WOW! It’s so good to be back to doing what I normally do for a living….filling a dance floor!
Eloise and Dom’s wedding had been rescheduled three times before the big day due to the pandemic, and they were determined to make it a day to remember.
The venue – a riverside marquee at the gorgeous Ketteringham Hall in Wymondham
Being in a marquee, the Rustic setup was the order of the day although with smaller than usual speakers due to space limitations.
I’d agreed way back in March 2020 that I’d also provide a PA system for the speeches. Not a problem at all – I have a standalone system specifically for the purpose so delivered that to the marquee and agreed to return to do the main setup once the wedding breakfast was over.
As it happened, I arrived back just in time for the speeches!
The Best Man couldn’t be with Eloise and Dom on the day due to quarantine restrictions, so instead recorded a video to be played back on a TV provided by the happy couple.
In the event, no sound was coming out of the TV and external speakers. I always carry a lot of different cables with me, so jumped in to connect the video to the speaker they’d been using for the speeches – problem solved.
So, to the evening party!
Eloise and Dom had provided a playlist lasting for around 17 hours and weren’t particularly keen on me taking guest requests.
That’s not a problem in my book. With a playlist that size I have a lot of options to pick and choose the music on the night depending on how guests are reacting.
Guests were invited onto the dance floor to join Eloise and Dom during their first dance (Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together), and from then on, there wasn’t a minute where I was playing to an empty ‘floor. Even guests who were sitting outside by the river were seen to be dancing along!
And after 16 months of not being allowed to have a dance floor, it felt somewhat emotional to see the music making people dance together!
So, the playlist then...
As already mentioned, the evening’s selections were made up entirely of Eloise and Dom’s personal choices. My job was select the songs that were going to work at the right moments, and work they did!
Pre-first dance selections
Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry
Daryl Hall & John Oates – You make my dreams
Dido – Thank You
Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack
Ben E King – Stand by me
Elbow – One Day Like This
Robbie Williams – Millennium
Etta James – At Last
Bob Marley – Jamming
Frank Sinatra – Come Fly With Me
Dusty Springfield – Son of a Preacher Man
Bob Dylan – Blowin’ In The Wind
Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
Main party selections
Al Green – Lets Stay Together
Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men
Wham – Wake me up before you go go
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
Kool The Gang – Get Down On It
Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
Daft Punk – Get Lucky
DNCE – Cake By The Ocean
Robin Thicke Feat. Pharrell – Blurred Lines
Sugarbabes – Push the Button
David Guetta feat. Sia – Titanium
Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand
The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl
Gala – Freed from desire
Fatboy Slim – Right Here, Right Now
Snap! – Rhythm Is A Dancer
Haddaway – What Is Love
Faithless – Insomnia
Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
Britney Spears – Baby One More Time
Backstreet Boys – Everybody
Will Smith – Gettin Jiggy With It
Grandmaster Slice – Electric Slide (Shall We Dance)
House Of Pain – Jump Around
Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It
Justin Timberlake – Rock Your Body
Calvin Harris – Feels
Shakira – Hips Don’t Lie
Camila Cabello – Havana
Usher feat Ludacris and Lil Jon – Yeah
Bryan Adams – Summer of ´69
Bon Jovi – Livin On a Prayer
The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger (Radio Edit)
Guns N Roses – Sweet Child O Mine
Joy Division – Transmission
Pet Shop Boys – What Have I Done To Deserve This
Abba – Waterloo
Abba – Dancing Queen
The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love
Dolly Parton – 9 To 5
Dolly Parton – Jolene
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
Abba – Mamma Mia
Queen – Don’t Stop me Now
Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
Oasis – Wonderwall
Spice Girls – Wannabe
Spice Girls – Spice Up Your Life
Run DMC – It’s Like That (Radio Edit)
M.C Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
The Prodigy – Firestarter
Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
The Clash – London Calling
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
Pulp – Common People
Reef – Place Your Hands
Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag
Yazoo – Only You
Pet Shop Boys – Always On My Mind
A-ha – Take On Me
Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire
The Killers – Mr Brightside
Oasis – Don’t Look Back In Anger
And finally, some photos of the evening
All in all, a REALLY good night and absolutely blimmin’ AWESOME to be back doing what I LOVE doing for a living!
