All the details of what a harpist’s outdoor wedding policies are, why they exist, and what information you’ll need to best prepare for your outdoor wedding!

Outdoor weddings provide some visually stunning, personalized, and meaningful settings as backdrops for the ceremony. My own wedding was outside on a friend’s farm in rural New York, with a flower-adorned arbor set in front of a pond and a gorgeous barn right behind our guests for the reception. Many people who attended told us that our wedding location was so personalized, and with all the other elements it was one of their favorite weddings.

But with all outdoor weddings, conditions might not be ideal for musicians to actually perform. Our contingency plan was to move the ceremony into the barn, but we got lucky and had a lovely weather day. But not every day can be lucky, which is why harpists (or any instrumentalist) have policies in their contracts regarding weather.

Weather and Ground Condition Policies

My contracts include a weather and ground contrition policy in order to protect my harp and myself from the damage. Harps are made of wood and are held together primarily by glue. Wood cells function the much like your own skin cells which expand, swell, contract, and dry out with the changing temperatures and humidity. And just like your skin, the elements can damage the harp in the moment or years down the road. Just as a sunburn can lead to melanoma, slight damage to the harp’s wood, glue, and lacquer can lead to damage so severe that the harp can literally pull itself apart. Furthermore, there are over 2000 moving parts on a concert grand pedal harp, and if any of those shift it can throw off alignment, resulting in poor tuning and excessive wear and tear on the strings. If a harp falls due to uneven or unstable ground, the weakest natural points on a harp (usually the neck) can fracture or break entirely. Harpists have to ship their harp to the individual harp makers or the harp factories (mainly Chicago, Los Angeles, Piasco CN Italy) to fix these issues, which are massively expensive and put the harpist out of work for weeks and even months, even if located near the place of repair.

As far as I go, excessive cold can make my hands so stiff and frozen that I can’t move them accurately or at all while excessive heat and sun can lead to things like sunburn and heat exhaustion. The last thing anyone wants is to call an EMT on a wedding day.

I’ve quoted my weather clause from my contract below to show what a standard, comprehensive weather clause includes:

Outdoor Weather and Ground Conditions: The Client(s) agrees to the following:
  1. The Client(s) will provide a space at minimum of four feet by six feet to be made available for the harp and Artist. The space must safe, level, stable, and shaded, and must be free and clear of loose dirt, debris, mud, standing water, dew, snow, sand, rubble, rocks, and mulch.
  2. The client will make the space accessible to the harpist at least one hour before the scheduled start of the performance. If stairs are involved in accessing the space and no ramp or elevator is available, the Client(s) must make available one person to help lift the harp up the stairs. Any delays caused by inaccessibility to the venue will result in overtime charges without refund. If access to the space requires crossing rough, unstable, or unsafe terrain or surfaces including but not limited to sand, cobblestone, gravel, or mud, the Artist retains the right to refuse a performance and will not refund any amount of payment.
  3. The Client(s) will provide a stable, solid structure on which to place the harp and the Artist if no such area is available that meets the above requirements. Acceptable surface include intact plywood boards, rugs that lay flat and are not at risk of absorbing water on the ground, and tightly-packed concrete slabs.
  4. In the event of moderate precipitation, direct sunlight exceeding one hour, and weather conditions where the Client chooses to remain at the original venue for the duration of the event, the Client(s) will provide, at least one hour before the event, a tall (7 feet or higher) event tent or comparable structure with closed sides that prevents precipitation from entering above or around it while meeting the above criteria. 
  5. The Artist reserves the right to declare the venue, site, structure, or surface unsafe or unsuitable if none meet the criteria above, and to refuse a performance. The Artist will not refund any amount of payment if an alternate site deemed suitable by the Artist is not provided.
  6. On the date of the event, the Artist reserves the right to declare the weather unsuitable or unsafe for the harp or the Artist. Weather conditions include all forms of precipitation, winds in excess of 18 mph, temperatures (including but not limited to) above 85.0°F (29.4°C) or below 55.0°F (15.6°C), and direct sunlight for more than an hour. If a protective structure is ready and available and is deemed suitable by the Artist as meeting the above requirements, the Artist will set up and perform from within it. If the event is moved to an indoor, temperature controlled contingency venue withing two hours of the performance, the Artist will relocate as soon as notified. If the Artist is notified of this venue change within two hours of the performance, the Artist will relocate as soon as notified. Any delays due to relocation within the two hours before the event start time will result in overtime charges to be paid immediately following the performance and the Artist will not refund any payment amounts. If the Client(s) chose to remain at the original venue for the event and do not provide a protective structure or contingency venue in the event of the above weather conditions, the Artist reserves the right to decline a performance and will not issue a refund of any amount and will be owed any overtime payments immediately if accrued. 

Why these details are so specific

Many harpists have weather and element polices in their contracts, and for good reason. The wood of a harp is like your own skin. Heat and humidity and water makes it swell, and cold and dryness makes it crack (but unlike skin you can’t moisturize or condition wood). Any damage can be immediate or years down the line, compromising our careers and finances. Damages such as cracks aren’t covered by warranties and possibly not instrument insurances.

Aside from the visuals of the cosmetic damage, these tiny things can ruin the harp’s sound quality. These instruments are made by hand with very precise acoustic construction and little shifts throw the structural and sound integrity off.

Heat

Excessive heat (heat over 85.0°F (29.4°C)) can expand the wood and melt the epoxies, causing seams and joints to slide or pull away. Even just a little damage means the harp can just…break. Just like that, because the structural integrity of the glue and wood has been compromised. As the wood expands, the strings lose tension. This makes the harp’s tuning go flat wherever the wood is affected, which means that the harp might sound out of tune unevenly across the harp.

Precipitation and Humidity

Precipitation and excessive humidity can engorge the wood and warp it, just like furniture. Water damage is the quickest way to ruin a harp completely, and can result in having to send the harp off to be rebuilt or repaired. Repairing or rebuilding a harp is an expensive, time-consuming process that puts the harpist out of commission for weeks or months. Under no condition should a harp be exposed to precipitation or excessive humidity.

Cold

Excessive cold (60.0°F (15.6°C)) causes the wood to contract, which means the wood and finishes can split. This compromises the sound and renders the harp out of tune, sometimes irreparably because of shifts in the mechanics. As the wood contracts, it pulls the strings further apart, creating more tension. Along with causing the strings to go sharp and rendering the instrument out of tune, the added tension and brittle materials makes it likelier for the harp to pull apart at the seams and joints or for strings to break.

Sun

Along with heating up the harp and drying out the wood and lacquer, too much sun can bleach and stain the harp. This obviously impacts the visual beauty of the harp, but the sneakier danger to the harp is UV rays. UV breaks down and/or alters lignin, a complex organic polymer that maintains the strength and rigidity of the wood’s cell walls.

Wind

Winds above 18mph don’t seem very dangerous, but at these speeds wind raises dust and sand from the ground which can settle in the nooks and crannies of the harp. Branches begin to stir, meaning leaves or branches near breaking could fall. It should be noted that these wind speeds also catch paper easily. While I carry paperclips and clothespins for this purpose, it does not always prevent pages from being caught up like a sail in a good breeze, slipping out, and turning over in the binder. And while this next aspect may not seem like a nuisance these wind speeds can make the harp strings vibrate. While the effect is a very ethereal wash of sound, letting it ring or having to reach out and muffle the sound can be distracting in intimate and quiet moments.

Ground Conditions

Ground conditions must be free of mud, loose dirt, rocks, debris, water, snow, dew, sand, and mulch due to the ability to retain water and potential for uneven terrain. Pertaining to uneven terrains or surfaces, including rocks, mulch, rough ground, sand, and dirt, it is important to have a stable, level surface because the harp is likelier to fall over if the bottom of the harp is not touching the ground evenly. For this reason it is important to provide a harpist with a flat, dry, solid surface such as plywood if on grass, or on concrete or in a gazebo. The ground must not slope beyond a couple degrees of being level.

How To Prepare An Outdoor Wedding For A Harp

  1. Read the contract from start to finish, especially the weather and ground condition policy. Ask the harpist to clarify if the policy seems unclear or doesn’t have specific information that will help you gauge whether your location is suitable.
  2. Have an indoor, temperature controlled contingency venue in the event of inclement weather. Having a backup venue like this not only guarantees peace of mind, but makes sure your harpist and ALL of your vendors can provide their services without any hitches. It also guarantees that you, your vendors, and your guests will be physically comfortable. Most people with indoor reception venues designate their reception site as the backup site.
  3. Be aware that most harpist will arrive about an hour before the scheduled start time of the performance. The site must be available to the harpist for setup and harp acclimation. If it begins to rain during this period, the harpist will make all reasonable attempts to communicate with the designated point of contact in order to relocate the harp to an appropriately sheltered area.
  4. Have a point of contact ready to communicate with your harpist and vendors in the event of a venue change on the day or to address any concerns and issues raised by the harpist regarding the site upon arrival. The point of contact must reach the harpist and vendors at least two hours before the wedding’s scheduled start time to allow adequate time to pack up, arrive at the backup venue, and set up.
  5. Have an emotional plan in the event of weather or a venue change. It can be heartbreaking to realize that it’s going to rain on your wedding, and it’s requires the difficult decision to stick with the venue and risk not having harp/other vendors if a proper shelter can’t be erected in time (see point 5) or changing your backdrop which will be memorialized in photos. I know from experience that the wedding day is full of emotions you can’t anticipate feeling, so having a plan in place can help mitigate fears and disappointment.
  6. Have a tall event tent or some other sealed, fully-walled shelter ready and available for LIGHT precipitation or direct sunlight to guarantee harp outdoors, especially if rain is a possibility. Most outdoor venues may be able to provide or rent a structure. Even if you have an open air gazebo or arbor, these will not provide sufficient coverage if there are gaps above the harp or if the elements are coming in through the sides. Keep in mind that a tent will not be acceptable in the cold.
  7. When considering where the harp should be placed, find two or more suitable shaded and sheltered locations free of dirt, debris, or rubble. Having other places for the harp is important in case one of the options is rendered unusable due to something like standing water.
  8. If the harp is to be set on anything other than a wooden surface or concrete, make sure a stable surface like a large plywood board is ready and available to place down. It must be level or else the harp can fall over.