There are some wedding days which seem determined to make outdoor music work properly.
Melissa and Callum’s wedding at De Courceys Manor on 8 August 2026 was one of them.
Bright sunshine, warm summer weather, an outdoor ceremony in the courtyard, drinks outside afterwards and then a move indoors for the wedding breakfast. It was exactly the sort of day where live cello and piano can move with the flow of the wedding rather than simply appearing for one isolated moment and disappearing again.
For us at JAM Duo, it was also another chance to use our new Yamaha SVC300 electric cello alongside the Nord Stage piano. No piano shell on this occasion; just the instruments themselves, giving us a clean, contemporary setup which worked particularly well outside.
And, most importantly, Melissa and Callum were a genuinely lovely couple to play for. Their music choices were full of personality, with everything from The Temper Trap and The Waterboys to Cher, Taylor Swift, Roxette and Rascal Flatts.
Quite a range. Which is exactly how we like it.
Live Wedding Music at De Courceys Manor
De Courceys Manor, near Cardiff in South Wales, provided a lovely setting for Melissa and Callum’s summer wedding.
With around 43 guests, the day had a wonderfully relaxed feel. There was enough space for everything to feel like a proper occasion, but it still had the intimacy that comes with a smaller wedding.
Guests began arriving from around midday, with everyone seated ready for the ceremony by 12.40pm.
The ceremony itself began at 1pm outside in the courtyard, where we were positioned on the raised deck provided for musicians.
For an outdoor ceremony, that is exactly the sort of practical arrangement we appreciate. A proper defined performance area means we can get the instruments set up safely, position the speakers correctly and make sure the sound carries evenly without being intrusive.
Because the weather was gloriously hot and sunny, the whole ceremony could take place outside as planned.
Music Before the Wedding Ceremony
Melissa and Callum had chosen five songs for us to play as guests arrived and took their seats:
- Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap
- Drops of Jupiter – Train
- This Year’s Love – David Gray
- The Whole of the Moon – The Waterboys
- Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
This is exactly why we always encourage couples to choose music which means something to them rather than feeling they have to stick to traditional wedding repertoire.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Canon in D. We play it frequently and it works beautifully.
But equally, an outdoor courtyard in August with The Whole of the Moon or Sweet Disposition floating across the space gives the ceremony an identity before the bride has even appeared.
That is one of the advantages of live music.
The pre-ceremony music is not simply background noise. It sets the atmosphere and gently tells guests that the wedding has begun.
Forever – Chris Brown for the Bridal Entrance
Melissa chose Forever by Chris Brown for her bridal entrance.
Played live on cello and piano, it works beautifully as a wedding entrance piece because the melody translates extremely well to the cello while the piano can retain the movement and energy of the original song.
One of the most important parts of our job during a bridal entrance is timing.
We do not simply press play and hope everybody arrives at roughly the correct moment.
Because every note is being played live, we can extend sections, repeat phrases, slow things fractionally where necessary and bring the music to a natural conclusion when the bride reaches the front.
This becomes particularly useful with outdoor ceremonies, where walking distances are often less predictable than they are in a church or traditional ceremony room.
It means the entrance belongs to the wedding rather than the wedding having to fit the recording.
Music for the Signing of the Register
For the signing, Melissa and Callum selected another wonderfully individual group of songs:
You and Me by The Wannadies, Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows and No You Hang Up by Shayne Ward.
There is something rather refreshing about a wedding ceremony which can move effortlessly from Chris Brown to Counting Crows and Shayne Ward without anyone feeling obliged to consult a rule book.
There isn’t one.
Wedding music should reflect the couple.
That may mean classical music, film music, 90s pop, Taylor Swift, Phil Collins or, in this case, a mixture of almost everything.
Our repertoire now covers hundreds of songs, and we are also regularly arranging new music for couples where possible.
Life Is a Highway – The Perfect Wedding Exit
For their exit, Melissa and Callum chose Life Is a Highway by Rascal Flatts.
This was an excellent choice.
The exit music is one place where couples can afford to be a little bolder. The formal part of the ceremony is over, everybody is smiling, the newly married couple are heading back down the aisle and the music can suddenly acquire considerably more energy.
Life Is a Highway certainly manages that.
Subtle it is not.
Effective it absolutely is.
And with the ceremony completed outside in the sunshine, it provided a suitably upbeat transition into the drinks reception.
Outdoor Drinks Reception Music at De Courceys Manor
Once the ceremony finished at around 1.30pm, the wedding moved naturally into the drinks reception.
We remained outside and continued with live cello and piano while guests relaxed, chatted and enjoyed the afternoon.
Melissa and Callum had given us a superb list of music to draw from, including:
Believe by Cher, Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen, You’re Still the One by Shania Twain, Marry You by Bruno Mars, It Must Have Been Love by Roxette, Everything I Do by Bryan Adams, Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer and Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley.
There was also plenty of more recent music, with Die With a Smile, APT, Blank Space, Love Story and Love Me Like You Do sitting alongside songs by The Script, Aerosmith, Black Eyed Peas and Des’ree.
That sort of playlist is perfect for a drinks reception.
Guests recognise the music, but because it is being played instrumentally on cello and piano it sits comfortably behind conversation.
Nobody has to shout over it.
Equally, it does not become anonymous background music.
You still get those little moments where someone suddenly realises what we are playing and turns to the person beside them with that familiar expression of, “Oh, I love this song.”
We see that quite a lot.
Using the Yamaha SVC300 Electric Cello Outdoors
This wedding also gave us another opportunity to use our new Yamaha SVC300 electric cello.
For outdoor weddings, the electric cello is particularly useful because we can control the sound very precisely through our PA system.
An acoustic cello is a beautiful instrument, but outdoors its natural sound can disappear remarkably quickly, particularly once guests begin talking.
With the SVC300 we retain the character and expressive quality of the cello while ensuring that the music carries properly across the ceremony and drinks reception.
Alongside it, Jules used the Nord Stage piano.
For this wedding we did not use our black grand piano shell, which meant the setup was more compact and contemporary.
The Nord is an extremely high-quality stage piano and, together with the Yamaha cello, gives us a professional setup which can be moved between different parts of a venue when necessary.
That became especially important later in the afternoon when the wedding moved inside.
Live Music for the Wedding Breakfast
At around 3.30pm, guests moved indoors for the wedding breakfast.
We moved with them and continued playing during the meal.
This is one of our favourite ways to provide wedding music because it allows the musical atmosphere to continue throughout the day.
Rather than the ceremony ending and the live music disappearing, the soundtrack evolves with the wedding.
Melissa and Callum again had a wonderfully varied selection for the meal.
Their choices included Wherever You Will Go by The Calling, Tale as Old as Time from Beauty and the Beast, Girls Like You by Maroon 5, High by Lighthouse Family, She’s the One by Robbie Williams, Story of My Life by One Direction, Picture of You by Boyzone and Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
There was also Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey, Against All Odds, Evergreen by Will Young, Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur and When You Say Nothing at All by Ronan Keating.
In other words, absolutely no danger of the wedding breakfast becoming musically predictable.
Why Cello and Piano Work So Well During a Wedding Breakfast
Live music during a wedding breakfast needs to be handled rather differently from ceremony music.
The aim is not to dominate the room.
People are eating, chatting and catching up with friends and family. The music should add atmosphere without turning lunch into a concert.
Cello and piano work particularly well because both instruments can be expressive without needing excessive volume.
We can also adapt dynamically as the room changes.
If guests are talking enthusiastically, we can lift the energy slightly.
If things become quieter, we can bring the volume down.
Because everything is played live, that adjustment happens naturally.
There is no backing track and no fixed volume built into a recording.
Moving Between Outdoor and Indoor Wedding Music
One of the features of many modern weddings is that the day moves between several different spaces.
Melissa and Callum’s wedding was a perfect example.
The ceremony took place outdoors.
The drinks reception followed outside.
The wedding breakfast then moved indoors.
For us, providing music across those different parts of the day means thinking carefully about equipment, access, power and timing.
Our setup is designed to be flexible enough for exactly this sort of wedding.
The Yamaha electric cello and Nord Stage piano allow us to move efficiently while maintaining a consistent sound throughout the day.
And because we bring our own amplification and power solutions where required, we are not dependent on whatever happens to be available at the venue.
Music That Actually Reflected the Couple
Perhaps the thing we enjoyed most about Melissa and Callum’s wedding was the individuality of the repertoire.
Their choices were not based around what somebody had told them wedding music ought to be.
They simply chose songs they liked.
That resulted in a ceremony featuring The Temper Trap, Chris Brown, Counting Crows and Rascal Flatts, followed by a drinks reception involving Cher, Roxette, Queen, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift.
Then Phil Collins, One Direction, Boyzone and Natasha Bedingfield joined us for dinner.
And somehow, on cello and piano, it all worked.
That is really the point.
Good wedding music does not need to belong to one genre.
It simply needs to feel right for the couple and for the moment.
Wedding Musicians at De Courceys Manor
We had a wonderful time providing live wedding music for Melissa and Callum at De Courceys Manor.
From their outdoor courtyard ceremony in the August sunshine, through the drinks reception outside and finally into the wedding breakfast, it was a relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable day to be part of.
Their choice of music gave us plenty to work with, and we loved being able to accompany so much of the wedding rather than simply playing for the ceremony alone.
Most of all, Melissa and Callum were a genuinely lovely couple and it was a real pleasure to help provide the soundtrack to their wedding day.
We wish them both every happiness for the future.
If you are planning a wedding at De Courceys Manor, elsewhere in Cardiff or across South Wales and are looking for live wedding musicians, JAM Duo provide cello and piano music for wedding ceremonies, drinks receptions, wedding breakfasts and other parts of the day.
Every note is played live by Jules on piano and Anne-Marie on cello, with no backing tracks, allowing us to adapt the music naturally to the timing and atmosphere of your wedding.
