Sunday saw me back at the Old Hall in Ely again (the second time in just over a week), this time for the wedding reception of Holly and Dale – a truly lovely couple who both work in the military.
Because of this, meeting up with them was difficult. In fact, we literally met 6 days before the wedding. Luckily, we seemed to hit it off from the start.
Playlist ideas were exchanged, and several interesting ideas injected into the evening’s schedule such as:
- A father & daughter dance whereby the song (an acoustic version of Sweet Child Of Mine) was a complete surprise from the Holly.
- The re-enactment of Holly’s parents’ first dance from the 80s which was a complete surprise to them (when they got married, their DJ didn’t actually possess the song they wanted!)
- A secret serenade of officers singing You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling to Holly (that was absolutely brilliant)
- A grand exit 20 minutes before the end of the reception for Holly and Dale involving a massive human archway
This is exactly the type of entertainment I enjoy providing the most – it’s what I live for!
Add to the fact that many of the assembled guests were serving military personnel of various ranks and it was always going to be a lively party…..I wasn’t disappointed.
Although Holly and Dale had provided enough playlist selections for several weddings, I was also able to take requests from guests on the night with a couple of restrictions on what not to play. I always find that guest requests work the best – they’ve had the idea pop into their head whilst they’re dancing and will generally continue to dance if they’re having an input into proceedings.
The music consisted of many, many genres, mainly 90s dance and trance though with a big emphasis on UK Garage, Hip Hop and modern R&B. Oh….and a LOT of Ed Sheeran and The Kings of Leon (they’re massive fans). I even managed to squeeze in a couple of Northern Soul tracks for a few of the older guests who’d requested a small set of that particular genre (and boy did they know how to move around the floor!).
The midnight curfew came around far too quickly on this one – I could have stood there and played music for hours and hours. When the guests are filling the floor and reacting to what’s being played, the energy flows into me and helps to keep the evening going.
So, all the best for a long and happy future together Holly and Dale. It was a brilliant night, and possibly the busiest I’ve ever experienced at Old Hall.
