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Weddings

About

Located in Calgary, Alberta, Charming Cellist is a company that specializes in professional cello performances for weddings and other special events. With more than 20 years of experience, Maria Vander Hoek has playing everything from classical to pop music, creating an amazing musical atmosphere which is ideal for beautiful weddings.

Services offered

The services offered include the following:

  • Ceremony music
  • Cocktail hour music
  • Instrumentals
  • Learning new songs
  • Reception music
  • Music during breaks
  • Rehearsal dinner music

Other services

Charming Cellist can play music for any type of social function. Several music arrangements can be provided depending on your needs and size of the party. These include an instrumental duo, string trio, instrumental trio, soloist/vocalist, instrumental solo and string quartet.

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Frequently asked questions

Are you an agency or a band?

Band

What ceremony music arrangements can you provide?

Instrumental duo
String trio
Instrumental trio
Soloist/vocalist
String quintet
Instrumental solo
String quartet

How many musicians are in your band?

1-3

What genres of music does your band play?

Jazz
Acoustic
Dance
Classical
Blues
Swing
Rock
Hip hop
Pop
Orchestra
Strings
R&B
Top 40
Soul
50s
60s
70s
80s
90s

What instruments does your group play?

Violin
Cello
Viola
Piano

What music services do you provide?

Ceremony music
Cocktail hour music
Instrumentals
Learning new songs
Reception music
Music during breaks
Rehearsal dinner music

What services do you provide?

Ceremony music
Cocktail hour music
Instrumentals
Learn new songs
Reception music
Music during breaks
Rehearsal dinner music

What is the starting price for wedding ceremony music?

$300

What is the average price for a wedding reception during peak season?

$1,000

What is the price of your most popular wedding package?

$400

What is the average price for a wedding reception during off-peak season?

$1,000

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

Ceremony music
Cocktail hour music

Which of the following are included in the price?

Learning new songs
Ceremony music
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Any other questions?

Request pricing
5.0 out of 5 rating
7 reviews
  • Quality of service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples
Sabrina
Sabrina Sent on 28/08/2023
5 out of 5 rating

One of our favourite parts of our wedding day!

One of the best decisions we made for our wedding day was having Maria play for our ceremony and cocktail hour. She is incredibly talented and conveys so much emotion in her performance. To top it all off, she is also extremely responsive and knowledgeable on numerous genres. We requested classical music for our pre-ceremony and ceremony and pop songs for our cocktail hour. Maria provided us with an extensive list of songs she already knew and invited us to request any other songs which she offered to learn ahead of our wedding. If you’re wondering if it’s worth it to have live music at your wedding, go for it and do not hesitate to book Maria!
Pascal
Pascal E. Sent on 18/08/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing live music for our wedding day!

I have dreamed of walking down the aisle on my wedding day for what feels like forever, and it was even more amazing than I could have imagined! There is nothing like having live music on your wedding day - if you're debating it, DO IT! It adds so much to the ambience of the day. Maria made the entire process so wonderful and easy - something which I greatly appreciate given that I had to re-plan our wedding twice due to covid lockdowns. She kept up regular communication with me leading up to the day, was able to accommodate all of our requests, pricing was fair, the deposit and cancellation policy (in case of covid) was also very reasonable, and she made arrangements to bring in a pianist (Angela) as we had envisioned a piano and cello duo. All of our songs were pop music covers and they sounded amazing! To say we loved them is a huge understatement. Maria and Angela, thank you both so much for sharing your amazing talents with us! I can't get over how beautiful the music was (and you both looked so gorgeous as well!). The highlight for me was, of course, walking down the aisle, but I don't have any one favourite piece of music because you knocked everything out of the park! I had a few guests who were watching the wedding virtually message me afterwards to say that they didn't cry until you played 'Tale as Old as Time' while we signed our marriage register and that's when they 'lost it', so to speak. So basically, you moved people to tears who were not even present in person and were watching from afar and I think that speaks volumes about the quality of your work and your talents! Thank you so much!
Vanessa
Vanessa L. Sent on 07/09/2019
5 out of 5 rating

A perfect touch added to a perfect day

Maria is a phenomenal musician! She played our ceremony on August 31st, and the live music really made our ceremony special, we were so honoured to have her be a part of our special day!!
P
Prarthna T. Sent on 13/07/2023
5 out of 5 rating

So special and a wonderful addition to our ceremony

Maria was such a joy to have on the day. I requested a blend of Bollywood and English and sent her several Bollywood songs that she played - made my dream of coming down the ideal to some old school Indian music a reality! Highly recommend!!!
J
Jeff W. Sent on 30/08/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Charming Cellist- A beautiful addition to our wedding

Maria did an amazing job, all the songs were on point and it added a beautiful piece to our big day. We would definitely recommend.
S
Sherri L. Sent on 20/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing experience

Maria did such a fantastic job! Her music was beautiful, everyone complimented on her music. I couldn't hold back my tears walking down the aisle listening to her play. I can't recommend her enough, thank you so much!
Svetlana
Svetlana Sent on 22/10/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Memorable Music Forever

For me, truly the highlight of the ceremony. Maria killed it will our request to walk down the isle to a specific part in one song. We added her violin accompaniment last minute and did not regret. Her pricing was fair and her value was exceptional. I would not only recommend but hire her again. Maria thank you so much for making our day special! I wouldn't change a thing.
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1102-1010 Arbour Lake Rd NW T3G 4Y8 Calgary (Alberta)

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