Another new venue!

Congratulations to Helen and Tom who held their wedding at the Manor House Hotel in Moreton in Marsh. This was our first visit to the Manor House, and look forward to our next visit as it’s such a beautiful venue! Helen and Tom had asked us to play a special arrangement of ‘Concerning Hobbits’ from Lord of the Rings whilst they signed the registers, as well as other personal choices during the rest of the ceremony.

Luckily it was a lovely summer’s day so we were able to play outside during the drinks reception, and the younger guests enjoyed running round the garden whilst photos were taken. We played music from our jazz repertoire, and many people were spotted tapping their toes or singing along!

Congratulations to Charmaine and Garry

We made a welcome return visit to the Assembly Rooms in Bath to play for Charmaine and Garry’s wedding ceremony. Charmaine had chosen to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon in D which suited the stunning venue perfectly.

Wedding in Birtsmorton Court, Malvern

Congratulations to Amy and Nick who were married on 12th July. This was our first visit to Birtsmorton Court, and we played for the couple’s church weddding before moving next door to the Court to play on the terrace as their guests mingled with drinks and admired the stunning moat. We had placed our ‘Jukebox’ cards on the dining room tables, so everyone enjoyed choosing their favourite pieces of music for us to play during the wedding breakfast.

Corporate function at Woodchester Mansion

During the evening of 11th July we performed at a business function for Aberlink Ltd, in the stunning gothic setting of Woodchester Mansion near Stroud. This half-finished, haunted Mansion is an incredible setting for music – with its bare stone walls and no internal walls or ceilings our music resonated round every room!

We greeted Aberlink’s clients with a selection of classical music as they arrived for a drinks reception and tour of the Mansion, and followed this with a mixture of lively jazz and pop arrangements during dinner. Some guests played a game of trying to guess what we would play next, and the building came to life with our music and the lively mood of the guests. It was a fantastic evening which we all really enjoyed – and our viola player Jan was even brave enough to go on the ghost tour once we had finished our performance!

Congratulations to Kate and Dave

We always love playing at Eastwood Park, and Kate and Dave’s wedding was no exception, particularly as we had met the couple in advance and knew it would be a lovely day! We played special arrangements of Snow Patrol and David Gray songs which Kate and Dave had chosen to personalise their ceremony. We moved outside to the terrace to play for guests during the drinks reception, and despite the threatening black clouds the weather stayed dry just long enough for some photos!

Wedding at Parkfields Country House

Congratulations to Alex and Katharine who were married at Parkfields Country House. Following the ceremony in a beautifully converted stable we moved to the main lounge to play whilst photos were being taken, as unfortunately the rain came pouring down just as the ceremony ended. The couple had chosen to have our ‘Jukebox’ option during the meal, so guests enjoyed choosing their favourite pieces from our repertoire and listening out for when we played them!

Congratulations Laura and Nicholas

The first weekend of July saw our first visit to Stanton Manor near Chippenham, to play for the wedding of Laura and Nicholas. The couple had personalised their wedding by choosing music for Laura’s entrance, but had left the other choices to our discretion. We knew that Nina Simone’s classic “My Baby Just Cares for Me” was one of their particular favourites, so we surprised the newlyweds by playing a special arrangement of this as they left the ceremony!

We then played other pop song arrangements and jazz standards out on the lawn whilst guests mingled with Pimms and watched the photos being taken of the happy couple. Several young children came to watch us playing up close – and seemed particularly mesmerized by the size and sound of Dury’s cello!

A new Gloucestershire venue

Congratulations to Tom and Pam who were married in St Margaret’s Church on 28th June. The couple had chosen a Beatles theme to some of their music choices, so they walked out to ‘All You Need is Love’ at the end of the ceremony. We then relocated to the Tithe Barn in Stanway to play for the couple’s arrival from church. Guests mingled with drinks on the lawn whilst we performed their choices of other pop and jazz pieces. This was the Quartet’s first visit to the Tithe Barn, and we like everyone else were amazed by the spectacular fountain close to the Barn – we thought we should perhaps have included selections from Handel’s ‘Water Music’ to suit the stunning display!