Heart FM Wedding Show - Part 2

On the Sunday at the Brentwood Centre, Essex wedding band, One Foot in the Groove provided the live music in the marquee. Throughout the day they played some party songs to get all the couples in the mood. This very versatile Essex wedding band were also able to play some lovely background jazz and swing, perfect for a drinks reception or wedding breakfast.
In the main arena you could find everything from cakes to gorgeous dresses,  photo booths to flowers. It really was wedding world.

I must say a big thank you to John at Vicarge Marquees, Richard at Fuud Ltd and Paul from MD Entertainments for allowing myself and the band to perform in the marquee over a very busy weekend.
www.fuudoutsidecaterers.co.uk
www.vicaragemarquees.co.uk
www.mdentertainments.co.uk

Wedding Fayres - good or bad?

Its the time of the year when every weekend you can go to a wedding fayre or open day. Are these really worth your time? Absolutley yes if you choose carefully. This weekend the biggest wedding show in Essex takes place at The Brentwood Centre. Its the annual Heart Fm show, now in its 25th year!
Its a big show with everything you could possibly need for your wedding and more. The suppliers that are exhibiting have had to make a substantial investment in themselves and their business to get the exposure. These are serious suppliers, I know quite a few of them personally and can vouch for their work.
Open days are also great, as often the venue will have hand picked some suppliers to come along and exhibit. These will be people they have worked with before and whose work they know. Be more wary of smaller wedding shows, it seems every events company is organising them these days and some of them aren't organised particularly well. I know as I've wasted hard earned money advertising at them.
Do your research into who's organising and the calibre of suppliers that will be there. That way you don't waste every weekend trawling around wedding fayres.
If you're free on Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th of February come along to the Brentwood Centre. This is one fayre you shouldn't miss. Come and say hello, I'll be in the marquee area and will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have when it comes to planning your big day.

Venues and Live Music

Some of you may know,  my background is music. I have been singing professionally all of my life and I run a very sucessful wedding band in Essex, called One Foot in the Groove. Some venues just aren't good for live music, so I thought I take this time to highlight a few things worth thinking about when you come to book your wedding venue.
Choosing a venue is one of the biggest decisions you will have to make when planning your wedding. If having a live band, or any kind of musical entertainment for that matter,  is important you should consider a few things.

Has it got a Sound limiter and what is it set at?

Bands hate them, although a top band should be able to deal with it. The problem is they are sometimes set very low according to council regulations and if the music gets too loud the power to the performing area will cut out. Not only does this kill the atmosphere at your wedding reception, but it can seriously damage the bands equipment. Discos aren't too bad with sound limiters as the sound is condensed before it goes into the limiter. You should disclose to your band if there is a limiter so they are prepared, some bands will refuse to play with them.

Will the music be in a seperate room?

As the manager of a band, there is nothing worse I get to a new venue to find that the band are in one room, the bar in another and the food somewhere else. Now whilst this lovely looking historical building might look gorgeous, will you be able to create an atmosphere? There are lots of venues in Essex that I know very well, that are like this. What happens, and its doesn't matter how great your band or DJ is, you will loose guests someone within the venue. The best venues for atmosphere are the ones where the bar, dance floor and food are all in one place, and there are plenty of fabulous venues in Essex like this, as there are across the country. I just know Essex very well.

Can you have a live band?

There are some venues that do not allow live music, or even dancing of any sort. Strange but true. Could be the floors, they don't want damaged, the ceiling, the neighbours, a whole host of reasons, but if you have set your heart on a live band at your wedding, its worth checking.

Live music in marquees

Marquees are great for live music because there are no acoustics so the band can get the sound just right. However, if the marquee is at yours or a family members house then you should remember a couple of things. Make sure there is a stable power supply to the marquee. You don't want it to cut out! Also make sure you have a flat area, ideally a stage for the band to set up on. If its uneven the musicians will struggle to play, especially the drummer. If you are not having a stage, leave enough space when putting in the dance floor for the band to set up, otherwise you'll have equipment all over the dance floor, which doesn't look great and is dangerous. Most bands will tell you, that the depth is the most important.

Just a few little things to think about if you want live music at your wedding. Happy planning