I first met Emma and Charles way back in January 2017 to discuss their wedding plans and right from the start this was going to be something special.
Emma by then had already booked a very specific marquee for the occasion….in yellow and white stripes.
Music preferences were discussed as was the possibility of using my unattended wedding breakfast system, fees were agreed and we waited for the day to come around.
Move forward to the Wednesday evening before the big day and I went for a visit to the marquee to see the amount of available space, the layout, and to drop off the equipment needed for background music and speeches during the afternoon’s proceedings.
It was gorgeous!
The marquee was to host both the afternoon reception and the evening party for 200 people, the idea being that guests could spend time outside the marquee in the garden and enjoy the August sunshine. The weather unfortunately, had other ideas 🙁
As I drove to the reception, the skies were black and there were several bolts of lightning…not the weather Emma and Charles wanted on their big day, especially after such a long and hot summer so far.
As I unloaded the van through the side of the marquee, the rain was absolutely lashing down.
The evening party was one of the busiest I’ve worked at in a while!
200 guests squeezed into the marquee was always going to be tight, and there wasn’t a lot of spare room. Eventually Emma and Charles managed to work their way through the throng of assembled guests to cut their cake and do their first dance (Stand By Me by Ben E King).
From there, it was party time proper and the dance floor rarely emptied….in fact it was pretty much jammed for the entire evening! At times during the evening I managed to see down to the other end of the marquee where the bar was situated….guests were dancing in that area as well!
A mixture of pre-requests from Emma and Charles and guest requests on the night made up the soundtrack to the evening, which ended with requests for “One More” (I was already over my allotted time by the time we finished and when in a marquee in a private garden surrounded by houses, you have to be careful of noise pollution at that time of night to avoid a visit from the local constabulary!).
So, to the playlist….
Ben E King – Stand by me (first dance)
Al Green – Lets Stay Together
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough (2003 Edit)
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk (Radio Edit)
Michael Jackson – Rock with You
Martha Reeves – Dancing in the Street
The Beatles – Twist and Shout
The Contours – Do You Love Me
Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston – It Takes Two
The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love
Pharrell Williams – Happy
Katy Perry – Firework
LMFAO – Sexy and I Know It
LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
The Emotions – Best of My Love
Diana Ross – Upside Down – Album Version
Stevie Wonder – Superstition (Single Version)
Lionel Richie – All Night Long (Single Version)
DeBarge – Rhythm Of The Night (Single)
Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
Lady GaGa – Just Dance
Justin Timberlake – SexyBlack
Beyonce feat. Jay-Z – Crazy In Love
Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Usher feat Ludacris and Lil Jon – Yeah
Notorious B.I.G – Mo Money Mo Problems
Ini Kamoze – Here Comes The Hotstepper
Shakira – Hips Don’t Lie
Shakira – Whenever, Wherever
Bell Biv DeVoe – Poison
House Of Pain – Jump Around
Cameo – Candy
Clean Bandit feat Jess Glynne – Rather Be
Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance
BodyRockers – I Like The Way (Radio Edit)
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
Calvin Harris Feat. Rihanna – We Found Love
Eric Prydz – Call On Me
The Killers – Mr Brightside
Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire
The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger
The Black Eyed Peas – Pump It
OutKast – Hey Ya!
Artful Dodger Feat. Craig David – Re-Rewind (Original)
Sweet Female Attitude – Flowers (Sunship Mix)
DJ Luck & MC Neat – A Little Bit of Luck (Original Mix)
The Darkness – I Believe In A Thing Called Love
S Club 7 – Reach
Spice Girls Megamix Radio Edit
Chesney Hawkes – The One And Only
Bryan Adams – Summer of ´69
Bon Jovi – Livin On a Prayer
Guns N Roses – Sweet Child O Mine
Journey – Don’t Stop Believin 2014
Whitesnake – Here I Go Again
R. Kelly – Bump N Grind
Blackstreet – No Diggity (feat Dr Dre)
Kanye West – Gold Digger
Missy Elliott – Work It
Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland – Promiscuous
Blur – Song 2
Eagle Eye Cherry – Save Tonight
The Notorious B.I.G. – Nasty Girl
R Kelly – Ignition (Remix)
Drake – Hotline Bling
Jay-Z – Big Pimpin
Eminem – Lose Yourself
Take That – Never Forget
Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
