Emma and Lloyd’s wedding at Cave Castle Hotel near Hull was a perfect example of how thoughtful music choices, a beautiful venue, and a relaxed winter atmosphere can come together to create something truly memorable. JAM Duo were delighted to provide live cello and piano music for both the wedding ceremony and the drinks reception, setting the tone from guests’ arrival right through to the early celebrations.
Set in the East Yorkshire countryside, Cave Castle Hotel is a venue we always enjoy returning to. Its historic charm, elegant interiors and calm, welcoming atmosphere make it ideal for couples who want a refined yet comfortable setting for their wedding day. Emma and Lloyd’s celebration suited the venue beautifully — stylish, warm, and full of personal touches.
A Classic Venue in the Heart of East Yorkshire
Cave Castle Hotel is located just outside Hull, in the village of South Cave, and offers a wonderful balance between grandeur and intimacy. With its sweeping driveway, traditional architecture and beautifully maintained grounds, it feels special from the moment you arrive, yet remains relaxed and easy for guests to enjoy.
Venue address:
Cave Castle Hotel
Church Hill
South Cave
Brough
HU15 2EU
For Emma and Lloyd, the venue provided a seamless flow between ceremony and drinks reception, allowing guests to move naturally from one part of the day to the next while live music continued to shape the atmosphere throughout.
Live Music for the Wedding Ceremony
For the ceremony, JAM Duo performed using electric cello and Nord piano, without our piano shell on this occasion. This setup works particularly well in elegant indoor spaces like Cave Castle, offering a refined look while allowing us to adapt easily to the room and its acoustics.
Emma and Lloyd chose a beautifully balanced programme of music — romantic, emotional, and instantly recognisable — which worked perfectly for a winter wedding.
Pre-Ceremony Music
As guests arrived and took their seats, we performed a carefully selected mix of modern classics and timeless love songs, all arranged for cello and piano. The aim with pre-ceremony music is always to create a sense of anticipation without overpowering the room, and Emma and Lloyd’s choices did exactly that.
Their selections included:
- Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
- How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
- I Get to Love You – Ruelle
- I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
- Wildest Dreams – Taylor Swift
These pieces set a warm, romantic tone and worked beautifully on cello and piano, giving guests time to settle into the moment while subtly hinting at the emotion still to come.
Bridal Entrance – A Thousand Years
For Emma’s entrance, the choice was “A Thousand Years” by The Piano Guys, a piece that translates exceptionally well to live cello and piano. With its gentle opening and gradual build, it creates a wonderfully emotional moment without feeling overwhelming.
The bridal party made their way in first — a flower girl, a page boy and four bridesmaids, dressed in elegant dark green, which looked stunning against the venue’s interiors. The groomsmen wore navy blue, giving the wedding a classic and sophisticated colour palette.
As Emma entered, the music naturally lifted, filling the room without ever feeling intrusive. Moments like this are exactly why couples choose live music — the ability to shape the performance in real time, responding to the pace of the entrance and the atmosphere in the room.
Signing of the Register – Light, Joyful Choices
For the signing of the register, Emma and Lloyd opted for two uplifting, feel-good pieces that brought a lighter energy into the ceremony while keeping everything elegant and relaxed.
- Yellow – Coldplay
- Accidentally in Love – from Shrek
These choices worked brilliantly. Yellow is always a favourite for signing moments, warm and reflective, while Accidentally in Love added a gentle sense of fun and celebration — a lovely contrast that reflected the couple’s personalities.
Couple Exit – Bittersweet Symphony
As Emma and Lloyd made their exit as newlyweds, we performed “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. This is a powerful yet understated choice for a couple exit, and on cello and piano it has a real sense of movement and momentum.
It was a confident, joyful way to conclude the ceremony and send everyone out smiling, ready for the celebrations to continue.
Live Music for the Drinks Reception
Following the ceremony, JAM Duo continued to play during the drinks reception, helping to maintain the atmosphere while guests mingled, chatted and enjoyed the first moments of the celebration.
For this part of the day, the music naturally became more upbeat and relaxed, designed to sit comfortably in the background while still adding energy and character to the room.
Emma and Lloyd’s drinks-reception selections were a fantastic mix of modern pop, classic favourites and seasonal touches, including:
- Pink Pony Club
- You’ve Got the Love
- Wonderwall
- Unchained Melody
- Together in Electric Dreams
As this was a winter wedding, it was also lovely to include a handful of festive favourites, which brought a subtle Christmas feel without turning the reception into a full seasonal soundtrack. These included:
- Fairytale of New York
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
- Do They Know It’s Christmas?
- I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
- Merry Xmas Everybody
These songs worked brilliantly on cello and piano — familiar enough to raise a smile, but arranged in a way that felt stylish and appropriate for a wedding setting.
Why Live Cello & Piano Works So Well at Cave Castle
Cave Castle Hotel lends itself beautifully to live music. The rooms have just the right balance of warmth and resonance, allowing acoustic-style instruments like cello and piano to sound rich without becoming overpowering.
Using our electric cello and Nord piano gave us flexibility while maintaining a polished sound throughout both the ceremony and drinks reception. Live music in a venue like this adds an extra layer of atmosphere — something guests may not always consciously notice, but absolutely feel.
A Huge Thank You
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Emma and Lloyd for choosing JAM Duo to be part of their wedding day. Their music choices were thoughtful and personal, and it was a pleasure to perform them live as part of such a lovely celebration.
We’d also like to thank Laura at Cave Castle Hotel, who looked after us brilliantly throughout the day and helped everything run smoothly. Working with experienced and supportive venue teams makes such a difference, and it’s always appreciated.
JAM Duo – Wedding Musicians at Cave Castle Hotel & Across the UK
JAM Duo specialise in live wedding music for ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts, performing on cello and piano with no backing tracks — everything you hear is played live.
Whether you’re planning a winter wedding like Emma and Lloyd’s, or a summer celebration elsewhere in the UK, we work closely with each couple to create a soundtrack that feels personal, elegant and perfectly timed.
Cave Castle Hotel remains one of East Yorkshire’s most charming wedding venues, and we’re always delighted to return.
