Venus Ensembles Testimonials

"Dear Jessica,

I just wanted to express to you my thanks for all you did to make the wedding ceremony a success.

Everything pulled off seamlessly.   I loved the musicians... They were both sensitive and professional, a mom's dream.   Every cue was perfect and graceful and their playing was wonderful... they just knew what to do from beginning to end.  It could not have been more perfect; even the timing on the Ave Maria during the lighting of the candles.
So from one musician to another - thanks from the bottom of my heart to you and your lovely trio. I know Lauren thanks you too!  You certainly deserved every penny of the fee and you can quote me on that!

Keep up the good work.  Hugs and gratitude,"

- Nancy Seabold

"Scott and I wanted to again extend our gratitude to you and your ensemble for making our wedding reception so special and memorable. Music speaks where words cannot and we will forever treasure all of the moments which you helped create for us and our guests so perfectly. We would also like to thank you for your professional guidance both in planning for and in choosing music that best reflected us; the rock portion of our cocktail hour was beyond cool...you might just have started a following! It really was a pleasure working with you and we hope that we have some excuse someday in our future to hear you play again - thanks for sharing your gift with the rest of us."

--Danielle Salerno

"After 250 weddings you begin to lower your expectations toward 'professional' musicians. Sadly there is a good deal of simply going through the motions out there. Then along comes Jessica and her extraordinarily talented cadre of young artists. 'Ode to Joy' is rendered joyfully. 'Pachelbel's Canon in D Major' is magnificently reverential. Even when they are applying themselves mightily to be heard, un-miked, above the din of a two hundred person cocktail reception, their music is both ethereal and polished. This isn't your average string quartet."

-- Duncan Burns, General Manager of The Union League Club, New York City


"I cannot thank you enough for your integral help in making our wedding a very special event for both of us and our guests. All of the musicians were excellent, and your recommendations and choice of music was perfect. We got a LOT of comments about Venus Ensembles from our guests! Plus, you have been so easy to work with through the whole process, start to finish - it is great to always hear a cheery voice on the other end of the phone during what is always a hectic day when planning a wedding. Thanks again and can't wait to have a reason to use you again!"

-- David Wargo

"I just wanted you to know that your jazz group was fantastic!  EVERYONE had such a great time at the cocktail hour and everyone commented on how great the music was.  The songs were wonderful, the musicians entertaining - all went so well.  I cannot thank you enough for all the time you put into helping me. the musicans were prompt and accommodating (it did start to rain AFTER the ceremony so they had to "quickly" move into the bar/cocktail room from the terrace).  All went so smoothly.  Oh, and the Ave Maria, Wedding March, etc -really, really were great choices for the ceremony.  I had my doubts about the classical vs the jazz....but, the "jazz" (which as you know my son wanted) really gave the ceremony an extra "bounce".  It was amazing!   A million thank yous!!!!!!"

-  Alice Dunn, happy mother of the groom

"Dear Jessica,
We wanted to send a huge (albeit belated -- our honeymoon lasted a month-and-a-half!) thank you, to you and Venus Ensembles for your fantastic performance at our wedding this August at Oheka Castle.  Our guests --many of whom have substantial music backgrounds -- were positively blown away by the quality, breathtaking sound, and appearance of your group.  We've now been asked numerous times where we found you!  Indeed, one guest (a Yale violinist) told us that she did not even notice that the ceremony started 10 minutes late, as she was just enjoying listening to the "flawless, gorgeous" classical music. 
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  We could not have asked for more! 
Bravi!!!!! 
Best wishes always..."

-- Justina & Thomas Jacob

"Just wanted to express how delighted and grateful we were to have you and the rest of the quartet play such beautiful music on our big day. I can't tell you how many people commented on how they loved the music, especially during the processional when you played "Bittersweet Symphony" - it was a big hit! Thanks for making it happen and for being so responsive and accommodating to our requests, which made it feel so much more personal! Wishing you and your quartet all the best in 2007!"

-- Julie Yee

"Thank you for providing such beautiful and elegant music as the backdrop to our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. Your trio really added so much to the occasion. The ceremony music was just as we had envisioned it, and your selection of songs for the duration was just right. Many of our guests told us how impressed they were with your professional sound and appearance - not something that people are used to getting at weddings! We really appreciate the care you took in getting all of the details down for a wonderful wedding performance."

-- Lisa & Eric Fields

"The music provided by Venus Ensembles was really perfect! Thank you for making the planning stages so enjoyable, for the lovely song suggestions, and for an absolutely wonderful wedding performance. The timing, too - obviously critical for a good wedding and a little tricky in our smaller church - was spot on. The general comment we hear about our day over and over again is 'personal and romantic'- and you, your team and your musical offerings were integral to this!"

-- Bonnie & Scotty Mackenzie

"Thank you so much for the wedding music. I felt so lucky to be able to have such beautiful songs and such accomplished musicians there to make the day even more special. My mom and I kept getting compliment and compliment regarding the music. Thank you for making the afternoon memorable for us and the others. I truly appreciated it."

--Dorothea Hunter

"The music at the church was beautiful. It truly helped to create the kind of intimate and personal ceremony that we were hoping for. The music also added to the lightheartedness of the cocktail hour. Thank you for all of your help with the organizing and planning leading up to the day. You were a pleasure to work with - I won't hesitate to recommend you to anyone."

--Clare and Chris Passaro

"The trio was wonderful, just the sound I wanted. Thanks for finding arrangements that worked and for learning new music. I really appreciated your openness to my ideas. Romeo & Juliet and Inner Light came together especially well. Many thanks!"

-- Angela & Gregory Christiana

"It has been such a pleasure planning our wedding ceremony music with you. Your expertise and attention to detail has made our wedding evening a night to remember. Thank you for all your efforts."

-- Addea & Norman Steele

"Thank you so much for playing the beautiful music for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. It was so wonderful to work with you to come up with our music selections. We were thrilled with the results, and so many of our guests commented on the great musicians!"

-- Amy & David Schwartz

"Thank you for your assistance with our recent wedding. The musicians did an incredible job playing both the music we selected and their own selections. There was a delay with one of the buses arriving late to the outdoor ceremony at Wave Hill, but your musicians were completely unfazed and simply looked as if this was part of the deal from the beginning. People commented on the live classical music as being a very neat, classy part of the wedding, and I appreciated hearing Dvorak's Humoresque as we walked down the aisle. It made me feel as if my late Grandpa, who used to play this piece for me a lot, was able to attend the ceremony with us."

-- Pavla Nygaard

"Thank you again for the beautiful music performed by your quartet for our wedding. It added so much to our ceremony and cocktail hour. It was so kind of you to brave the uncertain weather to come and perform on the roof terrace. I especially appreciate the four of you learning the theme from 'Cinema Paradiso' for my processional. It meant a great deal to me."

-- Regan Stanger

"Thank you so much for arranging this gorgeous music at my wedding. Everyone was complimenting the quality of the musicians! Hope to work together again!"

-- Lisa Evanson

"Just a little note to let you know how appreciative Bill and I are of all of your hard work leading up to and on our wedding day. I enjoyed speaking with you and cannot thank you enough for making the experience a wonderful one. You were a pleasure to work with and I certainly hope that our paths will cross again."

-- Tess Resman


"It was a pleasure working with you on the Shember and Gleiberman weddings, and as usual, it was great to see you. Thank you so much for your assistance and hard work. Your musicians could not have been more accommodating and I know both Staci and Melissa were just thrilled with how their events turned out. Without your help, their ceremonies wouldn't have been as beautiful as they turned out to be. Many thanks to you and your musicians. We look forward to working with you in the future."

-- Claudia Hanlin of The Wedding Library


"Your patience, flexibility and thoroughness with the details was greatly appreciated, and you were a true pleasure to work with. Lisa and Eric Goia, as well as their families, could not have been more thrilled with the overall course of events. You amazed and entertained the large crowd, and we are truly grateful for this. I very much look forward to working with you and Venus Ensembles on many upcoming projects."

-- Jennifer Brisman of Jennifer Brisman Weddings New York

"The music was beautiful and made the ceremony and cocktail hour all that I'd hoped it would be. Your talent and professionalism made me relax and enjoy."

-- Karen & Craig Chodash

"Thanks again for your patience and professionalism. You really stand out in the service industry, and it's appreciated!"

-- Charlene Hannon

"The string trio gave the ceremony a beauty and emotional intensity that would have not been possible without them. A great number of guests raved that they had never been to a wedding before that had concert quality music."

-- Josh Plaut & Lena Kim

"Thank you again for doing such a BEAUTIFUL job on all of our music..it was one of our favorite parts of the day. Please use us as a reference!"

-- Dan Brown & Amanda O'Brien

"I wanted to thank you so much for contributing to our very special event on New Year's Eve. You were wonderful, terrific, and fabulous! ...I will tell everyone about you."

-- Jami Van

"Thank you for the beautiful music which made our daughter's wedding day extra special. We loved what your group did for us."

-- Abby Litt