Today was a rare trip to Wiltshire for us. I say rare, as we actually live in Wiltshire although only just. Based on the border with Gloucestershire we are often found at weddings in Gloucestershire but less so in Wiltshire – although that said we are playing for another wedding in Wiltshire tomorrow! There’s a saying about buses to insert here….

Anyway it was a delight to be part of today’s wedding which took place in the chocolate box village of Tollard Royal which is on the Southern edge of Wiltshire – basically completely the other side of the county to where we live. But no matter, a short journey down the A350 and we found ourselves in perhaps one of the prettiest villages in England.

The Wedding

Gabrielle and Tom
St Peter’s Church, Tollard Royal
Friday 7 October 2022

The Church

St Peter’s, Tollard Royal is part of the Chase Benefice, Dorset. The Church of England Chase Benefice is situated across the Dorset Wiltshire border in part of the beautiful Cranborne Chase and was formed in 2001.  It is currently made up from 10 churches in the 7 parishes of Chettle, Farnham, Tarrant Gunville, Tarrant Hinton, Tarrant Keynston, Tarrant Monkton with Launceston and Rushton, and Tollard Royal.  The church in Tarrant Crawford is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust and is open for one service a month from May to September each year.  Tarrant Rawston church is privately owned.

The Church Ceremony

Setting up as directed to the left of the altar at the front of the church we had a list of music to play before the arrival of the bride which included:

I Giorni ( Ludovico Einaudi)
Gabriels Oboe – Ennio Morricone
When We Were Young (Adele) arranged for Cello and Piano

Gabrielle’s entrance was to a recording of Recomposed by Max Richter – Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 1. Spring. We had agreed to play this through our speaker which in the end was done – however note to self, when you save things on Apple Music you still need the internet to play them! Internet is not a feature of Tollard Royal. However we did know that the groom had downloaded an offline version. So a plan was hatched and the best man’s phone was linked to our bluetooth speaker and the music was played right on cue for the entrance of the Bride.

As well as music during the signing and exit, Jules also played the organ for the hymns. This wasn’t the original plan – but on hearing someone was planning to play some sort of backing track through a speaker for hymns we decided we could do better than that! And so Jules jumped on the organ which was just about passable for the occasion to provide live music for the two hymns. The organ wasn’t great but we felt this was better for the couple and their guests certainly sang along!

Other music during the service included:

Signing
Strange (from Bridgerton) and Always Remember Us This Way (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)

Exit
Grow Old With Me (Tom Odell)

Wedding Drinks Reception

After the service we had a short drive to the Larmer Tree Gardens where the drinks reception was being held.

Larmer Tree Gardens

“The Heart of the Cranborne Chase…”

The wonderful 11-acre gardens are set in the heart of Cranborne Chase, an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Wiltshire/ Dorset border well away from the hustle and bustle of busy modern life. The Larmer Tree Gardens, created by General Pitt Rivers in 1880 are an extraordinary example of Victorian extravagance and vision.

The gardens hold a unique collection of ornate buildings, ranging from the spectacular Singing Theatre to the magical Roman Temple. The majestic trees and intimate arbours create secrecy and surprise whilst the open lawns provide a perfect setting for a relaxing trip. The magical garden welcomes guests to wander through hidden walkways, unwind on the lawns and to discover the unique charm of this beautiful setting. 

The first thing we noticed was the Peacocks strutting around – this was closely followed by the Gin Bar!

We were then met by a lovely wedding planner who showed us to our own ‘stage’ for the drinks reception.

Music for the Drinks Reception

Tom and Gabrielle had requested a mix of modern, classical and film themes to include:

Come What May (Moulin Rouge)
Nobody Does It Better (Carly Simon
Dance Monkey (Tones and I)
Let It Be (The Beatles)
JAM Duo – Make You Feel My Love (Adele)
Together In Electric Dreams (Human League)
Young And Beautiful (Lana Del Ray)
Tale as Old as Time (Beauty And The Beast)

JAM Duo at Your Wedding

We really enjoyed today’s wedding in Tollard Royal. Gabrielle and Tom were both lovely people and made us feel extremely welcome. We wish them every happiness in their future married life together.

If you would like JAM Duo to provide music for your wedding then do please get in touch via our contact page.