The sun was shining and the tide was rising and what a beautiful location this was for two very keen rowers - Natalie (Club Treasurer) and Nick (coach and very keen rower). In fact they literally met on the river with Nick offering hs coaching services to the new rower Natalie! Now they row together in life. Boom boom.
The club is situated on the north bank of Eel Pie Island in the Thames giving easy access to the main river but no easy access for the DJ!!! Thankfully on transporting my kit over a very steep bridge from the main river bank, a young and very strong lady rower happened to be passing to give me a much needed push!!
Once inside I was met with a very helpful and warm welcome from Club Chairman Paul, where as in most clubs, he was running the show from the front. My services for the day included:
mood lighting for the dining room and Club room - colour matched blue and pink
music for the drinks and canapes welcoming - swing, lounge, jazz
staged introduction of bride and groom to the wedding breakfast
background music for the wedding breakfast - classical
wireless mic for speeches
music for the blessing
evening reception party (please see full playlist below) - modern mix of party classics
With space at a premium I deployed the small starlight booth to the left of a small stage, a light stand behind me and a ring of mood lights to the Club room. In the adjoining dining room I set out a similar ring of mood lights - see below.
View from the balcony as guests enjoyed a rising tide and drinks & canapes
The number of guests for the afternoon wedding breakfast were swelled by those arriving for an early evening blessing. Natalie and Nick wanted their friends to witness their betrothal as numbers had been limited for the earlier wedding service. For the blessing a good friend Antonia gave a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace.
Thereafter of course we moved into cake cutting and following a respite, the First Dance, to be followed up with a Bride and Father of the Bride dance, and of course, the traditional evening reception party.
Bride and Father of the Bride dance; The Temptations - My Girl
Natalie and Nick had been fairly specific regarding music policy for their special day. The early part of the day would be jazz, swing, lounge; moving into classical for the wedding breakfast and then breaking out in to popular classics for the evening party. They themselves and their guests had mayde some great requests. The full playlist for the day was as follows:
Drinks and Canapes Welcome
Harry Connick, Jr - The Bare Necessities
Oscar Brown Jr. - Mr. Kicks
Peter Grant - You're The First, The Last, My Everything
Pink Martini - Una Notte a Napoli
Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights - It's Like Reaching for the Moon
Jessica Molaskey - Everything Is Moving Too Fast
Pink Martini - Sing
Peter Cincotti - I Love Paris
The Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra - C Jam Blues
Mose Allison - Seventh Son
Chris Connor - Free Spirits
Money's Gettin' Cheaper - Jimmy Witherspoon
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - Drop Me Off In Harlem
Jennie Lobel & Swing Kings - Now They Call It Swing
The Nat King Cole Trio - Straighten Up And Fly Right
Sy Oliver - Yes Indeed
Fred Astaire & Bing Crosby - In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening
Benny Goodman - All the Cats Join In
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - Just Squeeze Me
Harry James-Helen Forrest - I'm Beginning To See The Light
Julie London - Fly Me To The Moon
Peggy Lee - The Boy From Ipanema
Count Basie Orchestra - Ma (He's Making Eyes at Me)
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
Dave Brubeck - Old Bill Basie
Eddie Reed - Moon Ray
Ella and Louis - 720 in the Books
Jenni Löbel & Swing Kings - A-Tisket A-Tasket
Billie Holiday - A Fine Romance
Staged Entrance of Bride and Groom to Wedding Breakfast
Stealer’s Wheel – Stuck in the Middle With You
Background for Wedding Breakfast
Stephen Warbeck - Pelagia's Song (Captain Corelli's Mandolin)
Ennio Morricone - La califfa
Michael Nyman, David Hirschfelder, Gabri - The English Patient
London Philarmonic - The Sleeping Beauty, Op.66; Waltz
St. John's College Choir - Cesar Franck , Panis Angelicus
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni - Adagio in G minor
St. John's College Choir - Laudate Dominum (Mozart)
London Philarmonic - Peer Gynt, Op.23, In the Hall of the Mountian King
Janacek Chamber Orcehstra - Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons)
Mariss Jansons - Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra - JS Bach Air (suite no. ; Air on the G string)
RTV Slovenis Aymphony Otrchestra - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Dance of the Swans
Martha Argerich, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Kirill Kondrashin - Piano Concerto No. in B flat M
Arthur Grumiaux & Istvan Hajdu - Kreisler: Liebesfreud
Hungarian National Philharmonic & Emil Edlinger - The Nutcracker, Op.71: Waltz of the Flowers
Malmö Symphony Orchestra & James DePreist - Carmen:Overture
Finghin Collins - Piano Sonata No.11 in A Major, K 331: Rondo: Alla turca
Chopin - Prelude in A flat Major
Kveta Novotná - Three Nocturnes for Piano, Op.62: Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major, G 541 "O lieb so lang' Du lieben kannst" (Poco allegro con affetto)
Pietro Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana Symphonic Intermezzo
Maria Callas - Marriage of Figaro - Duettino-Sull Aria (Shawshank Redemption)
St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, Neil Black, English Chamber Orchestra & Barry Rose - Jesu joy of Man's Desiring
Dresden State Opera Chorus, Staatskapelle Dresden & Silvio Varviso - Il Trovatore: "Vedi! le fosche notturne spoglie" (Anvil Chorus)
Catherine Russell - All the Cats Join in
Nat King Cole - Let There Be Love
LeAnn Rimes - 16 Tons
Stacey Kent - All I Do Is Dream Of You
Jimmy McGriff - Splanky
Count Basie - One O'clock Jump
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Oo Poppa Do
Porky Cohen with Roomful of Blues - P.D.Q. Boogie
The Duke & Louis - In a Mellow Tone
Johnny Johnson - That'll Work
Michael Bublé - All I Do Is Dream of You
Irma Thomas - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer
Angie Stone - Wish I Didn't Miss You
Madeleine Peyroux - Dance Me To The End Of Love
Anne Mattila - Vem Vet
Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me
The Dizzy Club - That Old Black Magic
Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
Harry Connick, Jr. - It Had To Be You
Peter Grant - I Saw Her Standing There
Entrance of Bride and Groom to Blessing
Nuremberg Symphonic Orchestra & Alexander von Pitamic - La Traviata: Overture (From "Pretty Woman")
Solo Performance
Amazing Grace-F
End of Blessing
Tracy Chapman - For You
James Taylor - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Cake Cutting
Queen - Crazy Little Thing called Love
Into Evening Reception
Super Furry Animals - Juxtapozed With U
Emeli Sande - My Kind of Love (Radio Mix)
Robert Palmer - Every Kinda People
Peter Andre - Mysterious Girl
Michael Jackson - The way you make me feel
Dario G - Sunchyme (Radio Mix)
Moloko - Sing It Back
Jamiroquai - Little L
Cher - Strong Enough
Rozalla - I Love Music
Soulsearcher - Can't Get Enough
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters - Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Third Finger, Left Hand
Barbara Randolph - I Got a Feeling (Single Version)
T.Rex - Hot Love
The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything
The Doobie Brothers - Listen to the Music
Stevie Wonder - I Wish
Randy Crawford - Street Life
Whitney Houston - I'm Every Woman
First Dance
Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah
Bride and Father of the Bride Dance
The Temptations - My Girl
Evening Party
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Wilson Pickett - Mustang Sally
Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
The B52's - Love Shack
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
The Gap Band - Oops Upside Your Head
Beyonce - Single Ladies
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne - Rather Be
Maroon 5 Featuring Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Spice Girls - Wannabe
Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
Five - Everybody Get Up
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
Bon Jovi - You Give Love A Bad Name
John Travolta & Olivia Newton John - Grease Megamix
Mark Ronson Feat. Amy Winehouse - Valerie
Elvis Presley - Burning Love
The Beatles - Twist and Shout
Chubby Checker - Let's Twist Again
Jackie Wilson - Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher
Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love
The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
The Supremes - Baby Love
Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Three Little Birds
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
Rufus and Chaka Khan - Ain't Nobody
Cameo - Word Up
Robin S - Show Me Love
Deee Lite - Groove Is In The Heart
Alison Limerick - Where Love Lives
Shaft - Mambo Italiano
Jennifer Lopez - Let's Get loud
Elvis Presley - Return To Sender
Millie Jackson - My Boy Lollipop
Bee Gees - Night Fever
S Club 7 - Reach
Village People - Y.M.C.A.
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer
The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire
Queen - Don't Stop Me Now
Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars--Uptown Funk
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Rihanna feat Calvin Harris - We Found Love
Meghan Trainor--All About That Bass
The Shamen - Ebeneezer Goode
Chesney Hawkes - The One and Only
Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud
Lionel Richie - Endless Love (Duet with Diana Ross)
Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell & T.I. - Blurred Lines