There are some wedding venues that seem to require absolutely no assistance whatsoever in looking impressive. Dorney Court is one of them. With its ancient brickwork, timber-framed frontage, immaculate gardens and the sort of architectural presence that quietly suggests it has been standing there for several centuries watching the rest of us make questionable life choices, it makes a wonderful setting for a summer wedding.
On 21 August 2026, we had the pleasure of providing live cello and piano music for the wedding of James McWalter and Sindy Liddar at Dorney Court near Windsor. Their booking covered music for the guest arrival, the outdoor wedding ceremony and the drinks reception, with our black piano shell adding a little extra visual presence to our setup.
The whole afternoon took place on the lawns in front of the house, which worked beautifully. Guests arrived from 2pm, the ceremony followed at 2.30pm and, once James and Sindy were properly married and everybody had remembered what they were meant to be doing, the celebrations continued with drinks, photographs, conversation and – rather memorably – Wedding Mini Golf and Games.
And yes, it turns out that putting a miniature Eiffel Tower in the middle of a wedding reception is an excellent way to discover which of your friends and relatives harbour hitherto unknown competitive instincts.
Outdoor Wedding Music at Dorney Court
Dorney Court lends itself especially well to an outdoor ceremony. The lawns immediately in front of the house create a wonderfully traditional setting, with the historic building providing the backdrop and the surrounding gardens softening everything beautifully.
James and Sindy had chosen a sage green and beige linen colour scheme, which suited the setting perfectly. The floral styling around the ceremony area was predominantly white with plenty of greenery, including an impressive floral arch at the top of the aisle.
With around 84 guests, the ceremony felt intimate without being small. There was enough space for everyone to enjoy the surroundings while still retaining the sense of occasion that you want from a wedding ceremony.
We set up nearby with our cello and piano, Jules playing the Nord Stage piano within our gloss black piano shell and Anne-Marie on electric cello. The piano shell is particularly effective outdoors at venues such as Dorney Court because it gives the setup much more visual presence than a keyboard alone. It also somehow persuades people that transporting pianos around the English countryside is an entirely sensible way to earn a living.
Which, obviously, it is.
Live Music as Guests Arrived
James and Sindy asked us to begin playing as their guests arrived from 2pm. This part of the day is often overlooked when couples are planning their wedding music, but it really does make a difference.
Without live music, guests tend to arrive, locate a chair, then sit waiting while wondering whether they are allowed to talk yet.
With live piano and cello, there is already a sense that the wedding has begun.
James and Sindy had given us a large selection of songs that they liked and were happy for us to use our experience to fill in the gaps. This is something we particularly enjoy because it allows us to create a continuous programme that reflects the couple’s taste without turning the afternoon into a rigid playlist.
Their choices included everything from Stevie Wonder and Ed Sheeran to Beyoncé, Goo Goo Dolls, Guns N’ Roses, Coldplay, Lewis Capaldi and Christina Perri. There was also music by Olivia Dean, Sia, Joji and Stephen Sanchez, making for a nicely varied mixture of modern romantic songs and familiar classics.
Songs such as A Thousand Years, Halo, Stand By Me, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Your Song, Iris and Tenerife Sea all work particularly well for cello and piano because there is plenty of melodic material for Anne-Marie to take on the cello while Jules provides the harmony and structure on piano.
The result is recognisable without simply sounding like a copy of the original recording.
A Lord of the Rings Bridal Entrance
For Sindy’s bridal entrance, the couple had chosen music from The Lord of the Rings – specifically music associated with The Shire.
This was a lovely choice.
There is something wonderfully gentle and nostalgic about the music from The Shire, and it worked beautifully for an outdoor entrance through the gardens at Dorney Court. It has just enough sense of expectation without becoming overly grand.
Not every bridal entrance needs Wagner and a cathedral organ.
Sometimes Hobbits are the answer.
The bridal party included a flower girl, a page boy and two bridesmaids before Sindy made her entrance. Because we play entirely live, we could adjust the music naturally to the timing of the procession rather than relying on a fixed recording.
This is one of the real advantages of live wedding music. If somebody walks more slowly than expected, pauses halfway down the aisle or suddenly discovers that a flower girl has decided to inspect something interesting on the ground, the music simply adapts.
No awkward fade-outs. No frantic attempt to find a pause button. No bride arriving while the track continues merrily into another 47 seconds of orchestral introduction.
We just follow what is happening.
Music During the Wedding Ceremony
Once Sindy had joined James beneath the floral arch, the ceremony continued against the magnificent backdrop of Dorney Court.
For the signing, they had selected When You Say Nothing at All, the theme from Friends – I’ll Be There for You – and Stand By Me.
It is quite an eclectic trio, which is precisely why it worked.
Wedding music does not need to consist entirely of solemn romantic ballads. It should sound like the couple.
The Friends theme in particular is one of those songs that immediately makes people smile. Played instrumentally on cello and piano, it becomes slightly more elegant while retaining the familiarity that makes it fun.
For the couple’s exit, James and Sindy chose Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby.
And really, once you are officially married and walking back down the aisle together, a little Mariah Carey is perfectly justified.
Moving the Music for the Drinks Reception
Once the ceremony finished at around 3pm, guests moved only a short distance across the lawns for the drinks reception.
Our setup also needed to move.
Fortunately, the two locations were close together, so this was not one of those wedding venue manoeuvres involving half a mile of gravel, three staircases and a doorway apparently designed during a period when nobody owned anything wider than a candlestick.
We repositioned nearby and continued with live music throughout the drinks reception from approximately 3.15pm until 4.45pm.
By this point, the atmosphere naturally becomes much more relaxed. Guests have a drink, formalities are briefly suspended, jackets start disappearing over chair backs and people begin circulating around the gardens.
This is where live music works especially well.
It is not a concert and it should never dominate the reception. Instead, cello and piano create a musical backdrop that sits comfortably beneath conversation while still being noticeable when guests want to listen.
Wedding Mini Golf and Games at Dorney Court
One of the most successful additions to James and Sindy’s drinks reception was the Wedding Mini Golf and Games setup spread across the lawn.
And it was genuinely popular.
Several different miniature golf holes had been arranged around the garden, complete with obstacles including a miniature Eiffel Tower and little buildings, along with a leaderboard for those who felt their sporting achievements required permanent documentation.
Guests quickly got involved.
This is exactly the sort of wedding entertainment that works well during a drinks reception because people can join in whenever they feel like it without anything being formally announced or organised.
Some played enthusiastically.
Others offered advice.
A few appeared to be taking it rather more seriously than the Ryder Cup.
We were positioned under a nearby tree providing the soundtrack while the games unfolded across the lawn.
From our perspective, it was one of those particularly enjoyable drinks receptions where everything was happening around us naturally – groups of guests chatting, children exploring the garden, people taking photographs, drinks being served and occasional cries of triumph or mild despair from the mini golf.
Live music works extremely well in this kind of environment because it helps tie everything together without demanding attention.
A Beautiful Summer Wedding Setting
Dorney Court itself provides an extraordinary background for a wedding.
The house dates back several centuries and has the kind of wonderfully irregular Tudor architecture that modern buildings spend enormous sums trying unsuccessfully to imitate.
Timber framing, red brick, leaded windows, old chimneys and mature gardens combine to create a venue that feels historic without feeling museum-like.
The garden setting for James and Sindy’s ceremony was particularly striking, with the white floral arch framing the couple against the house.
Later, as guests spread out across the lawns for drinks and mini golf, the venue took on a completely different character – relaxed, sociable and very English.
The weather also allowed the entire plan to remain outdoors, which meant both ceremony and drinks reception could take place exactly where originally intended.
This is always good news for wedding musicians because moving several instruments, a piano shell and audio equipment indoors at short notice is excellent exercise but rarely anybody’s preferred hobby.
Music for a Relaxed Drinks Reception
For the drinks reception we continued drawing from James and Sindy’s broad list of favourite songs while adding others that matched the style they had chosen.
That flexibility is an important part of what we do at JAM Duo.
Couples often send us a selection of songs rather than attempting to prescribe every minute of music. We can then build around those choices depending on the atmosphere on the day.
If guests are actively listening, we might bring forward something particularly recognisable.
If everybody is chatting, we can keep things lighter and more flowing.
And if there happens to be a group of increasingly determined wedding guests attempting to negotiate a miniature Eiffel Tower with a golf ball, we simply accept that we may not be the afternoon’s only entertainment.
Which seems fair.
Live Cello and Piano Wedding Music at Dorney Court
We thoroughly enjoyed providing the music for James and Sindy’s wedding at Dorney Court.
From the gentle pre-ceremony music as guests arrived, through Sindy’s Lord of the Rings entrance and the ceremony beneath the floral arch, to the relaxed drinks reception and unexpectedly competitive mini golf, the afternoon had a lovely flow to it.
The setting was beautiful, the music choices were personal and varied, and the outdoor lawns made a wonderful location for both parts of our performance.
Most importantly, it felt like James and Sindy’s wedding rather than a wedding assembled from a standard template.
And that is always something we appreciate.
A huge thank you to James and Sindy for choosing JAM Duo to be part of their wedding day. We loved playing for you and your guests and wish you both every happiness for the future.
Although, after observing the mini golf, we would also suggest establishing very early in married life which of you is allowed to keep the official scorecard.
Some disputes simply aren’t worth having.
