Sant Ffraed House was the setting for Sarah and Grant’s beautiful black tie wedding in Wales, and it was a pleasure for us to provide live cello and piano music throughout the ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast.
Located near Abergavenny, Sant Ffraed House is a stylish country house wedding venue with a real sense of elegance. For Sarah and Grant’s day, the black tie dress code suited the setting perfectly, giving the whole wedding a sophisticated and polished feel from the moment guests arrived.
Ceremony Music at Sant Ffraed House
The ceremony took place indoors, with around 90 guests gathered to celebrate with Sarah and Grant. We performed as guests arrived, creating a relaxed and elegant atmosphere before the entrance of the bridal party.
Sarah had chosen a lovely mixture of modern music, film-inspired pieces and romantic songs for the ceremony. As guests entered the ceremony room, we played the Bridgerton Theme, setting the tone beautifully with that familiar mix of classical style and contemporary drama. This was followed by music including Songbird by Fleetwood Mac.
A particularly personal moment came just before we began playing, as Sarah’s Nan played the piano. It was a lovely touch and made the ceremony feel even more meaningful.
For the entrance of the bridal party, Sarah chose a blend. The bridesmaids entered to He Sleeps from Pretty Woman, before the music moved into Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift for Sarah’s entrance. Wildest Dreams works especially well on cello and piano, with the opening allowing the moment to build naturally before the melody becomes more expansive.
During the signing of the register, we played a selection of romantic songs including Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, Wings by Birdy and A Thousand Years. For the couple’s exit, Sarah and Grant chose Anyone by Justin Bieber, a modern and uplifting choice to mark the beginning of their married life together.
Drinks Reception Music
After the ceremony, guests moved outside for the drinks reception. As it was a warm summer day, we remained set up inside in the air-conditioned bar, which proved to be a rather good decision as many of the guests soon came inside to enjoy the cooler surroundings.
This is one of the advantages of live cello and piano music. We can adapt very easily to the flow of the day, the weather, the venue layout and where guests naturally gather. The drinks reception still had the relaxed atmosphere Sarah and Grant wanted, but with the comfort of the indoor bar space.
Sarah had asked for the music to feel as modern as possible, with a few choices included to keep her mum happy too. Their drinks reception playlist included a fantastic range of contemporary songs, film music and modern classics. We performed pieces including Star Gazing by Myles Smith, Ordinary by Alex Warren, Lost Without You by Freya Ridings, Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan, Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, Blinded By Your Grace by Stormzy, Feel the Love by Rudimental, Never Enough from The Greatest Showman, Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi and Can’t Help Falling in Love.
There were also some more dramatic and cinematic choices, including the Game of Thrones Main Theme and Kissing You by Des’ree. It was a wonderfully varied set, but still very much centred around the modern, romantic sound Sarah and Grant had asked for.
Wedding Breakfast Music with Piano Shell
For the wedding breakfast, we added our gloss black piano shell, which gave the setup a more elegant visual finish for the meal. The piano shell is always a lovely addition for black tie weddings, as it helps create the look of a small grand piano while still allowing us to use our own professional electric piano and sound system.
Sarah and Grant wanted the music during the meal to stay modern and relaxed, with artists including Olivia Dean, Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, Zach Bryan and Sam Smith. This gave us plenty of scope to create a stylish background set that suited the atmosphere without becoming intrusive.
Wedding breakfast music is often one of the most enjoyable parts of the day for us to play. Guests are seated, the room has settled, and live music can bring a gentle sense of occasion to the meal. With cello and piano, it is possible to keep the music elegant and refined while still including songs that feel current and personal to the couple.
Live Music for a Modern Black Tie Wedding
Sarah and Grant’s wedding was a great example of how live ceremony and daytime music can feel both elegant and modern. Their choices included Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac, Justin Bieber, Birdy, Chappell Roan, Stormzy, Rudimental and The Greatest Showman, alongside film and television music with a Bridgerton-style feel.
At JAM Duo, all our music is performed live by the two of us on cello and piano. We do not use backing tracks, and we are always the same two musicians at every wedding. This means we can time entrances carefully, respond to what is happening in the room, and shape the music around each part of the day.
For Sarah and Grant, this included a bespoke ceremony blend for the bridesmaids and bridal entrance, live music for the drinks reception, and a stylish wedding breakfast set with our piano shell.
It was a real pleasure to be part of such a beautiful black tie wedding at Sant Ffraed House. Congratulations to Sarah and Grant, and thank you for choosing JAM Duo to provide your wedding music.
