There are some weddings where the weather forecast looks uncertain all week, and you spend the days beforehand quietly hoping the rain will somehow hold off long enough for everything to come together. Emma and Kieran’s wedding at Waters Edge at Ewen was definitely one of those days.
Cold temperatures, occasional rain showers and a constantly changing sky could easily have pushed the whole celebration indoors. But to their credit, Emma and Kieran committed fully to the lakeside atmosphere that makes Waters Edge such a unique Gloucestershire wedding venue. Guests wrapped up, umbrellas appeared briefly when needed, and everyone embraced the outdoor setting right through the ceremony and drinks reception.
For us at JAM Duo, it was exactly the sort of wedding day we genuinely enjoy being part of. Thoughtful planning, a relaxed couple, a beautiful setting and a crowd determined to enjoy the day regardless of the weather.
Jules and Anne-Marie provided live music for the outdoor ceremony beside the lake, continued through the drinks reception by the water, and then relocated back to the main barn area for the wedding breakfast later in the afternoon.
It also turned into one of those wedding days that perfectly demonstrates how much work happens quietly behind the scenes to make live music function smoothly at a venue.
A Lakeside Ceremony at Waters Edge
Waters Edge at Ewen has become one of the most distinctive wedding venues in the Cotswolds area. Set just outside Cirencester, the venue combines contemporary barn styling with a genuinely impressive lakeside setting that feels far more secluded and peaceful than many couples expect when they first arrive.
Emma and Kieran chose to hold their ceremony beneath the stretched tent beside the lake, creating an intimate outdoor setting despite the unpredictable May weather.
From a musician’s perspective, outdoor ceremonies always require a slightly different mindset. Unlike a traditional indoor room where sound is naturally contained and supported by walls and ceilings, outdoor performances rely heavily on careful balance and sensible volume control. Wind, open space and changing weather conditions all affect how music carries across a venue.
One thing we particularly appreciated at Waters Edge was how collaborative the venue team were regarding sound levels and setup positioning. The venue had clear outdoor sound restrictions in place, which is increasingly common at countryside venues, especially those located near residential areas or protected landscapes.
This is never an issue for us.
At JAM Duo we work regularly with venues that have sound policies, restrictions or volume guidelines, and we completely understand why they exist. A wedding venue has to protect relationships with neighbours while also preserving the atmosphere couples actually book the venue for in the first place.
Rather than treating restrictions as a problem, we always see them as part of the professional side of wedding entertainment.
For Emma and Kieran’s ceremony we used our smaller Yamaha speaker system outdoors, which allowed us to maintain clarity and warmth without overpowering the lakeside setting. It gave enough support for guests to hear the music naturally while still keeping the atmosphere relaxed and elegant.
The result was exactly what outdoor wedding music should be — present, emotional and immersive without ever feeling intrusive.
Carrying the Piano Shell to the Lakeside
One detail guests often do not fully realise on wedding days is just how much physical setup work goes into live performance.
Emma and Kieran had chosen our black gloss piano shell package, which always creates a far more elegant visual presentation than simply using a keyboard on a stand. The shell gives the appearance of a traditional baby grand piano while allowing us the flexibility and reliability of our professional stage piano setup.
At Waters Edge, however, getting the shell down to the lakeside ceremony location involved quite a journey.
Although the venue access itself was excellent and all on one level, the distance between unloading areas, the lakeside ceremony space and the barn still meant a significant amount of transporting equipment backwards and forwards throughout the day.
Piano shell sections, keyboard, cello, amplification, music equipment, stands, power supplies and staging all had to be moved carefully down towards the ceremony area before guests arrived. Then, once the drinks reception finished, the entire setup needed relocating again back up towards the main building ready for the wedding breakfast.
This is one of those parts of wedding performance work that couples rarely see because by the time guests arrive, everything simply appears ready and polished.
But it is also one of the reasons experience matters enormously with live wedding musicians.
Years of working at venues across the UK means we are used to adapting quickly to changing weather, long access routes, difficult loading conditions and fast turnaround times between different parts of the day. Whether we are performing beneath a railway arch, inside a woodland ceremony space or beside a lakeside tent in Gloucestershire rain showers, the goal is always the same: make the music feel effortless for the couple and their guests.
Music for Guest Arrival
Emma and Kieran chose a beautifully varied set of pre-ceremony music that blended cinematic pieces, contemporary love songs and recognisable instrumental favourites.
As guests arrived beside the lake, we performed selections including music inspired by Bridgerton, Maestro from The Holiday, A Thousand Years, Chasing Cars and Love Someone.
This sort of mixed programme works brilliantly for outdoor ceremonies because it creates atmosphere without feeling overly formal. Guests immediately recognise melodies they know, which helps create a relaxed and emotionally connected environment before the ceremony even begins.
One of the advantages of live piano and cello music outdoors is that the sound naturally complements open spaces. The cello adds warmth and richness while the piano provides clarity and structure, creating music that feels elegant without becoming overpowering.
Even with the colder temperatures, there was a lovely atmosphere building by the lake as guests gathered beneath the stretched tent.
“I Get To Love You” – A Perfect Bridal Entrance
Emma chose I Get To Love You by Ruelle for her bridal entrance — a song that has become increasingly popular for modern wedding ceremonies and for good reason.
Performed live on piano and cello, it creates an incredibly emotional build without becoming too dramatic. The melody has enough simplicity to feel timeless while still carrying that cinematic quality many couples now look for during their aisle entrance.
Timing is always particularly important with outdoor ceremonies because walking routes are often longer and less predictable than indoors. Wind, uneven ground, dresses, guests repositioning themselves and photographers moving around all slightly alter pacing.
This is why live music works so effectively for wedding entrances.
Rather than forcing a bride to fit within the timing of a fixed recording, we can adapt naturally in real time. Sections can be extended slightly, dynamics softened, or transitions adjusted entirely around the movement of the bridal party.
Emma’s entrance worked beautifully against the lakeside backdrop despite the weather threatening rain again throughout the ceremony.
Signing Music and Ceremony Exit
For the signing of the register, Emma and Kieran selected a wonderfully varied trio of songs:
- All My Life
- Love Story
- Love Me Like You Do
This mix of modern romance, cinematic pop and recognisable melodies suited the atmosphere of the day perfectly.
Then came one of the standout musical moments of the ceremony — the couple’s exit to Hoppípolla by Sigur Rós.
This piece always works brilliantly live.
There is something incredibly uplifting about the gradual build of the melody, particularly outdoors where the music can expand naturally into the open air. As Emma and Kieran walked back down the aisle together, guests smiling despite the cold and occasional drizzle, the music genuinely helped shape the atmosphere of the moment.
That is often what couples remember most strongly afterwards — not just the songs themselves, but how the music changed the feeling of the day.
Drinks Reception Beside the Water
Rather than immediately relocating indoors after the ceremony, guests remained lakeside for the drinks reception, which gave the afternoon a wonderfully relaxed flow.
Despite the colder conditions, the outdoor setting still looked fantastic. The lakes, stretched tent and surrounding Gloucestershire countryside create such a calm backdrop that guests naturally settle into conversation and enjoy the atmosphere.
For drinks receptions we always try to strike the right balance between recognisable songs and relaxed pacing.
Emma and Kieran’s playlist gave us plenty to work with:
- Can’t Help Falling in Love
- Halo
- Shallow
- Brown Eyed Girl
- Africa
- Mr Brightside
- Better Together
- Nobody Does It Better
- You Raise Me Up
- Kiss The Girl
- Leave A Light On
One thing we particularly enjoy about drinks reception performances is how the atmosphere gradually changes over the course of the set. Early on, guests are still discussing the ceremony and settling into the day. Then gradually the energy lifts, conversations become louder, drinks start flowing and the music can become slightly more upbeat and playful.
Live music helps bridge those transitions naturally.
Because we perform everything live rather than using backing tracks, we can also subtly adjust the pacing and feel of the performance according to the atmosphere around us.
Returning to the Barn for the Wedding Breakfast
Once drinks concluded, we relocated fully back towards the barn ready for the wedding breakfast.
Again, this involved transporting the entire piano shell setup and performance equipment back across the venue — one of those logistical elements that becomes second nature after years of wedding work but still requires careful coordination and timing.
The wedding breakfast itself was held inside the barn space with speeches taking place before the meal.
Emma and Kieran had chosen a wonderfully elegant selection of music for the meal itself, including:
- Can You Feel The Love Tonight
- Rule The World
- Perfect
- Tenerife Sea
- A Million Dreams
- Beautiful In White
- Unchained Melody
- Never Enough
- Nuvole Bianche
The meal entrance itself featured All Of Me, which worked perfectly to welcome guests back inside after the colder outdoor portions of the day.
Wedding breakfast music is often underestimated in terms of how much it shapes the overall atmosphere of a wedding. The right live music prevents the room from ever feeling flat or overly quiet while still allowing conversation to flow comfortably.
At Waters Edge, the transition from lakeside ceremony to outdoor drinks and finally into the barn meal gave the entire day a really natural rhythm.
Working With Venues Professionally
One thing worth mentioning from this wedding is how important professional relationships between musicians and venues really are.
At JAM Duo we perform at a huge variety of venues across the UK, all with slightly different operational requirements. Some have strict sound limitations, some have challenging access routes, some have very fast turnaround schedules and others have highly structured supplier procedures.
The most successful wedding days nearly always happen when suppliers work collaboratively rather than competitively.
Waters Edge were excellent throughout the day in helping coordinate setup locations, access and sound requirements. Their willingness to work practically with us regarding outdoor amplification ensured the ceremony still felt atmospheric without breaching venue restrictions.
From our side, years of experience mean we are very comfortable adapting setups accordingly. Sometimes that means smaller speakers, different positioning, reduced stage footprints or adjusted timings.
Ultimately, the goal is always the same:
Make the day work beautifully for the couple.
A Wedding That Refused to Let the Weather Win
In many ways, Emma and Kieran’s wedding perfectly captured something quite British about weddings.
The weather was not ideal.
It was colder than expected.
Rain showers hovered constantly nearby.
And yet absolutely nobody allowed that to define the atmosphere of the day.
Guests embraced the outdoor setting, the lakeside ceremony still felt romantic and intimate, and the combination of live music, beautiful styling and a genuinely relaxed couple carried the entire celebration effortlessly.
Their colour palette of greens and sands worked beautifully against the natural surroundings of Waters Edge, while the outdoor ceremony setup beneath the stretched tent gave everything a soft, elegant feel despite the unpredictable skies.
For us, these are often the weddings we remember most fondly afterwards — not because everything was perfectly sunny and effortless, but because everyone involved simply committed to making the day special regardless.
Live Wedding Music at Waters Edge at Ewen
Waters Edge continues to be one of the most distinctive wedding venues in Gloucestershire for couples wanting a modern countryside wedding with outdoor ceremony options and a genuinely relaxed atmosphere.
For live musicians, it is also a venue that offers enormous flexibility creatively. Lakeside ceremonies, outdoor drinks receptions and indoor barn dining all allow different parts of the day to develop their own atmosphere musically.
Emma and Kieran’s wedding was a brilliant example of how live piano and cello music can help connect all of those spaces together naturally across an entire wedding day.
From the emotional lakeside ceremony entrance to relaxed drinks beside the water and elegant music during the meal, it was a pleasure to be part of such a thoughtful and enjoyable celebration.
And despite carrying a black gloss piano shell backwards and forwards across the venue in cold May weather, we would absolutely do it all again.
