There are some wedding days which seem to find exactly the right balance between beautiful surroundings, carefully chosen music and an atmosphere which feels wonderfully relaxed from the moment the first guests arrive. Cameron and Joya’s September wedding at Manor Hill House near Bromsgrove was very much one of those occasions.
JAM Duo provided live cello and piano music for their outdoor wedding ceremony and drinks reception, with everything taking place on the lawn. Around 70 guests joined Cameron and Joya for a colourful celebration filled with warm autumnal shades, plenty of sunshine and a wonderfully varied soundtrack ranging from The Beatles and Elton John through to Stevie Wonder, Paramore, Blink-182 and even Howard Shore.
And, rather unexpectedly for late September, it was warm. Properly warm. The sort of September afternoon which makes you wonder why anyone bothered packing a jacket and which reminds musicians that, while sunshine looks marvellous in photographs, electronic musical equipment has rather less enthusiasm for being gently roasted on a lawn.
Fortunately, Manor Hill House had thought of that.
Outdoor Wedding Music at Manor Hill House
Cameron and Joya had chosen to hold both their ceremony and drinks reception outside on the lawn at Manor Hill House. This worked particularly well for JAM Duo because we were able to establish one position beneath a gazebo at the top of the aisle and remain there throughout both parts of the afternoon.
For daytime wedding musicians, this sort of arrangement is ideal. Rather than having to dismantle a piano, cello, amplification and assorted cables immediately after the ceremony before carrying the whole operation somewhere else, we could simply remain in place and move seamlessly from ceremony music into the drinks reception.
We were particularly grateful to the team at Manor Hill House for arranging the gazebo for us. Outdoor weddings always require a little more thought than indoor ones, because musical instruments and electrical equipment need protection not only from rain but also from prolonged direct sunlight.
On this particular September afternoon, rain was very definitely not the problem.
Shade was.
The gazebo allowed us to perform comfortably while also protecting our instruments and equipment, and it meant that Cameron and Joya could enjoy the outdoor wedding they had planned without the musicians slowly turning into a cautionary tale about heatstroke.
The result was a very attractive setup overlooking the lawn, with guests able to hear the music naturally as they arrived and throughout the ceremony.
Live Music as Guests Arrived
We began playing from around 3.30pm as guests took their seats for the ceremony.
Pre-ceremony music is often one of the most overlooked parts of wedding planning, yet it can completely change the atmosphere as guests arrive. Without music, people tend to sit chatting while occasionally looking over their shoulders to see whether something is happening. With live music, the ceremony already feels as though it has begun.
Cameron and Joya had chosen an excellent selection of songs for this part of the afternoon, including Make You Feel My Love by Adele, All You Need Is Love by The Beatles, All About You by McFly, You’re Still the One by Shania Twain, Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John and Marry You by Bruno Mars.
It was a lovely mix because none of the pieces felt overly formal, yet each had a clear connection with the occasion.
This is something we often recommend when couples are choosing wedding ceremony music. Not every piece has to make a grand statement. The music before the ceremony is there largely to create atmosphere, and familiar songs played instrumentally on cello and piano can do this extremely effectively.
A Bollywood-Inspired Entrance for the Bridesmaids
At 4pm, it was time for the ceremony itself.
Cameron and Joya had chosen separate pieces for the bridal party and bride, giving each entrance its own character.
The four bridesmaids entered to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, bringing a lovely Bollywood influence into the ceremony and reflecting the wider cultural character of the day. One of the pleasures of performing wedding music professionally is seeing just how varied ceremony choices have become. Traditional classical music still has its place, of course, but couples are increasingly choosing music which actually means something to them rather than simply selecting whatever happened to be in the wedding section of a CD shop in 1997.
Joya then made her entrance to Can’t Help Falling in Love, inspired by the Brooklyn Duo arrangement.
It is a song which works exceptionally well for cello and piano. The cello naturally takes the vocal melody while the piano provides the harmony and movement beneath it, allowing the music to retain the warmth of the original while becoming something rather more elegant for a wedding ceremony.
With everyone gathered on the lawn beneath the September sunshine, it made for a particularly memorable entrance.
Music During the Ceremony
For the signing of the register, Cameron and Joya had chosen three more songs: Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder, Stand By Me by Ben E. King and L-O-V-E, made famous by Nat King Cole.
The signing section of a wedding ceremony is another moment where live musicians can be particularly useful because its exact duration is difficult to predict.
Sometimes the paperwork is completed remarkably quickly. On other occasions there are photographs, additional signatures and various administrative mysteries which appear to require considerably more time.
Because we perform everything live, we can adjust naturally to whatever is happening. A piece can be extended, another can be started or we can bring the music neatly to a close when the registrar is ready.
There is no backing track which suddenly decides that the ceremony has finished before the registrar has.
Once the formalities were complete, Cameron and Joya made their exit to Everlasting Love by Natalie Cole. After the gentler music earlier in the ceremony, this gave the recessional exactly the lift it needed and marked the change from wedding ceremony to celebration.
From Ceremony to Drinks Reception
One of the advantages of having the same live musicians for both the wedding ceremony and drinks reception is continuity.
As guests left their seats and moved onto the lawn for drinks, the music simply continued.
There was no sudden silence while a sound system was switched over or musicians disappeared elsewhere to rebuild everything. We remained under the gazebo and changed the style of music accordingly.
This is where live cello and piano can become much less formal.
During a ceremony, the music naturally takes a supporting role. During a drinks reception, we can broaden the repertoire and include considerably more upbeat material while still maintaining the atmosphere of a wedding rather than turning the lawn into a nightclub at 4.45 in the afternoon.
Cameron and Joya had given us plenty to work with.
A Drinks Reception Playlist With Plenty of Variety
Their choices for the drinks reception ranged across several decades and musical styles.
There were classics including Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called to Say I Love You, Elton John’s Your Song, The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Toto’s Africa.
Alongside these were more contemporary choices such as Bruno Mars’ Just the Way You Are, Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten, Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club.
There were also some excellent slightly less obvious choices.
Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows works surprisingly well on cello and piano, as does All the Small Things by Blink-182. One of the things we enjoy most about JAM Duo is taking songs which were never remotely intended for piano and cello and discovering that, with the right arrangement, they work beautifully.
The Human League’s Together in Electric Dreams is another excellent example. So is Cher’s Believe.
And then, just to make sure the musical journey was completely sensible, we also had Concerning Hobbits by Howard Shore.
Because every drinks reception ought occasionally to sound as though somebody may shortly be walking to Mordor.
Daytime Wedding Musicians Without Backing Tracks
One of the things which distinguishes JAM Duo is that everything guests hear is performed live by the two of us: Jules on piano and Anne-Marie on cello.
There are no backing tracks and no additional musicians hidden somewhere inside a laptop.
For a wedding such as Cameron and Joya’s, this makes a significant difference. We can react to what is happening around us, adjust the length of pieces, move between styles and alter the energy of the music as the afternoon develops.
During the ceremony, that might mean extending a piece while photographs are taken.
During the drinks reception, it might mean choosing something more upbeat because guests are clearly in the mood for it, or moving towards something gentler while people are talking.
Live music should be part of the atmosphere rather than something simply playing in the background.
Wedding Music in Worcestershire and the West Midlands
Manor Hill House is particularly well suited to live daytime wedding music because the outdoor ceremony lawn creates a natural focal point, while the surrounding grounds provide plenty of space for guests to enjoy drinks afterwards.
For couples planning a wedding in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire or elsewhere across the West Midlands, cello and piano can work particularly well because the combination is flexible enough to cover several parts of the wedding day.
The same musicians can provide gentle music as guests arrive, accompany the bridal entrance, perform during the signing of the register, provide an upbeat exit and then continue seamlessly into the drinks reception.
There is no need for different performers for different parts of the day.
And because JAM Duo travel throughout England and Wales, we regularly provide daytime wedding music at venues far beyond our Wiltshire base.
A Colourful September Wedding
Visually, Cameron and Joya’s wedding was every bit as warm as the weather.
Their colour scheme centred around orange, yellow and red marigold shades, which worked beautifully with the surroundings and complemented the traditional elements of the wedding.
Against the green lawns and trees at Manor Hill House, the colours looked particularly striking.
September can be a wonderful month for outdoor weddings. There is often a softer quality to the light than during midsummer, while gardens still retain plenty of colour.
Of course, British weather retains absolute authority over proceedings and reserves the right to produce almost anything at approximately four minutes’ notice.
On this occasion, however, it behaved impeccably.
Live Wedding Music at Manor Hill House
We thoroughly enjoyed providing the ceremony and drinks reception music for Cameron and Joya at Manor Hill House.
Their music choices were personal, varied and refreshingly unrestricted by genre. Within the space of a couple of hours we travelled from Adele to Bollywood, Stevie Wonder to Howard Shore, and from The Beatles to Blink-182.
Which, when you think about it, is quite a lot to ask of two instruments.
Fortunately, the cello and piano are remarkably accommodating.
Our thanks go to Cameron and Joya for inviting JAM Duo to be part of such a lovely day, and also to the team at Manor Hill House for looking after us so well — not least for providing that extremely welcome gazebo.
For couples looking for daytime wedding musicians at Manor Hill House, or considering live cello and piano music for a wedding ceremony and drinks reception in Worcestershire, JAM Duo can provide music throughout the daytime celebrations, with every piece arranged and performed completely live.
Always Jules and Anne-Marie. And absolutely no backing tracks.
