Wedding singer at Kew Gardens, London
I do not often venture into London to sing at weddings, but when I do the venues can be breathtaking, and Kew Gardens is the clearest example I have. If you want a wedding singer in London who has already worked inside the gate restrictions here, this is what the day looked like from where I was standing.
The set list
What I played at Kew Gardens
Every one of these is from my write-up of the day itself, for Sarah and Michael. Your day would be built from your own choices on the planning call.
Ed Sheeran
wedding breakfast
George Ezra
wedding breakfast
Tracy Chapman
wedding breakfast
John Mayer
wedding breakfast
Paul Weller
for the more experienced audience members
Dire Straits
for the more experienced audience members
Die A Happy Man by Thomas Rhett
first dance
When I played there
Sarah and Michael, 2018
I played Sarah and Michael's wedding breakfast and their first dance. Earlier in the day, guests were given a tour of the gardens while the couple had their photographs taken.
The reception was held in The Orangery, which works as a cafe for visitors to Kew during the day.
The rooms
The rooms, and what they do to sound
The Orangery is absolutely stunning, and its high ceilings and hard floors were perfect for carrying music to everyone's ears. The hard walls and floor meant my songs could be heard all around the room without me having to fill it with volume, which is exactly what you want during a meal.
Sarah and Michael skipped the customary large round tables that usually seat eight to ten. Instead they had two long tables in the style of a Viking feast, elegantly decorated. Two long tables changes where you stand: instead of playing to a scatter of round tables, you are playing down the length of a room, and I moved to the other end of the hall for the first dance after the cake was cut.
How the day ran
What Sarah and Michael booked
I played two sets during the meal, which followed the speeches, then the first dance. There was quite a wide range of ages in the room, so the sets had to cover a lot of ground.
- Wedding breakfast£600
2 × 45 minutes
- Your first dance£300
One song
The practical bits
Access, power and getting set up
Security at Kew is very tight and only a few cars are allowed on site at a time, because the public are still walking around the grounds while you are setting up. I was escorted in courtesy of an electric buggy, which felt very rock and roll indeed.
The couple had booked a Ceilidh for the evening, provided by Rabscallion, who were a great bunch of musicians and kindly let me use their PA for the first dance. The team at Kew were very well organised and easy to work with.
The full write-up from the day: Sarah and Michael's day at Kew Gardens.
For coordinators
- One musician, one guitar, one mic stand, one PA. Footprint about 2m by 1m.
- Sets up in twenty minutes, packs down in twenty.
- Battery-powered PA available where there is no power.
- Public liability insurance, certificate sent to the venue on request.
- I will ring you the week before to sort out access, power and any sound limiter.
- I will always have a plan for the weather changing its mind.
Proof
What couples say
I can't edit these. Go and look.
Availability
Playing at Kew Gardens?
Send me the date and I'll tell you within 24 hours whether I'm free. No deposit, no obligation.
Or call me on 07739 469321