The long winter is finally over and the spring flowers are finally blooming. Saturday was a glorious day to make my way up to the North Yorkshire Dales for the wedding of Emma and Chris at the utterly beautiful Yorebridge House, a small 5 star property in Bainbridge just beyond Bedale and Leyburn. This intimate venue is set in the picturesque hills of North Yorkshire and was truly looking at its most beautiful with the sun glistening down, throwing sparks of light off the nearby river Ure.

Emma and Chris hired me as their Yorkshire wedding singer and guitarist in mid 2016 and I had the pleasure of meeting up with them in the latter part of last year to discuss their day. They were quite particular about their music tastes, something I always appreciate since I enjoy working with couples who love live music. Since they'd hired me as their wedding singer for the entire day I got to share in their intimate ceremony, the drinks reception and lead them in celebrations in the evening. They asked me to learn a number of songs that were of significance to them. My standard packages include me learning one song after which I charge for rehearsal time. However, with most couples I will usually waive that charge if the song doesn't take long or if it's one I'm going to use in the future.

So Emma and Chris set about giving me the songs they wanted me to learn and there were some real classics in there including Flowers in the Window by Travis, which is a song I completely forgot existed until they brought it to my attention. I was asked to sing Yellow by Coldplay as well. These weren't unusual choices but they were very specific about them. It was only when I got to the venue I saw their reasoning. Their colour scheme included yellow with flowers playing a big part in this. This coupled with the new birth of spring made these songs entirely appropriate for the day.

Moving from the ceremony into the drinks reception I stood by the house for my first set before moving around to the front lawn for the second. The couple had made the decision to have a bird display from North Yorkshire Birds of Prey. This was a different and quirky touch to the day seeing guests holding birds and having their pictures taken with them. There are high moments with any job and mine is no exception. Sitting on a bench in the warm spring sun, gently fingerpicking Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel while guests quietly lazed enjoying champagne is a moment I won't forget.

In the evening we had just 35 guests in the beautiful intimate settings of the house where I stayed on as their wedding guitarist. Emma and Chris had spent a year learning their first dance. They went to lessons every week but they didn't tell a soul. The only people who knew were me, them and their dance tutors. They began their dance to I Feel Fine by The Beatles and the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. It was such a special moment to see all of their hard work come together. After a great evening of live music (including a sliding on the floor contest between a 10 year old and a man child) we said goodnight.

I hope I'll be back at Yorebridge House very soon. A shout out to some other fantastic suppliers I met. Photography by Thompson Photography and videography from Simon Madden at Wedding Vid.

Many congratulations to Emma and Chris.