Event bookings are secured through filling out my event music agreement and paying a 50% deposit. Please email me or text me at 831-224-0913 to discuss your event and my availability, and we'll take it from there!

The sooner the better. While it's sometimes possible to book last minute, my calendar generally fills up 6+ months in advance, and I often have events on the books up to two years in advance. If your event is on a weekend, particularly a Saturday, I recommend reaching out at least 6 months to a year out.

In the case where you know you'd like to book me, but aren't yet sure if you'd like me to perform solo, or with an accompanying musician or two, best would be to secure your date with me and then hopefully my colleagues will still be available to join me should you decide you'd like to include them.

In the case where you aren't ready to book any music yet, I'm happy to give you the chance to book first as other inquiries for your date start rolling in. Should you still be unsure at that point, unfortunately I will need to move on.

Please stay in touch as you navigate your decision process, and reach out if you have any questions about my services. As much as we'd be thrilled to play for your event, we appreciate knowing as soon as possible that you've decided to go in a different direction so we can invite a new opportunity.

In general, we will need:

• A performance space which affords 3 square feet per musician and is set apart from the crowd.
• Depending on the performance situation, an armless chair for each musician performing.
• If we'll be bringing amplification equipment, we have systems that are battery powered and that need a power source. Knowing whether or not a power source will be available on site, or an extension cord, allows us to plan accordingly. If we'll be plugging into an existing PA, yes, we have all our own mics and pickups, but please inquire about the instrument inputs we'll require.
• A place to safely store cases, bags, and purses away from the performance area.
• For performances lasting 2+ hours we appreciate the opportunity to enjoy a few refreshments, and for events requiring more than 2 hours of travel each way or lasting 3+ hours, a vendor meal when possible.

• Short of an actual stage, a corner or against a wall where we're not blocking the flow of traffic if perfect.

• A level surface and dry ground.
• Shade and protection from sun or fog and mist, either natural, architectural, or an umbrella or pop-up. If this is not possible, an instrument hazard surcharge will apply.
• A spot with protection from wind if possible.
• In the case of rain, including heavy fog and drizzle, or more extreme heat or cold (over 95 or under 55), we request an alternate indoor location or reserve the right to refrain from playing until the situation is remedied or resolves.

• We'll need to brainstorm ways, such as a platform, rug, tables, etc. to keep chairs (and sometimes instruments) from sinking into the sand, and sand out of instruments, cases, and electronic equipment. If this is not possible, an instrument hazard surcharge will apply.

To receive a tailored proposal for your celebration, please reach out with your event date, venue, estimated timeframe, desired ensemble, and if possible, a list of any key song requests or the overall genre/theme/mood you'd like to create. My investment tiers reflect over three decades of event performance artistry, absolute professionalism, and meticulous pre-wedding curation.

All custom quotes are flat-rate experiences that include unlimited consultative planning via phone or video chat, seamless coordination with other necessary vendors (wedding coordinators, DJs, videographers, etc.), and comprehensive $2 million event liability insurance, as required by elite venues across the California Central Coast, Bay Area, and beyond. Final pricing is tailored based on peak-season demand, travel logistics for the artists, and bespoke production requirements.

I design our performance around the emotional arc and flow of your day. Every event is unique and your base investment covers the significant preparation and coordination, score curation, artist travel, rehearsal, and sound-check setup required for a flawless ceremony, reception, corporate event, or party.

For wedding couples and event clients seeking a seamless guest experience, I offer efficient, multi-hour curation tiers. Once on site, extending our live performance into a cocktail hour, family photo chapter, dinner reception, is a seamless and impactful addition to your event.

To protect the uncompromising quality of our performance and the availability of my elite musicians, I observe a standard one-hour booking minimum. For Saturdays during peak wedding season (April through October) or for events requiring extensive travel, we implement a 1.5 to 2 hour minimum depending on geographic logistics.

Whether or not you choose to have us perform the entire time, this baseline structure protects your timeline. It provides a built-in buffer, ensuring we are poised to gracefully fill the space with beautiful music should unexpected shifts occur, keeping your guests enchanted and relaxed.

To ensure your guests experience absolute musical clarity regardless of the performance space and layout, starting in 2026 I will be phasing out additional a la carte equipment fees and including pro-tier, low-profile sound reinforcement in every curation tier. We travel with compact, high-fidelity, amplification systems designed to deliver rich and clear acoustic distribution across expansive spaces with battery-powered options to requiring venue power draws or a lot of unsightly wires.

My priority is absolute harmony with your creative team and your venue's guidelines. If you're celebrating in a historic chapel or a local zone that legally mandates unamplified sound, we simply execute a completely acoustic, traditional performance. Because my investment tiers reflect calendar exclusivity and tailored music scripting rather than the physical weight of the gear we may or may not be bringing, the pricing structure remains the same. For acoustic-only settings, we can adapt playing technique and instrument positioning to maximize the natural, raw acoustics and resonance of the space to maximize volume and sound distribution.

We offer amplification options to suit the variety of performance situations we encounter, including the ability to be entirely self-sufficient. Utilizing premium battery-powered audio arrays, we are able to place zero logistical infrastructure or power-grid demands on your venue, your generator, or your lighting team. This independence allows us to set up and perform anywhere - including remote cliffside terraces in Big Sur, open beaches in Carmel, or hidden vineyard lawns - free of power cords, extension hazards, or aesthetic clutter.

You can leave the technical coordination entirely to us. Once you provide your planner or venue coordinator's contact details on my onboarding form, I will interface with them directly to coordinate arrival timelines, site layouts, and plan your space's sound needs. The only information that will be helpful to customize our setup are your estimated guest count and whether our performance location(s) are indoors or outdoors, allowing us to pack the perfect gear for your celebration behind the scenes.

Although I'm happy to perform on either, most of my solo event repertoire is arranged for violin. Although I can transpose most pieces and songs to the viola, it's often simplest to perform them on violin as I usually do. If you'd strongly prefer for me to perform on viola, or a mix of the two instruments, this can likely be arranged. The viola is certainly a beautiful sounding instrument too and deserves more recognition!

I perform exclusively on an exquisite acoustic instrument crafted by a master California luthier and celebrated by audiences for its remarkably deep, rich, and warm resonance.

While I don't offer the modern pop visuals of plastic or colorful electric violins, nor high-intensity digital sound effects, I am fully equipped to amplify my acoustic instrument, ensuring that its breathtaking, authentic classical tone will fill your space with clarity and sophisticated presence.

To maintain the highest standard of musical artistry, I perform exclusively live and do not utilize pre-recorded digital backing tracks.

The true luxury of completely live musicians lies in our fluid, real-time adaptability during high-stakes moments. As you walk down the aisle, our music walks with you, masterfully elongating a phrase or condensing a moment, crafting a flawless, natural cadence precisely as you reach the altar. Digital backing tracks force a musician into an unyielding grid; if the timeline shifts even a few seconds, an audio file might end abruptly, loop awkwardly, or fade out in an unresolved section of the music, leaving you and your guests with a lingering feeling of incompleteness and uncertainty, breaking the magic of your climactic moment.

For an uncompromised atmosphere, I strongly recommend my duo or trio configurations to achieve both organic depth and flawless pacing.

Thankfully, the violin and fiddle are actually the same instrument, the difference only being the style of music being played! Rather than Classical, or Jazz, or contemporary music, if you'd prefer "fiddle" music, including traditional Irish/Scottish/Celtic, Bluegrass and Old Time, Country, or Folk, this can be arranged. If you'd like a mix of styles, I'm happy to keep your guests guessing - "what style can't she play!?"

The violin can perform solo or be accompanied by a range of instruments, however, not all songs will sound as convincing when performed solo, or with every type of ensemble. For example, in general, guitar accompaniment offers the most versatility and fullness for clients wanting to feature a variety of styles, especially more contemporary music, but for clients wanting to focus on traditional Classical music, cello can be another good choice for a duo.

Along with considerations like the venue and guest list size, budget, event length, and whether or not the group will be acoustic or amplified, there are a variety of considerations when booking a musical act and it's a decision best made together after discussing your situation.

In general, I've created my rehearsed ensembles for a reason, including not just their talent and versatility, but also their dependability and our musical chemistry. While many musical acts in the wedding and event space are able to offer every possible instrumental combination due to a practice of hiring players from long lists of local musicians on a first come first served basis, I only work with a few dedicated colleagues who I've performed with for years, if not decades. Rather than seek out musicians I may have never played with before, on instruments I may need to create entirely new arrangements for, I prefer to offer what is already polished and experienced. For more information about that, please see the "Choosing Ensemble Type" section on my Event Services page.

That could certainly be a possibly. Please reach out and we'll go from there.

Definitely! We'd be honored to perform our original music at your event, concert series, or festival. You are welcome to reach out to me, or for information about booking Dan and Laurel, please visit https://www.danandlaurel.ca/Booking

We are happy to perform any piece or song from one of the lists here and if you have a music request that is not listed, most songs can be arranged and learned given enough notice (at least 6 weeks prior to the event is preferred). An often modest additional fee will need to be negotiated to cover the time and costs associated with purchasing, learning, arranging and/or transcribing new music.

As explained above, we are happy to perform any piece or song from one of the lists here, but we'll need to negotiate a fee if you'd like us to learn and prepare a song that's new to us for your event. This fee factors in the anticipated time and costs associated with purchasing, printing, learning, arranging or transcribing, and rehearsing new music.

Even when sheet music exists, we sometimes need to arrange it to fit the instrumentation, such as turning a piano score or lead sheet into something a string quartet can read, or working out chords and bass lines for a Classical piece so the guitarist and bassist in my violin-guitar-doublebass trio have parts. This can sometimes take considerable time and usually involves the input of all the musicians who will be performing. When sheet music doesn't exist and I need to transcribe from a Spotify or YouTube recording, it's not unusual to spend 3-4 hours just deciphering the parts by ear and creating the sheet music, before any real practice on my own or with my colleagues has even happened.

When making your favorite song sound as polished as the rest of the songs in our repertoire, my modest special music fees are truly a bargain.

Many wedding and event clients choose only a few special songs and leave the rest up to us. If you're enthusiastic about creating the setlist, we'll happily try to fit in all your favorites. If you'd prefer to choose just the genre(s), or a handful of artists/composers to focus on, we can easily fill the time with a nice selection based around your preferences. When narrowing down your selections, note that for each hour of continuous music, we'll typically play 10-12 songs.

With reportedly 120,000 new songs being uploaded to streaming platforms every day, we know there are a lot of songs to choose from, on my lists and otherwise. For weddings, please click here for some of my ceremony music suggestions.

Assuming we can be in touch ahead of time about the details and we'll have a few minutes to rehearse the song before the event, yes, this is usually possible given sufficient notice.

Although I prefer to work with my established ensembles and the colleagues I trust, I understand the need to sometimes book non-associated musicians for an event, such as the pianist already associated with a church, or a special vocalist. Assuming we can all be in touch about the details, and possibly schedule a rehearsal or two ahead of time, this is usually possible given sufficient notice.

As odd as this question might seem at first, as many groups, especially string quartets and wedding bands, go corporate and international, the question becomes quite legitimate and understandable! We see such-and-such string quartet smiling on their website or playing in a video, but the musicians who arrive to play your event are quite obviously not the same people. Assuming an agency has a strong network of musicians to call on, it's probably pretty lucrative to take every booking that comes in and send out whoever's available to fill in.

For me, concert worthy event music, chemistry among the musicians, happy clients, and my reputation are much more important than making as much money as possible. While I'm happy to provide referrals if I'm unavailable for your date, I only book events that I'm personally available to play.

Similarly, when you book me with one of my ensembles, I focus my collaborations on a small handful of professionals I have played with for years (usually only one primary collaborator per instrument, and a secondary backup just in case). If I do need to hire a colleague other than one seen performing with me in my pictures, videos, or audio clips, you can rest assured that I only work with high caliber musicians who are also conscientious, kind people.

For a modest additional fee we are happy to supply a simple sound equipment setup to amplify speakers at events hosting up to ~100 people. For larger groups, unfortunately we are not equipped to handle that level of volume, though we may be able to look into renting a bigger sound system.

I carry the industry standard $2 million event liability insurance, as well as insurance to cover musical instruments and other gear I might be bringing to an event. Proof of liability certificates are available to those venues requiring it, though if a venue needs special additional requirements, a modest fee to cover the additional fees charged by my insurance company will apply.

For venues also requiring proof of workers compensation insurance, my colleagues are private contractors, not employees, therefore these requirements do not apply to us.

Since any travel fees are factored into my initial quote, other fees that may or may not apply to your event are:

• Overtime: Applicable in the event that the finishing time of a wedding ceremony is significantly later than anticipated (more than ~10 minutes). In such cases the contracting party will be billed in 30 minute increments.
• Special music fee: This fee, described among the questions above, would apply if a client requests music outside my repertoire. The fee reflects the costs and time involved in purchasing the sheet music and the preparing the new song or piece.
• Amplified music fee: This fee reflects the extra preparation and arrangements required when amplifying, and the possible need to rent equipment depending on the scope of the production and size of the ensemble. If we will be playing acoustically or using an existing system on site, this fee does not apply.
• In-person consultation fee/attending a wedding rehearsal: If you would like to arrange a consultation in person or have me attend your wedding rehearsal, a fee reflecting my time and travel will apply. Time spent by phone, on a video call, or emailing to help determine event music requirements, selecting music for the event etc. is already factored into the overall booking fee.

My rates factor in event length, the number of musicians performing, travel time and distance, whether we're playing acoustically or need to bring a sound system, whether we'll need to learn new music, and yes, the day of the week, the time of day, and the time of year.

However, these latter considerations usually hold less weight. If an event is close by, yes, I may quote a slightly lower rate for a non-peak day, time, or season, but unlike venues where they might deeply discount a Tuesday wedding versus a Saturday wedding due to the popularity difference across different days of the week, my time and energy are more of a factor in setting my rates and are consistent regardless of the popularity of a particular date. I'll still need to spend the same amount of time practicing, lining up colleagues and rehearsing with them, consulting with the clients and coordinators by email, phone, text, and/or video chat, and organizing my music so that all the song requests are easy to flip to on a moment's notice. And, weekday traffic often requires I spend more time traveling than on a weekend actually.

In the end, my time is still my time and my rates are quite competitive with others holding a similar level of skill, experience, and professionalism.

My event agreement, signed by both parties at the time of booking, clearly states how we would handle a cancellation. It reads as follows:

• Termination by the contracting party: The contracting party may terminate this agreement with at least 31 days prior notice of the event without penalty, though the deposit is non-refundable. Should the termination occur with 30 days notice or less, an additional 25% of the agreed upon total fee will be charged. Should termination occur with 7 days notice or less, the remainder of the total fee will be charged.
• Termination by Laurel Thomsen: In offering event services since 1998, Laurel Thomsen has never had to cancel services for any reason, but if such a case should arise and Laurel Thomsen is unable to perform due to illness or emergencies beyond her control, she will make every effort to arrange services as similar as possible to the services agreed-upon. If this is not possible or acceptable to the contracting party, she will return the deposit and balance, if already paid, to the contracting party, though not including fees paid for any services already rendered (in-person consultation fee, etc.).
• "Force Majeure”: If the event must be canceled due to an “Act of God” including a major earthquake, flood, fire, riot, strike, war, or epidemic, clients may choose to reschedule the event to a later, mutually agreed upon date, in which case the deposit, balance, and any other fees already paid would be applied to the new event date. Should the contracting party choose not to reschedule, they are not responsible for paying the balance and the deposit will be refunded, minus payment for any services already rendered (in-person consultation fee, etc.), and minus a 20% administrative fee for events with total prices of $300 or less, or minus 15% for events with total fees over $300.

While I can't recall all the amazing vendors I've met at events I've played over the years, I've definitely enjoyed meeting and working with these individuals and companies serving the California Bay Area and Central Coast:

Wedding/Event Planners:

• Anita Starr, A. Starr Events https://astarrevents.com
• Jessica Schmidt, Cork and Vows https://www.corkandvows.com
• Jules English, Events with Jules http://eventswithjules.com
• Lynn Myers-Galster, Duke and Pearl http://www.dukeandpearl.com/index.html
• Patty Spiers, Every Last Detail Wedding and Event Coordination https://eldweddings.com
• Sarah Greathouse, A Paper Flower Wedding https://www.apaperflowerwedding.com
• Wedding Connection https://www.weddingconnection.net

• Adam Millman, DJ Shazam https://djshazam.com
• Ashley Good, Fog City DJs https://www.fogcitydjs.com
• Belmont Entertainment https://www.belmontent.com
• Brian LaPlace http://laplaceproductions.com
• DJ Jacob @ Crush Events https://www.crushevents.com
• DJ Jeffty https://www.musicbyjeffty.com
• Mark Addington https://www.markaddingtonevents.com
• Santa Cruz DJ (have worked with both Trevor and Scott) https://www.santacruzdj.com
• Scott Krugman http://djtrug.com

• Brian Borgia, Weddings in Monterey https://www.weddingsinmonterey.com/officiant.html
• Brian Lyke, Life Celebrations https://www.lifecelebrations.org
• Ellen Scher https://www.ellenscher.com
• Elvia Valázquez, Bilingual Ordained Ministress weddingsbyelvia@gmail.com
• Sarah Eby, Ordained Spiritual Guide and Reiki Master https://shorturl.at/tUYZs
• Soaring Starkey https://www.bigsurceremonies.com

• Audey Shen https://www.audeyshen.com
• Brandon Scott https://brandonscottphoto.co
• Derek and Kayla https://derekandkayla.com
• Heidi Borgia, Weddings in Monterey https://www.weddingsinmonterey.com/photography.html
• Lynn Lewis https://www.lynnchanglewis.com
• Seeking Venture Photo https://seekingventurephoto.com

• Derek and Kayla https://derekandkayla.com
• Filmman Video Production https://www.filmmanvideous.com

• Dan Frechette and Vinyl Revival https://www.danfrechette.com
• Dave Holodiloff https://www.daveholodiloff.com
• Entourage the Band https://entouragetheband.com
• Harry & the Hitmen https://www.harryandthehitmen.com

• Sea Stars http://seastarscatering.com