Setting the stage for your big day! - Written by Rowan Bastable

Hello hello! Rowan here from TWFC. I didn't get the best night’s sleep last night, I was awake all night thinking about music, bands, events and why I think live music is such a vital part of any wedding festival...

It's hard to put into words, being a musician myself, I suppose it's very much in the blood. If I'm really honest, I'd probably book 100 bands for a wedding festival and forget about feeding anybody!! That’s why we make such an epic team here. My role is very much about the stage, lights, sound and getting you the perfect line-up to get your wedding rockin'!

So here goes…

My top tips when booking live music for your big day...

1. Setting the atmosphere - Nothing quite sets the scene like live music and as festival loving bride and grooms' to be I'm sure you'll very much agree!

Live bands are great fun and will really make an excellent feature for your event.

There really is nothing quite like the feeling of 'togetherness' that comes from dancing wildly to a band you love or joining arms to sing that chorus everybody knows (or pretends to know!) the words to.

Making music a more focal point of your day will make the atmosphere last on a high from bar one to midnight!

2. This is a party! We're not about sit down 3 course meals and stiff upper lips here at TWFC. We're about letting your hair down and throwing that mad party at a venue you've always dreamed of! Why just party in the evening on your special day when you can party all day (Or all weekend if you choose)?
I believe that your wedding day is as much about celebrating your joint personalities as it is about celebrating your love for one another. What better way to express the diversity of your tastes than through the bands you choose to play on the day? Are you the sort of "rock-chick" that wants to turn up on the back of a Harley and rock out all day, or perhaps you'd like to float in amongst the sounds of a barbershop trio?
I'd perhaps suggest to start your line up nice and easy with some beautiful acoustic tunes in the background, whilst everybody mingles, and then slowly build the atmosphere to blistering dancing in the evenings finale! But hey, maybe you want to skank away to your favourite ska band at midday? The choice is yours!

3. Creating memories to cherish - Whether it be singing along to your favourite songs around a campfire or stage diving in your wedding dress (yes we've seen this done!), the music that you choose will create lasting memories for yourself and your guests.

 

Who knew you had a secret love of Irish Dancing? Well they all found out at midnight on your wedding night didn’t they...?

4. Something for everyone - We appreciate wholeheartedly how daunting a task it seems to try and please everyone when organising your special day. From the choice of food to guest list management there's always someone or something to worry about. Well why not safely remove that worry when it comes to booking your big day and work with us to make it unforgettable!

Be it rock, rap, folk, acoustic, indie, funk, or all of the aforementioned, you could arrange a line- up that perfectly complements you and your guests tastes. Let there be something for everyone to enjoy, you most certainly won't regret it!

5. Well known songs or original masterpieces? We work with a vast network of professional musicians who write and perform their own music (and a few covers if you require) and guarantee only the highest quality of musicianship from the bands that we book. Why not have a real Irish Folk band play at your festival, as opposed to a rock band who have learned songs by request?

Of course we understand that you may wish to book a covers band or two for the day! It's totally up to you, but by offering your guests a range of genres and original music throughout the day the feeling of being at a real music festival will certainly come to life!

6. One band, or a whole festival? - As I'm sure you are aware, most weddings have one function band, who will play one pre- defined genre of music generally for 2 hrs (2 x 1hr sets of 3 x 40min sets) and can charge an obscene amount of money due to demand... that means placing all of your trust (and a large sum of money) in the hands of one band to provide all the entertainment for your guests. There is, of course, no problem with that, if that's what you want? However, here at TWFC we would look more towards you having multiple bands to provide entertainment for the entire day/night and of course it will help spread the cost for you, as you won’t be potentially look at thousands of pounds per band!

So your husband-to-be is a staunch heavy rock fan... but you prefer a bit of Motown and Soul... how can you choose a band to please everyone? Well don't, choose six!

7. Choosing the right bands - What to look for when deciding which bands you wish to play? If you're not musically minded yourself how will you know the best from the worst? Well here are a few things to consider...

* A Good Demo - All bands should have a good quality recorded demo that you can hear online. This will show off their musicality! When they are in time, in tune and sounding great, you know that you are onto a winner!

* Good Equipment - A band should be able to provide all of their own musical equipment for the event (Some wedding bands will also supply the PA for you, but of course for a festival style wedding you'll have one set up for the weekend).

* A High Quality Photo - You want to know what your band are going to look like, right? All good bands will have a professional, quality, press photo of themselves online, that you can see.

* Reliability - A complete must when playing a wedding. It is so important that the bands you choose to play are reliable and trustworthy! All good bands will have testimonials online to their performances and professionalism and they are always worth checking out before you part with your money!

8. The Stage - It's vitally important to have a decent set up for your festival. You'll need stage, lights, PA, microphones and an engineer just to start! We aren't all technically minded and this can all seem very daunting, but all you really need is someone that you trust to control the entire affair for you. From setting the equipment up, to stage managing for the day, to packing it all down and taking it home at the end of the weekend. The last thing you need to worry yourselves with is how the PA works and whether it'll do the job for your many guests who are raring to party!

So there we are... my pointers to consider when thinking about booking bands for your wedding festival!

It would be my absolute pleasure to help guide you through all aspects of arranging your line-up for the day. How about a bit of heavy rock for hubby to be, some funk and soul for yourself and the bridesmaids and a bit of acoustic folk for auntie Jane (who won’t really will moan about all the racket!!!)?

Remember that whatever you wish, you can make happen!! It'll be the best day of your life for sure!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and an even better weekend!

Love Out x

Our top reasons to put on a wedding festival! - Written by SJ

Happy Friday beautiful People!

SJ here, I hope you are all looking forward to a super exciting weekend! I've woken up super early this morning, it's only 5.45am! Why? Well firstly the Chihuahua decided she wanted to try and claim the majority of our bed (she smaller than a cat...!) How can I be mad at her, it's only sleep after all!

Needless to say she won the fight! Once I was awake I was too excited to go back to sleep because today IS an exciting day! Today, guys, is the day that the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park opens and this weekend I shall be behaving mainly like a child there!

 In amongst my excitement and the planned theft of my niece and nephew (as an excuse to go to the Winter Wonderland you understand!) I thought I would write a blog after a chat we have been having here at TWFC this week about the top reasons to hold a wedding festival.

Jeez, where to start?! We could probably give you fifty awesome reasons to hold a wedding festival! However,  not listed in any particular order (as they are all equally fabulous reasons to get yourselves involved with doing something mind blowingly amazing for your big day!) this is what we have come up with...

1. Don't get us wrong, we love, love, love all weddings and all things weddingy. However, what makes us start to bounce up and down is when couples decide do something a bit radical and out of the ordinary.  Stand out from the norm!  If you love music and are free spirited, a wedding festival is a perfect choice to celebrate your marriage. Get yourselves out there and put on a wedding to go down in history as the best ever!

2. Invite everyone! If you have decided that you are going to put on music festival, the base cost per head thereafter for a festival wedding is significantly less than a traditional wedding. It stops all those awkward conversations about who you can and can't invite and the seating arrangements for sure! So what if aunt Mavis ends up sharing a straw bale with your top biker mates... they will probably end up buying her a Tequila Slammer and she will end up partying on down with them and loving every minute of it! WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THIS HAPPEN!

3. Brings us nicely on to "anything goes! " You can put on a whole range of things for your guests to get involved with. For example what we find really works is a vintage tea party. This is the perfect place for aunt Mavis to hang out (pre Tequila Slammer!) where it's a bit quieter from your main stage and she can catch up with uncle Frank who secretly (wants to be drinking the Tequila with your biker mates!). From street entertainers and carnival acts, through to rock choirs and Teddy Bear Picnics, you can balance your line-up to absolutely wow all of your guests... from your party animals through to your Grandma (who was rolling her eyes at aunt Mavis, but equally secretly wants to be the biker boy's top chick of the day! Plus Tequila does turn her tummy a bit!).

4. Make a weekend of it! Depending on your venue, you can party for the whole weekend!  For all of you already married reading this, you will know that wedding time goes at 27 times the speed of a normal day! Find a venue that offers camping (with plenty of places for people to stay who don't opt to camp) and let your guests drop in and out for the weekend. A great way to spend the day after your big day is to play rounder's and "old skool sports day races". This is when aunt Mavis can be found sipping Pimm's over the BBQ, with her new best mates... the biker boys from the night before!

5. Weddings can be expensive, not only for the happy couple, but guests too! Lose the dress code so that guests don't feel like they have to spend a lot of money on a new outfit. Choose the right bar company (we have our own – Just sayin!) so that the drinks are priced at pub prices reasonably.  Nobody wants to pay £7 for a G&T regardless of where you are! You will find that your guests are so much more relaxed (not just through affordable drinks, I hasten to add!) and happier to just go with the flow and get down and party much harder with you guys!

All in all, a wedding festival is one epic party! You don't lose the romance of your blessing, in fact we think it's hugely romantic to have a service outside, packed with everyone you want to invite.

Rights guys, I'm off to book my ice- skating and other fun stuff for Hyde Park, plus I feel it's way too early to be talking about Tequila quite so much!

Have a truly amazing weekend!!!!!!

Love out xxx