I don’t even know how to start with summing up this weekend. Four weddings and a funeral…no really, I wasn’t singing at it though, I just got the chance to meet a good friend of mine at one of the weddings I sang at and he had come straight from a funeral to come and help me with my gear. So yeah, four weddings and a funeral. Let’s start at the beginning.
Wedding Singer Derbyshire
On Friday I took a trip down South to Chesterfield to be a wedding singer in Derbyshire for Tracey and Martin’s wedding at Ringwood Hall. Ok, I know Chesterfield isn’t south but I’m from the North East of England originally and anything below Sheffield is down south in my eyes. To be fair, since I moved to Yorkshire in the year 2000 I graciously reviewed my borders and moved the southern one to Nottingham so technically I was up north. My job at Tracey and Martin’s wedding was simple, be awesome for the guests while they enjoyed drinks and canapes on the beautiful patio area under the baking sun and then provide a set a little later. It was job done quite early so I got to travel down motorway in the beautiful sunset. Tracey looked amazing in her beautiful dress and I had the pleasure of getting a comedy photo with the bride and groom which I’m looking to post on my facebook page once the wonderful Sue Hartley Photography sends it to me.
Acoustic Guitarist, Skipbridge Country Weddings
So having made the long trip back up north (well, more north than I already was) I got up on Saturday and took myself to my second home Skipbridge Country Weddings. If there’s a wedding heaven then this is it. Rich and Rachael hired me to be their wedding singer in Yorkshire and were married in a beautiful festival wedding ceremony which had their stamp all over it. They had asked me to sing One Day Like This by Elbow for a group sing along at the end of the ceremony. The twist was they invited my good friend Metin along to play the violin. Did I get footage? No. Boo hoo. I’m not a genius y’know but I do know Tom and his team from SummitVisions were filming the entire affair so if you want to get a look he’ll be releasing the video fairly soon. I did get some footage however and you can see how gorgeous the wedding was below. Even the rain didn’t dampen spirits.
By the time the rain had ceased it’s lengthy but fairly pitiful onslaught we managed to move out into the field for photos by the boat and some classic music before throwing confetti for the bride and groom as they walked down the hessian “red carpet”. Glorious. I can’t fail to mention the canapes that were provided by Smokin’Blues BBQ. Best canapes ever. Neil Jackson provided photography and I’m really really looking forward to seeing how he tells the story of their day in his images, he certainly had a lot of material to work with as the bride and groom had paid attention to just about every details imaginable. The ceremony was overseen by Georgina Pugh, Yorkshire Celebrant. I always enjoy working with celebrants because they love telling stories. Stories are a huge part of our understanding of human nature so I value the storyteller and not least one as kind as Georgina is. She is genuinely interested in people, she wants to represent them absolutely and did a wonderful job of working with the couple to tell their story…which involved cats, Friends and lots of mentions of Elbow.
Weddings in Sheffield
Not deterred by the rain, time or the fact that I don’t get much sleep these days I got in my car and sped off back down the motorway to Lauren and David’s affair at Whirlowbrook Hall in Sheffield. Lauren and David, aka the most chill bride and groom I’ve ever met (they booked me 4 weeks before their wedding ON A PRIME JULY DATE!!) held a beautiful wedding in the stunning grounds of this venue for their family and friends. One of the biggest challenges I face during the summer months is making sure the bride and groom and their guests get the maximum amount of fun and lovin’ from the service I provide. So many people end up spending a lot of time outside on summer evenings. It’s understandable, why wouldn’t you take advantage of the chance to sip Prosecco in the sun surrounded by the beauty of Yorkshire’s vast countryside? To avoid being stood behind a laptop where no one is I suggested taking my portable amplifier outside and doing the first dance on the grass. We did just that and then had a fantastic sing along with the guests, two of whom sang songs themselves. Brilliant.
When it got cold and a bit darker we moved inside to tear up the dance floor to live and pre-recorded music. I don’t remember seeing the dance floor empty at any point during the night. Check out the highlight reel below.
Acoustic Guitarist in Chester
My final stop off was on Sunday in the idyllic, picturesque town of Chester where I was hired by Tara and Eric for their post wedding celebration. The couple had travelled back from South Korea to enjoy a quiet celebration with friends and family after having their formal ceremony in Eric’s homeland back in March. I wish I could link to the pictures of their ceremony, they are stunning. I rocked up at Oddfellows Hall under the impression I was heading toward a countryside wedding. Why wouldn’t it be with a name like that? No. Oddfellows Hall is slap in the centre of Chester so after a short drive around I found an NCP car park and hauled my gear to their venue and began to set up. What. A. Venue. Quirky, eccentric and very modern. I provided two acoustic sets for a chilled out feel while family and guests mingled helping themselves to a beautiful buffet arranged by the venue.
Off I headed home after an epic weekend of travelling. I love my job. I do. I love it. I love it. And I love the couples I come into contact with. They’re so diverse. Some love to dance, others love to shout. Some love to sit quietly and listen while others try to steal my microphone. But they all have something in common. They’re all lovely lovely people.