There are some weddings where the journey itself becomes part of the experience. Victoria and Stephen’s wedding at Strathpeffer Pavilion in the Highlands was very much one of those occasions. We always love travelling for weddings, and Scotland has a particular magic of its own, especially when the route takes you north through some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK.
For this wedding, we travelled up the day before and stayed overnight at a hotel in Perth, around 100 miles south of Strathpeffer. The following morning, we drove up through the Cairngorms towards the Highlands, which was an absolute delight. It is one of those drives which makes you feel properly away from everything: wide open landscapes, mountains, forests, and that wonderful sense of space which Scotland does so well.
Our destination was Strathpeffer Pavilion, a beautiful and historic wedding venue in the Highland village of Strathpeffer, not far from Inverness. It was a lovely day, and we were delighted to be playing for Victoria and Stephen’s outdoor ceremony on the lawns, followed by drinks and the wedding meal inside the Pavilion.
Live Wedding Music at Strathpeffer Pavilion
Strathpeffer Pavilion is a striking venue with real character. Set in the heart of Strathpeffer, the Pavilion has a wonderfully distinctive feel, combining period architecture, spacious interiors and the relaxed charm of a Highland setting. It works beautifully for a wedding where different parts of the day unfold in different spaces.
For Victoria and Stephen’s wedding, the plan was for the ceremony to take place outdoors on the grass, with guests seated on the lawns. JAM Duo were positioned behind and to the left of the guest seating, which worked very well for providing live music as guests arrived and then for the bridal entrance, signing and couple exit.
After the ceremony, we moved inside for the drinks reception, performing in the bar area while guests enjoyed the early part of the celebration. Later, we relocated again to the main hall for the wedding breakfast, providing live piano and cello music as guests took their seats and the meal began.
As with many weddings, part of the role of live musicians is not just playing the music, but adapting smoothly to the flow of the day. Moving between ceremony, drinks and meal is something we do regularly, and Strathpeffer Pavilion made it possible to create a lovely progression from outdoor ceremony to relaxed drinks and then into the main wedding breakfast.
An Outdoor Ceremony on the Lawns
Victoria and Stephen’s ceremony was held outside, which was the couple’s preferred option. The setting was beautiful, with guests gathered on the lawns and the Pavilion providing a wonderful backdrop to the day.
The wedding colour scheme was mainly whites, pinks and greens, with a small sprinkling of lavender and daisies. The bridesmaids wore a very pale pink, while the groomsmen wore grey kilts with black jackets. It was a very elegant combination and suited the Highland setting beautifully.
Before the ceremony began, we played a selection of music as guests arrived and took their seats. Victoria and Stephen had chosen a lovely mix of pre-ceremony music, including:
- Wildest Dreams / Enchanted mash-up – Taylor Swift
- This Year’s Love – David Gray
- Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
- Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
- A Million Dreams – The Greatest Showman
This was a very personal selection and set the tone perfectly. One of the joys of playing as a piano and cello duo is being able to move between contemporary songs, film music, musicals and classic wedding choices in a way that feels natural and elegant.
Bridal Entrance – Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
The bridal party included four bridesmaids, one flower girl and one junior groomsman, creating five entrances before the bride and her father. Timing the entrance music for a ceremony like this is one of the most important parts of the day.
Victoria chose Iris by Goo Goo Dolls for her bridal entrance, a wonderful and emotional choice. It is a song which works beautifully for piano and cello, with enough space to feel intimate, but with a strong melodic shape that carries the moment.
With live music, we can adapt the arrangement in real time to fit the pace of the entrance. This means we can extend, hold back, soften or build the music depending on exactly how the bridal party moves and how long it takes for everyone to reach the front. That is one of the great advantages of live ceremony music: it breathes with the moment.
Ceremony Music with Film, Fantasy and Personal Favourites
Victoria and Stephen had mentioned that they are big Disney, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings fans, and that it had been difficult choosing from our repertoire. We completely understood that. With over 350 recordings on our Listen page for inspiration, couples often find there are far more possibilities than they first expected.
For the signing of the schedule, they chose a lovely mixture of romantic and cinematic music:
- Alone – Jessie Ware
- The Shire from The Lord of the Rings / Harry Potter mash-up
- Married Life from Up
This was a particularly nice combination. Alone by Jessie Ware brought a contemporary romantic feel, while The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter gave a nod to Victoria and Stephen’s love of fantasy and film music. Married Life from Up is always a beautiful choice for a wedding ceremony, especially during the signing, where it can sit gently in the background while still feeling full of character.
For the couple exit, Victoria and Stephen chose Accidentally in Love, which is one of those pieces that works brilliantly at the end of a ceremony. It is upbeat, joyful and instantly celebratory — exactly the right feeling as the newly married couple walk back down the aisle together.
Drinks Reception Music in the Bar
After the ceremony, guests moved into the drinks reception. Although there had been the possibility of drinks outside if the weather allowed, we performed inside in the bar area of the Pavilion. This created a relaxed atmosphere for guests as they chatted, congratulated the couple and enjoyed the start of the afternoon celebrations.
Victoria and Stephen had chosen a wonderfully varied drinks reception playlist, with everything from pop and rock to country, musicals and Bridgerton. Their drinks reception requests included:
- Pink Pony Club
- Angels – Robbie Williams
- Everywhere / Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
- Wonderwall – Oasis
- Lover – Taylor Swift
- Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield
- Sweet Disposition
- I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
- You’re Still the One – Shania Twain
- Beautiful Crazy – Luke Combs
- When You Say Nothing at All – Ronan Keating
- Ordinary – Alex Warren
- Bitter Sweet Symphony
- Bridgerton Theme
- Girls Like You – Maroon 5
- All the Small Things – Blink-182
- A Million Dreams – The Greatest Showman
- So Easy to Fall in Love – Olivia Dean
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
- Beautiful Girls – Sean Kingston
This is exactly the sort of music list we love. It gives us plenty of variety and allows us to shape the atmosphere around the room. Drinks reception music needs to be present enough to create energy, but never so loud or intrusive that guests have to compete with it. Piano and cello work especially well for this part of the day because the sound is live, elegant and recognisable, but still comfortable for conversation.
A drinks reception is also a lovely opportunity to include pieces which may not quite fit the ceremony itself. Couples can be a little more playful with this part of the day, and Victoria and Stephen’s choices gave us a great mixture of fun, nostalgia and romance.
Wedding Breakfast Music in the Main Hall
For the wedding breakfast, we moved into the main hall of Strathpeffer Pavilion. The speeches took place before the meal, and we then played as guests settled in for dinner.
Victoria and Stephen had chosen another very personal set of songs for the wedding breakfast. They had wondered whether some of the choices might be a little slow, but in practice, this type of list can work beautifully for the meal. Wedding breakfast music does not need to be fast all the time. The key is to vary the texture, style and intensity so the music supports the atmosphere of the room.
Their meal music choices included:
- Make You Feel My Love – Adele
- The One – Kodaline
- I’m Kissing You – Des’ree
- Mr Brightside
- She’s the One
- Yellow – Coldplay
- All of Me – John Legend
- Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
- Stand by Me
- Birds of a Feather
- Crazier – Taylor Swift
- So Easy to Fall in Love – Olivia Dean
- Enchanted – Taylor Swift
- All About You – McFly
- Dreams – The Cranberries
- All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
- 500 Miles – The Proclaimers
- I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
- Shallow – Lady Gaga
- Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
There were some wonderful Scottish touches too, not least 500 Miles by The Proclaimers, which always feels especially appropriate at a Scottish wedding. Songs like Mr Brightside, All You Need Is Love and All About You helped lift the energy, while pieces such as Make You Feel My Love, Yellow and I’m Kissing You created a more romantic atmosphere.
One of the things we always say to couples is that wedding breakfast music can be very personal. It does not have to be a generic background playlist. It can include songs that mean something to you, artists you love, film themes, family favourites, and pieces that remind guests of different parts of your story.
Piano and Cello for a Highland Wedding
For Victoria and Stephen’s wedding, we performed using our usual JAM Duo setup: Nord Stage piano, Yamaha electric cello and our own Yamaha sound system. This allows us to provide a consistent live sound whether we are outside for a ceremony, in a bar for drinks, or in a main hall for the meal.
Outdoor ceremonies always require a little extra thought. We need to be positioned where the music carries properly, while also keeping our instruments and equipment safe and practical. At Strathpeffer Pavilion, the setup worked very well, with the ceremony taking place on the lawns and the Pavilion close by for the later parts of the day.
Because we bring our own sound system, we do not need to rely on venue equipment. This is particularly useful for weddings where the day moves between different spaces. We can set up efficiently, relocate where needed, and make sure the sound is appropriate for each setting.
Travelling to Weddings in Scotland
JAM Duo regularly travel across the UK for weddings, and Scotland is always a pleasure. A wedding in the Highlands feels very special because it gives the whole day a sense of occasion and escape.
For this wedding, staying overnight in Perth made the journey more relaxed, and the drive north through the Cairngorms the following morning was one of the highlights of the trip. There is something rather wonderful about arriving at a wedding having travelled through such beautiful scenery. It adds to the sense that the day is something memorable and set apart from ordinary life.
Destination-style weddings do not always have to mean flying abroad. For many couples and guests, a wedding in the Scottish Highlands has all the atmosphere of a destination wedding: a journey, a beautiful setting, and time spent together in a place that feels different and special.
Strathpeffer Pavilion is a particularly lovely choice for this, combining Highland charm with enough flexibility to host the different parts of a wedding day in one place.
Choosing Live Music for Your Ceremony, Drinks and Meal
Victoria and Stephen booked JAM Duo for the ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast. This is one of our most popular options because it gives the whole daytime part of the wedding a continuous musical thread.
The ceremony music is usually the most emotionally significant. It includes the guest arrival music, entrance of the bridal party, entrance of the bride, signing music and couple exit. These are the moments guests remember, and live music brings an extra sense of occasion.
The drinks reception is more relaxed. It is often the point in the day where guests are chatting, enjoying drinks and photos, and beginning to settle into the celebration. Music here helps keep the atmosphere warm and flowing.
The wedding breakfast then creates a different mood again. Guests are seated, the pace slows a little, and the music becomes part of the shared dining experience. Live piano and cello can make this feel elegant and personal without overwhelming conversation.
By having JAM Duo across all three parts of the day, couples can include a wide range of music, from classical and film themes to pop, rock, musicals and more unusual personal choices.
Thank You to Victoria and Stephen
A huge thank you to Victoria and Stephen for asking us to be part of their wedding at Strathpeffer Pavilion. It was a lovely day, and we were so pleased that the outdoor ceremony could take place on the lawns as planned.
From the beautiful Highland setting to the personal music choices, the pale pink bridesmaids, grey kilts and relaxed drinks reception inside the Pavilion, this was a wedding full of warmth and character. We especially enjoyed the mix of music, with Taylor Swift, Goo Goo Dolls, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pixar’s Up, Fleetwood Mac, The Proclaimers and many more all finding their place in the day.
It was also a pleasure to make the journey north and enjoy the drive through the Cairngorms on the morning of the wedding. Scotland is always special, and this wedding was no exception.
Congratulations Victoria and Stephen, and thank you again for choosing JAM Duo to provide your live piano and cello music at Strathpeffer Pavilion.
Live Wedding Musicians for Strathpeffer Pavilion and Scottish Weddings
JAM Duo provide live piano and cello music for weddings throughout Scotland and across the UK. We perform for ceremonies, drinks receptions, wedding breakfasts, cocktail hours and first dances, bringing elegant live music to each part of the day.
Our repertoire includes classical music, pop, rock, film themes, Disney, Bridgerton, musicals and bespoke arrangements. The recordings on our Listen page are there for inspiration, but couples are never restricted to a set playlist. You can choose the songs you love, and we will shape the music around your wedding day.
Whether you are planning a Highland wedding at Strathpeffer Pavilion, a Scottish castle wedding, a lochside ceremony or a celebration elsewhere in the UK, JAM Duo can provide live piano and cello music tailored to your day.
