Paul Binkley, Guitarist

Instant ambience!
I got married on Pier 7 (illegally without a permit mind you) and no surprise the ceremony did NOT start on time. If you are considering getting married in a public place, understand the sound of people walking by and chatting, or stopping to watch – or in the case of the drunk homeless, not walking by and not waking up to watch – adds a distasteful soundtrack to your event.
If you are considering getting married in a private place, understand the sound of your distant redneck relatives… you get the point.
We hired Paul who is a guitarist good enough that the SF Symphony uses him on occasion. Orchestras don’t have guitars, so when they do something outside classic classical tunes, they bring freelancers.
He was genuinely fabulous. Not only did he play beautifully, he played continuously and very appropriately self moderated volume before, during and following the ceremony. We also had him play during the reception meal and it was a really nice touch. (Understand the sound of busboys, etc…)
I cannot recommend him too highly, but warn you that he books back-​to-​back so if you’ll want him to stick around, you need to arrange in advance. Our lunch went long and he had to leave before it was over.
Very fair in price, too. Not cheap, but very, very fair. And it was a cheaper alternative to hiring a dj/​emcee.