Oakley, CA 94561
(map) Phone: 925-625-4363
Reviews for An Elegant Touch of Strings
GUEST
I found An Elegant Touch of Strings through the our wedding venue. Sherry responded quick to my emails, provided a variety of packages to meet our needs based on cost and time, and readily prepared with music selections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
I found Sherry and An Elegant Touch of Strings through a mutual friend...and what a lucky find it was for me! My daughter really wanted a string quartet and I am so glad we found An Elegant Touch of Strings. The wedding venue was outdoors in a garden so their music was perfect for the setting...adding yet another lovely dimension to the event. I appreciated how easy Sherry was to work with. Their musical options were extensive, but even so, my daughter had a song in mind as their recessional that was not a part of their usual repertoire. Sherry cheerfully made a special arrangement in order to be sure my daughter had a "perfect day". Additionally, my daughter wanted to sing to her new husband as part of the reception, and again, Sherry accommodated this special request and rehearsed with her. Needless to say, that part of the day is something I will never forget....and I'm sure it will always be a cherished memory for my daughter and son-in-law. Their performance is flawless and just beautiful. The day of the wedding was quite warm and I'm sure they weren't as comfortable as they would have liked, but that didn't diminish the quality of their performance. That is the mark of true professionals! It's hard to think of enough superlative adjectives to describe this
group! I am happy to give them my highest recommendation and offer them great thanks for adding so much beauty to my daughter's wedding day.
GUEST
The musicians were so professional and made the music happen during the ceremony and cocktail hour without any interaction with us on the day of the wedding. It was beautiful and the guests really enjoyed it. They were so flexible for our music choices. I would absolutely recommend them.
GUEST
Our ceremony site, Elliston Vineyards, did not allow amplified music outdoors. They referred us to Sherry Lewis, and it was fabulous. We contracted for a trio to perform as guests were being seated and during the ceremony. It added the perfect touch to the elegant garden wedding. I have seen too many weddings where the DJ provided the music and the sound equipment buzzed and shrieked. Sherry was easy to work with, totally professional, and reasonably priced. I would absolutely hire her again.
I was sorry to read a couple of bad reviews about Sherry and An Elegant Touch of Strings. We cater over 150 wedding each year and were voted #1 Wedding Caterer in the Bay Area for 2008. We have consistently used Sherry and her musicians for many weddings and have always been extremely pleased with her rates, willingness to work with the clients, and quality of musical performance. I am, like some of the reviewers, a former musician and happen to have perfect pitch. I have never had the experience that Sherry and her musicians were out of tune with their music, nor have they played inappropriate or unwanted music. Our clients have consistently been very pleased with the quality of the music and the professionalism of Sherry and her staff. I can whole-heartedly recommend them for your event. I would agree with all the reviewers that you should listen to their music in advance to be sure that it is what you are looking for. Much like caterers, you wouldn't book without having tasting the food in advance. But, I feel confident that you will find their music and style quality, their prices reasonable, and Sherry extremely professional.
Vendor response to review
Thank you for the review.
It's difficult to please every single situation, every single client, every single time. Sometimes a tiny imperfection, or as they deem it which may or may not have been our fault, such as a coordinator not holding back the next walk while we switch songs, just as an example, will set off a client. Other times just saying 'no' to an impossible or unreasonable request will. And we occasionally work in very adverse conditions, such as extreme cold, wind, heat, whatever, and definitely not intended for a perfect situation by any means. We REAllY should not play in these conditions because they affect our instrument, and even our ear drums so perfectly in tune is always a struggle. Luckily most of our engagments don't have this problem.
Unfortunately I often don't know the disposition of the client we've contracted until we're down the road a ways. And the kind of crazy review that phoney violinist gave is all the more reason to be careful of the quality of client anyone takes on. But 95% of our clients are beautiful and a joy to work with. She slipped by but actually showed herself as high maintenance but by that time we were contracted.
On the brighter side, we DO strive for perfection and besides the 5 stars here I have hundreds of personal notes and e-mails and clients are welcome to come to my home anytime and view them.
We'll continue to strive for 5 star ratings.
And also just a final note- a live performance is just that. If you make a cake and it's gone a little astray, you can throw it away and bake another. If your limo has a flat tire they just fix it, if the turkey was raw then it get's put back for awhile to cook more, add more salt, whatever. But we perform. The song is now, the notes are now, and sometimes the horrible adverse conditions are now, sometimes we're in a situation that difficult to see everything but it's the only location that works, rare but happens, conditions we shouldn't even be in for our best performance we have to offer. Extreme weather conditions should be brought inside by any client who really cares about their family and working professionals as well. Yet we wrongly take the conditions and do the next song, above and beyond our contract limitations for the sake of the situation.
One thing is sure, we always do our best and our many five stars here and hundreds of thank you notes and e-mails I have collected prove likewise. Sherry
GUEST
sherry was wonderful and the music was beautiful. The only unfortunate part was the fact that our officiant wouldnt allow the music to be played lightly during the ceremony. Other than that, it was definately worth it.
I wanted to have live music as I walked down the aisle, but I was scared off by the high prices many musicians charge. I was thinking of just using prerecorded music, but then I learned that due to noise laws my venue couldn't allow amplified music outdoors. With some searching, I found this group which was more affordable and hired a string trio for 2 hours. I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out- since you don't get to hear the music ahead of time and I wans't sure how the timing with the processional would work out. My fears were for nothing as everything worked out to plan. I was extremely happy with all aspects of their service. They were easy to keep in touch with and did a great job during the ceremony and cocktail hour.
Vendor response to review
Thanks so much!!! 'Easy to get in touch with'---yes, always my goal, and professional, of course!
Thank you for trusting your most special day to us,in the end, and best wishes always! Sherry
So classy! When we heard them, we thought they sounded beautiful and definitely set the wedding ambiance.
Vendor response to review
We are so glad that we pleased you. Makes me smile, thanks very much for the quick but to the point review! Sherry
GUEST
They helped make our ceremony extra special. The music was wonderful. You can even listen to the audio clips online which will help with you music selection.
GUEST
Wow! They absolutely exceeded my expectations and made the day more memorable than I could have expected. I didn't realize how much I would appreciate their organization and willingness to work independently until the day actually came. They showed up on time, ready to go, and moved about as needed. I didn't have to direct them once. They knew exactly what to do. I remember going about all the events of the day thinking... what is that beautiful music I hear.... and there they were playing song after song....it was like a dream! We deeply appreciated their incredible and over the top customer service, flexibility in working with our schedule, and willingness to take things into their own hands to make sure they day went well. The process was so effortless because of Sherry. The music and talent was divine. Those songs keep playing in my head and I will always cherish their amazing music as a crucial memory of the special day. When I had originally booked them, my husband thought strings would be silly, stuffy, and too much. By the end of the day, he was surprised at how wrong he was! He kept complimentary the beauty of their music and how special their music made our ceremony. Talk about feeling so special --- hearing their music during the ceremony made us all cry! It could not have been so perfect without them! Thank you again for your beautifully classic strings!
GUEST
Sherry and her group could not have performed better! Everything was beautiful! In the planning process, Sherry always got back to me quickly and was great in answering all of my questions! I'm a musician as well and their playlist has such great selections. I HIGHLY recommend this group!
The string duet was beautiful. I would highly recommend them. We were thrilled with the selection of music they provided that we could choose from. Our contact, Sherry Lewis, was prompt and very pleasant to work with. I would highly recommend An Elegant Touch of Strings.
Vendor response to review
Thanks so much for this beautiful review. And we're glad that you liked the song choices.
We add to our collection whenever we can, and whenever some song becomes a 'must' on the wedding scene.
Best wishes to you, always, Sherry
I thought ETOS did a great job at my wedding and it was a definitely worth the reasonable fee I paid. I booked a violin/cello duo which was very economical (compared to a DJ!) and they made a great contribution to the wedding--we had traditional songs during the ceremony and more show-tune sort of stuff during the cocktail hour, then we switched to the ipod. Also, unfortunately I don't know his name but the male violinist was also really nice. Also, they learned a hymn that I requested a month before the wedding, which my cousin sang to during the ceremony, which I thought was a nice touch.
Vendor response to review
Oh, thanks so much for comparing us in price. Yes, I think a duo is a great option for smaller areas and really almost any outside situation as the sound carries well with a correct placement of our duo. And it is an economical solution.
And we're very glad you were happy with our accompaniment.
Best wishes to both of you!! Sherry
GUEST
For our ceremony and cocktail hour, we had been undecided about hiring someone to provide live music vs. asking our DJ to perform said duties. We didn’t know if the live music effect would justify its expense – per hour, on average it’s about twice as costly as using a DJ. After some debate, we finally decided to hire Elegant Touch of Strings at our wedding, and what a great decision! Looking back, I don’t think those portions of our event would have been nearly as memorable if we just asked the DJ to play tracks from a CD. Having a couple of obviously talented musicians seated in plain sight, playing on beautiful instruments, without any artificial sound amplification, instantly creates an aura of class and refinement that would be hard to replicate with a DJ hi-fi system.Since we had a wedding and cocktail reception for 80 people in an intimate garden setting, we decided to go with a violin and cello duo, which worked out very well. Sherry (violinist and owner) and the cellist she played with (I never got her name but she seems to be a long-time partner) were absolute professionals – they arrived and set up half an hour before guests started to arrive, discussed timing issues with our officiant, played our ceremony selections right on cue, and then continued to play another 1.5 hours (taking only a short 5 min break once or twice, at most), when our DJ took over for the dinner reception. We picked mostly Baroque and Classical selections for the ceremony, while the reception was a fun mix of recognizable waltzes, Jazz, and well-known movie love themes. Everyone seemed to recognize one piece or another, and a number of guests even came up to us to compliment the selections.Sherry was very helpful in answering my questions and suggesting appropriate pieces. Her website has samples of many of the most popular selections. Importantly, we wanted a nontraditional piece for the bridal walk that not many musicians seemed to offer, and lucky for us, Sherry had played it years before and still had the arrangement. Overall, Elegant Touch of Strings will set you back a good $500 for 2 musicians hired for 2 hrs (inclusive of set-up/break-down time), so it’s not cheap, but worth the money, in our opinions.
For our ceremony and cocktail hour, we had been undecided about hiring someone to provide live music vs. asking our DJ to perform said duties. We didn’t know if the live music effect would justify its expense – per hour, on average it’s about twice as costly as using a DJ. After some debate, we finally decided to hire Elegant Touch of Strings at our wedding, and what a great decision! Looking back, I don’t think those portions of our event would have been nearly as memorable if we just asked the DJ to play tracks from a CD. Having a couple of obviously talented musicians seated in plain sight, playing on beautiful instruments, without any artificial sound amplification, instantly creates an aura of class and refinement that would be hard to replicate with a DJ hi-fi system.
Since we had a wedding and cocktail reception for 80 people in an intimate garden setting, we decided to go with a violin and cello duo, which worked out very well. Sherry (violinist and owner) and the cellist she played with (I never got her name but she seems to be a long-time partner) were absolute professionals – they arrived and set up half an hour before guests started to arrive, discussed timing issues with our officiant, played our ceremony selections right on cue, and then continued to play another 1.5 hours (taking only a short 5 min break once or twice, at most), when our DJ took over for the dinner reception.
We picked mostly Baroque and Classical selections for the ceremony, while the reception was a fun mix of recognizable waltzes, Jazz, and well-known movie love themes. Everyone seemed to recognize one piece or another, and a number of guests even came up to us to compliment the selections.
Sherry was very helpful in answering my questions and suggesting appropriate pieces. Her website has samples of many of the most popular selections. Importantly, we wanted a nontraditional piece for the bridal walk that not many musicians seemed to offer, and lucky for us, Sherry had played it years before and still had the arrangement. Overall, Elegant Touch of Strings will set you back a good $500 for 2 musicians hired for 2 hrs (inclusive of set-up/break-down time), so it’s not cheap, but worth the money, in our opinions.
Vendor response to review
Thanks soooo much for such a detailed review.
You know, music is an art of course and so it can be difficult to please everyone. But I think our arrangements of the different styles like you mentioned, baroque to jazz standards, we try to make the music as correctly played as it was intended. And we really enjoy performing the different styles.
Thanks again and best wishes to the both of you! Sherry
GUEST
They play beautifully. I had good reviews from my guests, but unfortunately only heard them play during the processional, and recessional. It is expensive, but very elegant.
GUEST
Great musicians.
After the ceremony, my guests (including my husband) came up to me and told me that the ceremony music was out of tune and on the wrong note quite a few times! I honestly did not hear anything that day since I was in the waiting area wait for my turn to walk in. I contacted the owner and she said that she thought they did a very good job at the wedding. I am sure this is a matter of difference in opinion! She also said the weather was very cold that day and it affected the strings. HOWEVER, she never admitted that they were playing out of tune. She said they adjusted for the rough weather very well. She thinks I won't hear anything wrong on the video. I've seen a short clip that my brother videotaped and I did hear a odd note.. I am sure they are/will be good when the weather is good. Fellow bride-to-bes, you will want to double check with them on their accuracy depending on the location of your ceremony to ensure a perfect ceremony music. AND, don't bother calling them after the wedding to help them improve because you will just get a defensive conversation and a defensive call back. They truly think they did a great job at my wedding when I am the one that have to deal with an unhappy husband, concerning guests and possibly an out of tune ceremony video (i am hoping my videographer will be able to voice over the bad notes). Maybe everyone will all be much happier if I just have my DJ played the ceremony music. I am not satisfied with their service at the ceremony and not their attitude when I called after the wedding.
*this is my feedback for now, 4/3/08 and I promised her that I would revise my feedback after/when I receive my professional video and if/when it's in fact perfect music.
Vendor response to review
This client told me on the phone that one of her guests caught some intonation difficulties. Now it's 'several and her husband'. To grossly exaggerate to make a point is a common ploy. Yes, I was taken aback by the call and I'm sorry. She just kept at me, trying to get me to say that we played out of tune. She just kind of 'broke' me, I'll admit. It would have been nice (and fair) of her, though, to relate the constant hammering she did to get me to break. It was extremely cold that day, so cold that even with gloves with fingers cut out we were still freezing. And windy which added to the cold. We tried to keep the intonation stable and did a very good job at it. It's tricky as the strings can change just a bit because of extreme weather conditions. I tried to explain to her that we were dealing with the cold and adjusting as quickly as possible. I told her that her video would prove otherwise. A friend that caught us adjusting had a fine ear but our performance was fine enough to get lots of compliments and including a very nice tip from the groom.
Actually our contract says that we don't play in extreme conditions but does say that we'd perform if we had a heating lamp. Nothing was there for us and so we played anyway, against all of our better judgements. We know how important a wedding is, for heaven's sake, and so we played well over the cold level some groups would do.
But overall the performance was very good and we got compliments during the reception, we played bravely, despite the extreme cold, and luckily that was inside.
It is the nature of a live performance, in that we're not in a studio with perfect conditons and temperature and the ability to re-record problems. That goes for all musicians.
I think the review above by the client who's Mom is a professional violinist will speak for us.
That 'friend' unnecessarily worried our bride and her video proved otherwise because we never heard back from here, as I knew we wouldn't.
PS This client could have had her wedding inside. They had a beautiful room. If it was freezing for everyone and you can bet the grandmothers (for all I know even great grandparents),Moms, and others would have appreciated the warmth as opposed to being out on an open grassy area in the extreme cold and wind as it was that day. We see this a lot, unfortunately. I always feel badly for the elderly family members. Sherry
PS Maybe she should have checked her video before she called me and tried to make me agree that the performance wasn't as nice as the other reviews you see, not to mention the tip we received later and compliments (and no video presented to us to prove any different than what I said- that it was a fine performance. sherry
GUEST
High quality, professional, personable, accomodating, and flexible!!!!!! You cannot beat the quality of these folks! Well worth it!
All music played well!! It was very reasonbly priced. Very reliable!!
Vendor response to review
Thanks for mentioning 'reliable'!
I'm very glad you thought that all of the music was played well. It was our goal.
The very best to both of you! Sherry
They played well. No music during my bridesmaid walking down the aisle, but not sure if that was the wedding coordinator's fault or theirs. Didn't really hear the music as I was walking down the aisle, but they were reliable and didn't seem to miss a note.
Vendor response to review
Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review.
Yes, sometimes the coordinator forgets to leave a little gap before sending out the next walk, where we change music, as quickly as we can of course. So we have to quickly make a professional decision to play just a couple of measures of a song, which can come off awkward, or just wait for the next walk.
To prevent that from happening I now write a note on the final communications we have so that it's less likely forgotten to leave those 5 second hold-backs. But beyond that we're very glad you were pleased and thank you for the kindly review of 5 stars. That was very generous! Sherry
We hired them for both ceremony and reception and they were wonderful! They were very easy to communicate with as well. Everyone commented on the beautiful music I had!
Vendor response to review
Thank you so much for letting us know you were glad to have us.
Being easy to communicate with, and highly available are two very important aspects to a happy booking, from beginning to end. I try very hard to get back quickly and be easy to work with and I'm glad you noticed!
Thanks for taking the time and best wishes to you both! Sherry
Elegant Touch of Strings played absolutely beautiful music during my ceremony and cocktail hour. I hired a string quartet and it was very reasonably priced. Sherry Lewis is the contact person and is great with communication. I can't wait to see my wedding video!! I highly recommend Elegant Touch of Strings!!
Vendor response to review
And thank you so much for having us and taking the time to write this note.
Yes, communications is so important. I know how busy everyone is these days, and I know how I appreciate quick and clear responses when I need them.
Thanks VERY much and best wishes to the both of you! Sherry
Truthfully I didn't hear them (Too excited walking down the aisle!!) but I heard they were great!!! UPdate :once I got my video from the spectacular monster crayons!! I finally heard the music and they were great!!
Vendor response to review
Thanks for letting us know how your video came out, and for taking the time to do a review.
We're very glad you have the memories of our music on video and best wishes to you! Sherry
Earlier in her career, my mother was a professional musician so she was in charge of the quartet. We chose to use a string trio plus trumpet. An Elegant Touch of Strings was very affordable and they played beautifully. The trumpet player was pitch perfect.
Vendor response to review
Thank you for sharing this information. It is the ultimate compliment when another fine musician compliments us.
And we knew you'd enjoy our trumpet referral. We'd only have the best to accompany us.
Best to all of you! Sherry
An Elegant Touch of Strings did an excellent job as my ceremony and cocktail hour string trio. When I was walking down the aisle I didn't even hear the music, but I watched my wedding video and they sounded great! They were reasonably priced and very professional. I chose my music from their demo cd (which gives you a taste of what they will sound like) and was overall very satisfied!
Vendor response to review
Thanks so much JoAnn for having us.
I've heard that comment many times- that the bride didn't hear us because it's such an intense moment, but later they saw the video. I know how important music is. I had a violinist at my wedding and to this day can hear the beautiful sounds.
Thanks for taking the time to publish this review JoAnn and I wish you both all the best! Sherry
Wonderful, and they also put me in touch with some trumpet players that they had played with before (DH wanted to recess to Trumpet Voluntary...can't have that without trumpets!) They were awesome and very professional!
Vendor response to review
Thank you Lorita for taking the time to let us, and future clients, know how happy you were. 'Awesome' and 'very professionial' are two things we try to be, no matter if it's the 700th time we've played the Pachelbel Canon or Wedding March, no matter!
Best wishes to you the both of you, always! Sherry
We hired a string trio for our ceremony music and they were wonderful! They even played some songs that I had requested as long as I got them the sheet music. They were very easy to communicate with as well. Everyone commented on the beautiful music I had!
Vendor response to review
Thanks Elizabeth for taking the time and we're glad you liked the special request you wanted. And mentioning the fine communication. That's because I don't go to a 9-5 job and so I can get back quickly most of the time.
A very happy life to the both of you! Sherry
Hi Sherry, I know that I spoke to you on saturday but I wanted to follow up with you and thank you so much for playing at our wedding. The strings were perfect and provided exactly the right atmosphere for helping to make our wedding such a magical event. We had a lot of compliments on how wonderful you sounded and how nice it was to hear you playing in the background during dinner. I wish our wedding could have gone on for longer and we could have heard you play more beautiful music. Please pass on my thanks and gratitude to the rest of your string quartet. With best regards, Helen
Sherry,
Thank you so much for sharing two of your talented and most professional musicians with us on our wedding day. Wow! They absolutely exceeded my expectations and made the day more memorable than I could have expected. I didn't realize how much I would appreciate their organization and willingness to work independently until the day actually came. I remember going about all the events of the day thinking... what is that beautiful music I hear.... and there they were playing song after song....it was like a dream! Please know how much we appreciated your incredible and over the top customer service, your flexibility, and willingness to take things into your own hands. The process was so effortless because of you. The music and talent was divine. Those songs keep playing in my head and I will always cherish their amazing music as a crucial memory of the special day. It could not have been so perfect without them! Thank you again for your beautifully classic strings!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth and Don Yount
November 8, 2008
East San Francisco Bay Area Residents
Dear Sherry,
I Just wanted to take the time to thank you so much again for providing such beautiful music for our daughter's wedding on August 9th in our garden. The trio was absolutely heavenly and it provided such a lovely feeling for our event. It truly gave me goosebumps.
It was such a pleasure working with you in planning this day. I so appreciated your prompt responses, helpful answers to our questions and the many beautiful choices for song selections and your wonderful organization. I knew we were in good hands with you. Your advice and expertise were invaluable to us to make the best possible choices for providing such an ethereal experience for our special day.
Thank you again for such a fabulous experience. I hope we have the opportunity to work together in the future.
With much appreciation,
Caren Steffens
Christmas Holiday Party for Chevron: "Hello Sherry. I would like to Thank you and your staff for a WONDERFUL afternoon, the music was simply Beautiful and festive. Everyone was very impressed and enjoyed the atomosphere that you brought to the luncheon. It has truly been a pleasure working with you, I look forward to future events with you and will highly recommend you and your staff. Wishing you and your Staff a Wonderful and Joyous Holiday Season. Thanks again!" Shirley Basch,Administrative Assistant Dec 06
Hi Sherry,
I just wanted to thank you so much for everything! The music was great, such a nice touch to the ceremony. If you ever need to use me as a reference, please do!
Thanks again for everything!
Beth
Sherry: Thank you very much for the wonderful job at my son's wedding. Everyone commented on how lovely the ceremony's music was and we could not have been happier. Thank you so much for your professionalism and making the day magical. Linda Brusco
Sherry,
Thank you for providing beautiful music for Alecia and Marc's wedding. The violin/cello duet was perfect! We appreciate the talents that you have developed, your cheerful enthusiasm, and professional presentation. Sincerely, Carol and Kelvin Brown
Thank you so much for sharing two of your talented and most professional musicians with us on our wedding day. Wow! They absolutely exceeded my expectations and made the day more memorable than I could have expected. I didn't realize how much I would appreciate their organization and willingness to work independently until the day actually came. I remember going about all the events of the day thinking... what is that beautiful music I hear.... and there they were playing song after song....it was like a dream! Please know how much we appreciated your incredible and over the top customer service, your flexibility, and willingness to take things into your own hands. The process was so effortless because of you. The music and talent was divine. Those songs keep playing in my head and I will always cherish their amazing music as a crucial memory of the special day. It could not have been so perfect without them! Thank you again for your beautifully classic strings!
Dear Sherry,
As wedding consultant for the recently married Carolyn and Vincent Hernandez, I just had to write to thank you and your team for the excellent and friendly service afforded my clients. On behalf of the Hernandezs I want to thank you for providing the wonderful music. It was a great experience working with you, and once again, Thanks for all your assistance!
I look forward working with you and An Elegant Touch of String again soon.
Dear Sherry,
Thanks so much for the beautiful music at our May 5th wedding. I got many compliments, especially from my musician friends. My parents, who were married 63 years ago, had Panis Angelicus and Ave Maria played at their wedding. For my mother, it was a very special, emotional treat when she heard the music played at her granddaughter's wedding. Thanks for adding to the dignity and joy of our celebration.
Patti Erickson
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