Wedding 2 at Orchardleigh

Congratulations to Duncan and Julia!

No it’s not a typo, it’s two days in row at this venue. The ceremony took place in the small church down the hill with pop from us contrasting with some brilliant organ playing for the hymns.

We then hot-footed it back to the house to be playing as the couple arrived.

Wedding at Orchardleigh

Congratulations to Chris and Anna!

Midweek weddings are increasingly common these days, and having had our own wedding on a Tuesday Sarah and I have a fondness for them.

The ceremony itself took place in the entrance hall with the Beach Boys for the entrance of the Bridesmaids going straight into Pachelbel for the bride. This was followed by It must be love for the registers and All you need is love for the couple’s exit. We then moved out onto the terrace for the drinks reception.

It was an absolute pleasure to play for the day as Chris had booked us a year ago for a water aid charity event and liked our style so much he wanted us for his special day. Jan enjoyed the canope sausages too…

Wedding at New House Hotel, Cardiff

Congratulations to Sam and Mark!

Not that we normally arrive normally at venues, but Sam had asked us to sneak up into the marquee at the back of the hotel. From our vantage point we played light jazz for the drinks reception before moving into the dining area to play for their meal. The couple had chosen the jukebox option which we always love as it keeps the guests on their toes and talking to us. Some interesting choices to go with this rugby themed wedding!

Wedding at Breamore House

Congratulations to Kim and Doug!

Our first trip to the lovely Breamore House, but our second trip through Salisbury in a fortnight. And on the first day of the half-term – what a traffic nightmare!

Nevertheless, we made it and what a lovely venue it is! Kim and Doug held their wedding in the church within the grounds of the house, Kim looked fantastic walking in to Pachelbel. After a hilarious sermon by Kim’s brother revolving around the gospel according to Rowan Atkinson(!), they had chosen Bach’s ‘Air on a G String’ for the registers before walking out to ‘All you need is love’.

After the service, we hot-footed it up to the house to be playing as the guests arrived for the drinks reception. A fantastic bunch of guests – we couldn’t have wished for better. And in the amazing central hall, we played a mixture of well-known classics, jazz standards and pop songs to take them up to the group photo and wedding breakfast.

Wedding at Walton Park, Clevedon

Congratulations to Tom and Emma, married at Walton Park Hotel, Clevedon.

Everyone likes a trip to the seaside on a sunny day, right? Especially a group of musicians who’ve just started half-term! The sun was shining, and we were very tempted to nip out for an ice-cream at one point… And then the hotel told us the couple had requested chicken, leek and bacon puff-pastry pies for our reception!

In a beautiful ceremony room looking out to sea, the couple chose a very stately selection of Mendelsohnn, Wagner and Pachelbel for their ceremony music. We then moved to the dining room where guests brought us regular requests via our jukebox cards for the rest of the day – some fantastic choices!

Wedding at Wokefield Mansion House

Congratulations to Sarah & Sean – married at Wokefield Mansion House

Here at Ardeton towers, we love a road trip – especially when it involved catching up with our old friend Katy. With Jan unfortunately indisposed that day, Katy stepped in – Katy was one of the original performers with the Ardeton Quartet who has gone on to set-up her own group for weddings in Wales.

The spectacular blend of old and new in the mansion house was reflected in the couple’s music choices – Mendelsohnn, Pachelbel and Wagner. There was also a simply stunning poem read by Sean’s son which brought a tear to everyones’ eye.

It was then a quick trip up to the gallery bar where the doors were opened and the sun shone down on us as we played everybody’s favourite mix of jazz and pop tunes. A fantastic day at a stunning venue.

Wedding at Trafalgar Park

Congratulations to Rosie and Jonathon

A lovely sunny day for a trip into the countryside. The simply stunning venue of Whiteparish Church, and some unusual requests from a musical couple. The choir sang perfectly, we played with gusto, and everyone hot-footed it down the road to the drinks reception at the stately Trafalgar Park – a new venue for us. Lovely. We’ll come again!

Wedding at the Great Tythe Barn, Tetbury

Congratulations to a fantastic couple!

We love the Great Tythe Barn – not just because Sarah & Dury held their wedding reception there – it’s a fantastic setting for any event. The gallery is perfect for us, and it’s a great acoustic. After some traditional requests for the ceremony itself, we played jazz on the lawn and then guests handed us jukebox cards with their requests during the meal. They were a spirited bunch – we used the day as an opportunity to record some ‘live’ demos of some of our newer repertoire and the recording of Queen’s ‘Dont Stop Me Now’ features some great singing from guests – if only you could have seen the dancing too!