An outdoor ceremony, a joyful exit to Mr Blue Sky and film favourites over dinner: Sarah and Martin’s May wedding at Weston Hall brought together a lovely variety of music.
They chose the Dove Strings Solo Violin Daytime Experience, with live music accompanying their guests’ arrival, ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast. The music reflected the changing mood of the day, from the anticipation and emotion of the ceremony to the joy of celebrating over drinks, followed by a relaxed meal filled with familiar songs and much-loved film themes.
A romantic outdoor ceremony
The couple exchanged their vows outdoors on the terrace at Weston Hall, surrounded by greenery, with views across the Staffordshire countryside. Pink and white flowers framed the ceremony space, creating a beautiful setting for their wedding.
The guest arrival music mixed classical favourites such as The Swan, Gymnopédie and Air on the G String with romantic pop ballads including Can’t Help Falling in Love and From This Moment. These familiar melodies created a warm, welcoming atmosphere, setting the scene for the ceremony as guests gathered and took their seats.
For Sarah’s bridal entrance, the couple chose Pachelbel’s Canon in D. During the signing, Clair de Lune and A Thousand Years continued the romantic feel, bringing classical and contemporary music together.
For their exit, Mr Blue Sky by ELO brought an upbeat, joyful change of mood as they walked back down the aisle and into their celebrations as a married couple.
Celebrating with live violin
For their drinks reception, Sarah and Martin wanted a mixture of contemporary pop and classic favourites, giving me room to curate the music around their preferences.
Songs such as Isn’t She Lovely, Love Story, Viva La Vida and You to Me Are Everything brought together different eras and styles, with familiar favourites for guests of all generations. While the couple had their photographs taken, their guests enjoyed live music on the terrace as they chatted and celebrated.
Choosing a few favourites and leaving the rest to your musician allows the soundtrack to feel personal without having to put together a complete playlist.
Film and musical favourites over dinner
The live music continued into the wedding breakfast, with film themes and musicals woven together with uplifting pop favourites.
Their chosen pieces included Hedwig’s Theme, Concerning Hobbits, Music of the Night and Tale as Old as Time. I played their requested favourites and selected additional music to complement them throughout the meal.
The wedding breakfast is often the first chance for a couple to sit down together and take everything in. With the music continuing through the meal, Sarah and Martin could enjoy their chosen favourites too, after spending part of the drinks reception having photographs taken.
I loved how their choices gave each part of the celebration its own musical character, while making the whole day feel personal to them.
Kind words from Sarah & Martin
After the wedding, they kindly shared this review:
“Margaret played at our wedding in May and was fantastic.
She was so easy to communicate with and gave lots of options for music choices and then lots of advice of what music would be suited to a particular moment during the wedding.
On the day itself she played beautifully all day and made our day even more special.”
Thank you, Sarah and Martin, for inviting me to be part of your wedding and for sharing these beautiful photographs.
If you’re imagining live music accompanying more of your wedding day, explore the Dove Strings wedding music options. I’d be very happy to hear your ideas.
Photography: Adrian Chell.