What can I say about this one? Swynford Manor is one of my all time favourite venues to work in and coupled with a brilliant crew of fellow professionals and an absolutely LOVELY couple….this wedding was an absolute dream to work at!
But let’s roll back the clock with wavy lines in classic Scooby Doo fashion…it wasn’t always as easy as the day seemed.
I’d originally been booked to provide my full afternoon MC (Master of Ceremonies) service and after much work during the week, got a phone call from the resident Toastmaster to say that he’d be there on the day…there’d been a mix-up with the booking.
Not a problem…I’ve worked with Richard the “toastie” on many occasions and I knew that whether it was he or me that did the formal stuff, the day would run smoothly. After all, that’s all ANY of us suppliers want for your special day.
A VERY long day....
The photo above was taken at noon. I was still fresh faced and awake, and absolutely ready to do what I do best.
Ahead of me was a 1am finish…yup – 13 more hours on my feet, plus another 90 minutes getting the kit out of the venue and back to storage before finally going home.
Looking back though, the end results were MORE than worth the aches of the next day having stood for so long!
And so it begins...
Rosie, Matt and their guests arrived from the church service just after 2pm. Everything was in place and ready for me to provide background music during the wedding breakfast, and for Richard the toastie to do what he does best.
This is actually where the waiting comes in. When I’m working with a Toastmaster, there’s really not a lot to do other than press buttons to mix the background music your guests listen to rather than the scraping of cutlery on crockery.
Eventually, dinner and speeches are done and dusted and it’s time for the room “turnaround” where the guests are evicted into a different area of the venue whilst the staff prepare the room for the evening shenanigans.
There’s actually a LOT of work that goes on behind the scenes here with furniture being moved, dance floors being laid where tables previously set, and in the case of Rose and Matt’s reception…a band setting up.
So...on to the evening bit...
Guests are now back in the room with the addition of the evening guests. The cake cutting’s done…it’s time for the first dance (Growing Old With You by Restless Road).
Of course, I set off a confetti canon (Rosie and Matt didn’t know this was going to happen hence the looks on their faces). the videographer however was well and truly briefed so he could get the shots he needed which will last a lifetime!
And then time to hand over to JDS, the band the couple had chosen to provide the first two hours of entertainment. They kept the ‘floor full for their act with me filling in during their break.
And so, to my time to shine...
Having kept Rosie and Matt’s guests up and dancing during the band’s break, it was now time to do what I do best…and keep the dance floor full.
I’d been sent a list of preferred tracks to play between 10pm and midnight with a license to do what I needed to do to keep things busy on the dance floor. From midnight to 1am was what Rosie and Matt had called “The Power Hour” with a predetermined list of predominantly rock music for those who were still in attendance.
It was a brilliant evening!
The dance floor NEVER emptied, there were arms held aloft, lots of singing, lots of hugging…a DJs absolute dream as the photos below will show.
So what was played to make the dance floor this busy?
Rosie and Matt had sent me a list of songs they’d like to hear, along with instructions to “do my own thing” as well as take guest requests. The only no-no was playing “cheesy school disco songs like the Macarena”. No problem!
- Growing Old With You (First Dance Version) – Restless Road
- September – Earth, Wind & Fire
- Boogie Wonderland – Earth, Wind & Fire
- Build Me Up Buttercup – Foundations
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
- She’s So Lovely – Scouting for Girls
- High Hopes – Panic! At The Disco
- I’m A Believer – Smash Mouth
- Year 3000 – Busted
- Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
- Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus
- Respect – Aretha Franklin
- I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross
- Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder
- We Are Family – Sister Sledge
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
- Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
- Stacy’s Mom – Fountains Of Wayne
- Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It – Will Smith
- I Miss You – Blink-182
- About Damn Time – Lizzo
- Crazy In Love – Beyoncé Feat. Jay-Z
- Raise Your Glass – Pink
- Low – Flo Rida Feat. T-Pain
- One More Time – Daft Punk
- Starships – Nicki Minaj
- We Found Love – Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
- Give Me Everything – Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
- Yeah 3x – Chris Brown
- Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
- On The Floor – Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull
- Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
- All About You – McFly
- Come And Get Your Love – Redbone
- (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life -Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
- Marry You – Bruno Mars
- You Might Think -Weezer
- Sk8er Boi – Avril Lavigne
- Hey Ya! – Outkast
- Chelsea Dagger – Fratellis
- Tubthumping – Chumbawamba
- Sweet Caroline – DJ Ötzi
- Back In Black – AC/DC
- Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses
- Everlong – Foo Fighters
- Sugar we’re goin down – Fall Out Boy
- American Idiot – Green Day
- Check Yes, Juliet – We The Kings
- Dear Maria, Count Me In – All Time Low
- Fell in Love with a Girl – The White Stripes
- It’s Complicated – A Day To Remember
- I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys
- Bipolar Baby! – Forever The Sickest Kids
- Highway to Hell – AC/DC
- In Too Deep – Sum 41
- Famous Last Words – My Chemical Romance
- All the Small Things -Blink 182
- Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
All in all, an absolutely memorable day and hopefully full of memories for Rosie and Matt!
Are YOU celebrating at Swynford Manor?
If so, I’d LOVE to hear about your plans!
It’s one of my favourite venues to work at and it’s ALWAYS a good party
