For today we headed back over the Prince of Wales Bridge into Wales. Starting with a church ceremony in St Arvens we were also booked to play for the wedding drinks reception which took place in a very stylish Marquee.
The Wedding
Lucy and Mark
St Arvans Church
Saturday 1 October 2022
Church Ceremony – St Arvan’s Church near Chepstow.
The church is dedicated to St Arvan who, legend has it, was a ninth century Hermit who supported himself by coracle fishing for salmon in the nearby river Wye. There was apparently for many years within the church a stone carving showing a coracle and a salmon. A 2/3rd size Wye Coracle, the first believed to have been made for 100 years, was specially made for the Church and given in memory of a past worshiper. It is mounted on the West wall.
A refurbishment and partial restoration took place in the 1980s when the curved ceiling of the chancel and sanctuary were finally decorated as had been intended at the Church’s Victorian restoration. This exceptionally fine craftsmanship using medieval colours and gold leaf, was carried out by Campbell Smith and Co. who also carried out decoration and gilding in Westminster Abbey and many Cathedrals including Gloucester, Exeter, St. Edmundsbury together with work at Buckingham Palace, Windsor castle and other national institutions.
Music for the Ceremony
As well as JAM Duo, Lucy and Mark had also engaged Monmouth Male Voice Choir to sing during the service as well as add some volume to the hymns – which they certainly did!
We played a selection of classical pieces prior to the brides arrival, stopping at 2pm exactly for the Choir to sing a piece once Lucy was outside ready to come in. The Bridal Entrance was our arrangement of Canon in D by Pachelbel which fitted perfectly for Lucy’s entrance along with her bridesmaids in a lovely shade of navy blue.
During the signing the Choir sang Calon Lan followed by You Raise Me up. WIth this being a church ceremony the bride and grooms exit followed immediately after the signing at which point we played our own arrangement of Autumn from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Wedding Drinks Reception
After the church service we packed away quickly and headed a few miles up the road to where Lucy and Mark were holding their wedding reception. This was in a beautiful marquee which had been erected in their back garden.
Setting up on the stage for the drinks reception we found ourselves next to the bar! For the reception we also used our gloss black piano shell. With the music request for their ceremony being predominantly classical, there was a definite change of mood for the drinks reception. Some of the music Lucy and Mark had requested included:
500 miles, I’ll be waiting for you, Cave, She, Africa, Stand by me, Feeling good, What a wonderful World, At Last, Million Dreams, Nobody does it better, now we are freem Chandalier, dream a little dream, leave the light on, Mr Brightside, Electric Dreams, Lovely Day (Bill Withers).
All too soon it was time for speeches and the wedding breakfast which brought to an end our involvement with Lucy and Mark’s wedding. It was a genuinely stylish occasion and we absolutely loved being part of their special day.
JAM Duo at Your Wedding
If you would like musicians at your wedding JAM Duo have a number of packages covering Ceremony through to First Dance and beyond. To find out more please get in touch via our contact page.
