Olivia & Liam’s wedding at De Vere Tortworth Court was a perfect example of just how much the atmosphere can change across one wedding day.
I joined them for three different parts of their celebration, beginning with a relaxed two-hour drinks reception before returning later to build the energy ahead of the evening party and finally joining the DJ for a full Sax/DJ set.
The brief went from romantic and lighthearted to, in Olivia’s words, “LOTS OF FUNNN!!”
And that pretty much sums up the day.
My first set ran from 2:30pm–4:30pm during the drinks reception.
For this part of the wedding, Olivia & Liam wanted the music to feel fun, romantic and lighthearted. It wasn’t about immediately turning the afternoon into a party; it was about creating an atmosphere while guests relaxed after the ceremony, enjoyed a drink and caught up with each other.
Their music choices were brilliant because they weren’t confined to one particular genre or era.
We had romantic tracks such as Until I Found You, How Long Will I Love You and Lover, alongside Ain’t No Sunshine, Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay and Let’s Stay Together.
Then there were plenty of modern and nostalgic favourites, including Olivia Dean’s Man I Need, All About You by McFly, Accidentally in Love, Unwritten, Mamma Mia and a selection of Taylor Swift.
Liv also particularly wanted Human Nature by Michael Jackson and was so much fun to play this one for the first time!
It created exactly the sort of drinks reception I love playing: relaxed enough that people can talk, but with recognisable music constantly adding something to the atmosphere.
One of the things Olivia mentioned afterwards was that, despite already having a huge repertoire to choose from, I’d gone away and learnt another song especially for them. I always love doing this where possible.
Your wedding music doesn’t have to be made up entirely of songs that happen to already exist on somebody’s set list. If there’s a track that means something to you, tell me. Sometimes the unexpected choices are the ones that make a wedding soundtrack feel much more personal.
And with everything from Taylor Swift and McFly to Al Green and ABBA on Olivia & Liam’s list, this was definitely a wedding where we weren’t worried about sticking to one genre!
There was one song Olivia & Liam knew they wanted for their entrance into the wedding breakfast:
Jubel – Klingande.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll probably know this one gets played quite a lot!
There’s a reason for it.
That opening sax instantly changes the atmosphere, and it’s perfect when a couple doesn’t simply want to walk quietly into the room. The aim here was to get the energy up and make their entrance feel like a proper moment.
Later that evening, I returned for a 30-minute cocktail hour set from 7:30pm–8pm.
By this point, the job of the music had completely changed.
The romantic atmosphere of the afternoon had done its job. Dinner had happened. Now we needed to get people ready for the party. I think this transition is such an important part of a wedding day. If there’s too long a gap between the wedding breakfast and the evening entertainment, it can be difficult to rebuild the atmosphere later.
Instead, live music can bridge that gap and start moving the energy in the direction you want it to go.
And for Olivia & Liam, we were definitely heading towards a party.
From 8pm–9:30pm, I joined Enhanced Entertainment for the evening Sax/DJ set. I absolutely LOVE working with these guys!!
This was a completely different side of the wedding.
The playlist says everything: Pink Pony Club, Freed From Desire, Chelsea Dagger, Take Me Home, Country Roads, Fireball, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Young Hearts Run Free, Teenage Dirtbag, Don’t Stop Me Now, All Night Long and Rasputin.
Throw in Oasis, old-school R&B, Busted and plenty of crowd pleasers and there wasn’t much room for standing still.
Because Olivia & Liam had guests across a range of ages, having that variety was important. A great wedding dancefloor doesn’t have to stay within one genre. Sometimes the best sets are the ones that jump between decades and styles because there’s constantly another song coming that somebody in the room loves.
The DJ keeps everything flowing while I can move around the dancefloor, interact with guests and add live sax to the biggest moments.
This was the part of the night where everything we’d been building towards throughout the day came together.
What I loved about this wedding was that Olivia & Liam didn’t want the same musical atmosphere all day.
And they shouldn’t.
At 2:30pm, soulful sax and relaxed Taylor Swift covers made complete sense.
By 8:30pm, Freed From Desire and Chelsea Dagger made a lot more sense!
Using live music across different parts of a wedding isn’t about repeating the same performance three times. Each set has a different job.
The drinks reception creates atmosphere.
The wedding breakfast entrance creates a moment.
Cocktail hour starts lifting the energy.
And Sax/DJ takes everything into the party.
When those sections work together, the music becomes part of the flow of the wedding rather than simply entertainment added into the timetable.
Venue: De Vere Tortworth Court, Gloucestershire
Photographer: Matt Tyler
Videographer: Christiaan – Sabi & Saint
Evening DJ: Enhanced Entertainment
Olivia & Liam’s wedding showed exactly why I love performing across multiple parts of a wedding day.
We didn’t try to make every section a party.
Instead, the music grew with the celebration: romantic and relaxed during the drinks reception, a burst of energy for the wedding breakfast entrance, a lively cocktail hour and then a completely different atmosphere once the Sax/DJ set began.
If you’re planning your wedding at De Vere Tortworth Court or elsewhere in Gloucestershire and want live sax to take you from the drinks reception right through to the dancefloor, get in touch and let’s start planning your soundtrack.
Olivia & Liam
