Just north of our home in Wiltshire is Eastington Park, a lovely venue set in the Cotswolds. Eastington Park was built in 1815 by a local clothier and mill owner called Henry Hicks. Mr Hicks purchased the estate in 1806 from the Stephens Family, after the original building, Eastington Manor, was demolished in 1778.
The building retains much of its early 19th-century charm, including a curved cantilever staircase with a wreathed handrail which is often where wedding cakes are displayed.
The Wedding
Sarah and Jonathan
Eastington Park, Gloucestershire
Monday 24 March 2025
Ceremony, Drinks, Meal and First Song
The Ceremony
Music for the Ceremony
Pre Ceremony
Le Festin from Ratatouille
I see the light from Tangled
Andante from ABBA/Mamma Mia 2
So this is love from Cinderella
La vie en Rose by Edith Piaf
Bridal Entrance
In Case You Don’t Live Forever – Ben Platt
Signing
Million Dreams from the Greatest Showman
Exit
Rainbow Connection – Muppets
The Drinks Reception and Meal
After the ceremony we moved outside, in fact our first outdoor ceremony of the year despite this being about the fifteenth wedding we have done so far. The weather was almost perfect for an out door drinks reception – the sun was shining but it was neither too hot nor too cold. A rare moment in the UK perhaps!
For the reception Sarah had given us plenty of inspiration for the style and type of music they wanted us to play which included:
MIKA, No Place In Heaven
MIKA, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
MIKA, Life In Cartoon Motion
Ben Platt, Sing To Me Instead
Various Pokemon Themes
Muse, The 2nd Law
Maroon 5, V
Panic! At The Disco, Pray for the Wicked
Panic! At The Disco, Death of a Bachelor
Queen, ANY
James Bay, Chaos And The Calm
A Great Big World, Is The Anybody Out There
Greatest Showman, Soundtrack
Disney, ANY
Lewis Capaldi, ANY
Scouting For Girls, Scouting For Girls
Dear Evan Hansen, Soundtrack
Fall Out Boy, Save Rock and Roll
Fall Out Boy, Infinity on High
Benson Boone, Fireworks & Rollerblades
Sabrina Carpenter, Short n Sweet
Matt Maltese
The Beatles, 1
ABBA, Greatest Hits
Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More
Mumford and Sons, Babel
It was great to have so many new songs for us to arrange and play as we always like finding out how different songs work on the piano and cello.
The First Song
Breaking with tradition and to reflect their musical backgrounds and singing talents, Sarah and Jonathan had opted to have a first song rather than a first dance. This was a first for us, although by no means the first time Jules has accompanied singers as he’s been doing that for the past 40 years in one form or another!
The chosen song was ‘Grow as we Go’ by Ben Platt which Jon and Sarah had made into a duet. Whilst we had tried to arrange a rehearsal in advance of the wedding, the venue had for some reason decided they wouldn’t allow it. But, this is the advantage of experience. Jules made sure there was time for a ‘sound check’ beforehand which allowed him to go through the song with Jon and Sarah before they sang to their guests.
The song was fabulous and performed to great applause and cheering from Sarah and Jonathan’s guests so all in all a great success and what a fabulous alternative to the first dance. As some people like to say ‘You do You’ and this wedding was the epitome of that!
We offer Sarah and Jonathan our most sincere congratulations on their marriage and we wish them both all the very best for their future together.
