectly here for this event, sticking with mostly classical and softer music while guests arrived, and then more upbeat movie and jazz music for the reception. 

If you're still searching for a unique and beautiful location for a wedding, corporate event, or holiday party, look no further than the Abbey on Fifth - and give us a ring to provide some of that musical ambiance!