Krista Strader, Harpist

Krista played at my Christmas themed wedding and she was completely amazing. She provided us with a form to fill out with what music we were interested in and took it from there. She plays beautifully, and made the whole process a joy.

My good friend recommended Krista after I told her I wanted a harpist for our wedding. Krista was one of the first vendors I reached out to and she was incredibly easy to work with. She sent me samples of her work and provided hard copy attachment to fill out when I was ready with the music I wanted. Everything was very thorough and I felt we were always in good hands.
The day of, I could hear the music I selected for our bridal party and it was beautiful. I had found score sheets and had sent them to Krista — she exceeded my expectations! She is so talented. My guests complimented how well she played and she really did set the tone for the start of our wedding.
Thank you, Krista!

It has been a dream of mine to have a solo harpist play at my wedding, and Krista Strader’s performance went above and beyond my expectations. When I heard her play I felt like I was in a dream! We wanted the beautiful, tranquil sounds of the harp, but playing modern and non-​traditional songs for the processional and recessional — Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and for the cocktail reception other songs from the 60’s and 70’s. The result was absolutely amazing. Krista accommodated every one of our requests throughout the planning process. She was so graceful and talented, and the concert harp is so impressive, it really added something unique to our big day. I can’t thank Krista enough for her amazing performance. I can’t recommend her enough!

Krista performed at our wedding and she was just awesome! I wish we were one of the guests so that we could just sit next to her and enjoy her beautiful music (in fact that is what my sister did). She has so many songs in her repertoire and they all sound so nice on the harp. Moreover, Krista was super nice and full of energy during our planning meeting. We hope to work with her again!

We simply loved working with Krista for our destination wedding held at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco on June 6, 2015. My husband and I live in Atlanta, Ga and planned everything with Krista’s help through email. It could not have been any easier and Krista delivered exactly what we requested. She is an amazingly talented musician and her performance during our wedding ceremony and the cocktail hour were simply perfection. She added such an amazingly romantic touch to our special day that we will always remember. We highly recommend Krista… you will not go wrong in choosing her for your special event! Thanks Krista… Wayne and Anthony

I can’t recommend Krista enough. We heard her at a friends wedding and had to have her at ours as well. Krista provided us with a consultation to give us a sample of her extraordinary talent and helped us select the right songs for our day. All of our guest were extremely impressed with her and continue to talk about her several months later.

Firstly, let me say that Krista is one of the warmest, talented people you’ll ever meet. Her repertoire is extensive, and if she doesn’t know a song, she’ll find it, master it, and then play it like it’s the first thing she learned to play.
Krista performed at our wedding, on March 22^nd, 2014. She played during the ceremony and cocktail hour, and sounded amazing. She arranged and performed a couple of songs that we specifically requested, that aren’t necessarily meant for the harp, but to our delight, as well as our guests, they all sounded fantastic. During cocktail hour, she played standards, with selections from a few of our favorite movies, with some Disney tunes sprinkled in for good measure.
During the planning stages, she was absolutely delightful to work with. The preview session at her studio, where she’d play excerpts and samples from her extensive catalog of music, was one of the most incredible musical experiences I’ve ever had. Her talent is only matched by her personality. Regretfully, my wife and I had no interaction with her at the wedding at all, which although disappointing, is a testament to her professionalism; she needed nothing from us, and performed beautifully.
I can’t recommend Krista enough. She’s incredible, and it was an honor to have her perform at our wedding.

Krista played at our wedding in August and she was great. She really understood what we wanted. I’m not a huge music buff in general but used the combination of her website and CD to describe what we wanted — specific songs to be included during the ceremony and then more of themes /​genres to be played while people were getting seated (before the ceremony) and for cocktail hour. She listened and it was exactly what we wanted! She also provided feedback prior to the event explaining what would work in an outdoor cocktail hour (in terms of amplification, etc.). She was very honest and wasn’t just trying to extend the number of hours in her contract, which I appreciated. She is very professional. My only regret is I never even had a chance to say hello!
I also love that she plays contemporary music (Lady Gaga!) on the harp. I think it’s so unique. It is classy for a wedding but modern and contemporary at the same time. She added so much more ambiance to the wedding than a DJ would have for the ceremony and cocktail hour (which is one of the options we were considering). I would HIGHLY recommend Krista!

We hired Krista for our wedding last weekend, and she was a pleasure to work with. The harp added an extremely classy touch to the ceremony. It sounds so much better than pre-​recorded DJ stuff!
Krista was able to play the harp both during the ceremony and reception. She can play all the classic wedding music as well as modern hits, which went over really well with our guests. Krista is extremely responsive with communication and also very personable and professional. I would highly recommend her for any wedding! She certainly was one of the highlights of our wedding.

Krista played at my wedding several weeks ago. She is a beautiful person inside and out! Her music is absolutely magical. I can still hear her playing the bridal chorus as I walked down the aisle. Every song she played was incredible and she was a joy to work with. I highly recommend having her play at any type of event. The background music before the ceremony and during our unity candle lighting was relaxing and romantic. She helped us select songs for our ceremony and made the entire process very easy.

Krista played the most beautiful and romantic ceremony music at our wedding :) Before meeting with her, we were unsure about the type of music we wanted for our ceremony, but after hearing her play the harp, we knew we had to hire her for our special day! It was my first time hearing a harp, and I was hooked. She is very friendly and professional, we highly recommend her to future brides and grooms.

My husband and I booked Krista to play at our wedding in July for both our ceremony and cocktail hour. Krista was extremely easy to work with, especially since I contacted her very last minute. She’s friendly, easy going and attentive. And not to mention, extremely talented! Krista’s musical talents run the gamut from classical to jazz, to pop and more! I was so happy with the special, elegant touch she added to our wedding day and I’m so happy I didn’t walk down the aisle to a recording! Not many people knew that we were planning on having a harpist and we received so many compliments after the wedding on how amazing she was!

For our recent August wedding ceremony, my lady and I wanted to conjure up a certain atmosphere — romantic, elegant, and tranquil. We had the requisite DJ/​MC plugged in but we desired a «live» element. So at the beautiful venue (mountain vineyard), Krista provided the beautiful music … she really is terrific with her keen understanding of what we wanted and of course, her exquisite playing.
Her versality and diverse «playlist» were two elements that truly stood out. You want Broadway songs? Here you go. You want contemporary pop? Sure. You want the full catalog of classical music? Right. You want some Johnny Cash or Katy Perry thrown in for good measure? Why not. If there’s a music sheet for it, Krista can play it, and play it exceedingly well.
Krista’s personality matched her playing — just a great, happy gal providing great, happy music. Towards the end of the night, we asked our 6-​yo flower girl what she liked most about the wedding day. Her eyes lit up as she stated, «The princess playing the beautiful harp!» That says it all. Thanks Krista!

«Beautiful» «She was amazing» «Was that Number Nine Dream she was playing? Was that Coldplay?» «That music was magical.» These were just some of the comments our guests made about Krista. All commented at one point or another throughout the evening about how beautiful her playing was. Her music was the absolute perfect touch to our small outdoor wedding.
She played beautifully, was happy to take guest requests after our ceremony when we were taking pictures. She was very personable, easy to work with, and made the planning process very easy for me. All my contact with her was via e-​mail as I had a very hectic summer, and all went off without a hitch. She knew what we wanted and made it happen. I can’t say enough good things about Krista and the wonderful addition she was to our wedding day.

Krista is an amazing musician and person. My wife and I have seen her play at some wedding events before and were always super impressed by her work. We were trying to hold back on budget because we have gone over in a lot of other areas and a harpist wasn’t part of the original plan. What made my wife fall in love with Krista though was her rendition of wish upon a star. She almost cried when she heard it. Why did it sound so amazing? Krista used to be the official harpist at Disneyland for weddings!
It became my wedding gift/​surprise to her. I hired Krista without her knowing and kept it a surprise until she walked down the aisle. She was very surprised with jaw to the floor.
I communicated with Krista via email and she was very accomodating to my requests. She worked with my coordinator and DJ and everyone got on the same page. We chose all the ceremony music together which included some great selections as guests were being seated. It was an amazing touch to the wedding and guests really enjoyed her playing. Guests came up to me afterwards and were singing her praises. After having her play at the wedding, I couldn’t imagine it going any other way. It was spectacular. Krista really does bring a nice romatic and elegant touch to any wedding and the look my wife had when she saw Krista playing was priceless. If you’re looking for a harpist, I would definately recommend meeting with Krista.

In October of this year, one of my closest friends got married at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Half Moon Bay. Being a musician and harpist myself, who also played many weddings back in the day when I was still active, I knew exactly what to look for in a wedding harpist all the way down to the nitty gritty logistics. I wanted to make sure that my friend only got the very best option. Krista was amazing. Yes, her playing is gorgeous, her poise and presentation spot on, and she is of course a good musician, but she is also fully equipped for any type of in door or out door sound related issues (harps are often too quiet), very professional, has an extensive wedding music repertoire, and has a lot of experience specifically with wedding playing (different from orchestral playing, solo playing, chamber groups etc…). Plus she is young and so pretty! After all, don’t you want the harpist to match the harp?
When I went with the bride to meet with Krista, we told her I was a musician but not that I knew the harp (yes Krista, if you are reading this, we tricked you!). I knew within the first few minutes that she would be perfect for the job, and left the meeting with absolutely nothing to criticize. Needless to say, on the day of the wedding, she delivered well. The bride and we bridesmaids could actually hear her from the room above where the ceremony was going to be held, and it was such a calming moment before having to go out. And with all the tiny glitches that come with every wedding, Krista adjusted with no issues, and performed with the grace and beauty one would expect from someone so talented.
Krista’s strengths are in traditional/​classical wedding music, celtic, modern/​pop, jazz, and that twinkly, pretty, ethereal stuff (is there even a «genre» name for that?)…which pretty much covers everything. She is just very talented overall! =)
I give both Krista’s business and her harp playing an enthusiastic 5 stars (and an extra 5 for being able to play so beautifully while sitting out in the windy, freezing cold weather!).

Krista not only plays beautiful harp music but she is gorgeous herself. We conversed over email smoothly and she did everything to a T. She is prompt and professional. I couldn’t be happier. We had so many compliments at how nice the harp music sounded. I highly recommend her for anyone looking for a beautiful ceremony music.

Krista played at our July wedding at Nestldown, and was amazing! She played before and during our ceremony and set the mood for our wedding, and really added something special to the whole experience!
We met with Krista at her studio and as soon as she started playing, my mom and I were brought to tears! She makes beautiful music! She worked with us on song selection and was able to give us EXACTLY what we wanted! She is extremely professional and educated in her art!
Her music is beautiful and she is unbelievably nice! I highly recommend Krista for your wedding or event!

We recently got married in September of 2009. We had our ceremony in outdoor setting, when it came to planning out our ceremony we really wanted something romantic and something that would set the tone for our special day. After meeting with Krista there was no question, other than to book her. She is extremely talented, very professional, versatile in the music selection & was so much fun to work with! All of our guests and family member’s continue to rave about how amazing Krista was before and during the ceremony at our wedding. As I was walking down the aisle, I had chills as she played «My Beloved by Puccini». Krista is one of the most talented Harpists in the wedding industry and I would highly recommend her to anyone.
Thank you so much Krista!

Professional, sensitive, and talented begins to sum up Krista Strader. Having performed over 2 thousand weddings as an officiant I’ve heard my share of musicians and Krista ranks among the top. She performed everything flawlessly and fit perfectly into the flow of the ceremony.
Krista never missed a beat and it was as much a pleasure to listen to her as it was to work along side of her at a wedding recently at Oceano Hotel and Spa in Half Moon Bay.