This was my first time performing at The Mill Barns, and wow, what a venue. Everything was immaculate, and I absolutely loved the layout. The ceremony hall, drinks reception area and main wedding breakfast space are all clearly separated, which makes the day flow beautifully from one part to the next without anything feeling disconnected. From a supplier point of view, it works brilliantly, and I can completely see why The Mill Barns is such an in demand wedding venue.
For Hannah and Ryan, I was performing across three parts of their day, covering their Ceremony, Drinks Reception and Wedding Breakfast. They had a clear idea of the atmosphere they wanted, but they also trusted me to read the room and shape the music around the day as it unfolded, which always gives me much more freedom to make each section feel natural rather than overly planned.
Their ceremony was beautiful. Hannah had chosen Dreams by Chelsey Johnson for her entrance, which worked perfectly in the space, although there was one slight logistical challenge. She had fourteen bridesmaids, so understandably she was a little nervous about whether the song would be long enough for everybody to make their way down the aisle without feeling rushed. I had already reassured her that it would be absolutely fine and, because I am nothing if not overly prepared, I had extended the original three minute track into a version that ran for around seven minutes, just in case.
Naturally, everybody was safely down the aisle, without rushing at all, by around the second chorus, but at least we knew we were covered.
The ceremony carried on beautifully until we reached the register signing, when the wedding decided to give everyone one of those completely unplanned moments that nobody could have anticipated. Hannah and Ryan had gone for a gorgeous autumnal theme, filled with burnt oranges and pampas grass, with a beautiful circular backdrop at the top of the aisle. Unfortunately, it was also being held together by one very important piece of string, and that string chose the register signing as its moment to retire.
I was halfway through singing Dream Catch Me by Newton Faulkner when the whole thing suddenly gave way. There was a split second where everybody seemed to process what had happened before the room erupted into laughter. Hannah and Ryan found it just as funny as everyone else, and I will fully admit that it caught me off guard too. I definitely missed a line or two because I was trying not to laugh while also working out what on earth had just happened in front of me.
The team at The Mill Barns were on it immediately and had everything sorted within minutes, ready for Hannah and Ryan to make their exit back down the aisle. It was actually such a good reminder of something I say to couples all the time. No matter how much planning you do, you can never completely predict what will happen on a wedding day.Technically, something had gone wrong, but it was fixed in a few minutes and instead of ruining anything, it became one of those hilarious memories everyone will probably still be talking about years later.
That is exactly why having a venue and a team of suppliers you trust matters so much. Things can happen. Weather changes, timings move, decorations occasionally decide to launch themselves towards the floor, but you should never be the one worrying about fixing it. That is what the people around you are there for.
Once we had all recovered and had a quick giggle together, Hannah and Ryan made their exit and I headed straight into the next space ready to begin their Drinks Reception live music. We started off calm and relaxed with acoustic versions of familiar songs, including some of my favourite “wedding versions” of tracks that people might not necessarily expect to hear stripped back. I love watching guests suddenly recognise a song a few lines in, especially when it is something they would never normally associate with a drinks reception.
As the afternoon went on and the drinks started flowing, I gradually began picking the tempo up. The lovely thing about having that freedom is that I can respond to what is actually happening in front of me rather than sticking rigidly to a predetermined setlist. By the end of the Drinks Reception, we had moved a long way from relaxed background music and I was having a good old dance with the bride, which felt like a pretty good sign that we were ready for the next part.
Wedding Breakfast Entertainment at The Mill Barns
It was then a quick move into the main room ready for Hannah and Ryan’s Wedding Breakfast entrance. Their chosen song was easily one of my most popular entrance choices of the year, Where Is My Husband! by RAYE, and based on the energy of the guests during the Drinks Reception, I already had a feeling this was going to be a big one.
I was correct. The room absolutely erupted as Hannah and Ryan made their entrance, with everybody up, cheering and completely throwing themselves into it from the very beginning. I had attempted to set my phone up to capture the entrance for social media, which was a complete failure because there was so much going on that half of the action could not physically fit inside the frame. So if you want evidence of just how rowdy this entrance was, you are unfortunately going to have to take my word for it.
The energy carried straight through into their Wedding Breakfast entertainment, and this was one of those rooms where everyone was ready to get involved. We sang, danced and gradually turned the meal into much more of a party atmosphere, to the point where the venue eventually had to give me the nod to announce that everybody actually needed to leave the room so they could turn it around for the evening. We were having slightly too much fun, all in the best possible way.
Hannah and Ryan were such a vibe from beginning to end, and genuinely one of the most fun couples to perform for. By the time my part of the wedding was coming to an end, they even offered me a room for the night so I could stay and carry on partying with them. I will not lie, I was tempted, but this was where I had to behave like a professional, pack everything down and hand the celebrations over to their DJ for the evening.
The whole day was just brilliant. Hannah and Ryan were incredible, their guests were up for absolutely everything, the team at The Mill Barns were fantastic and the entire supplier team worked so well together. Even the backdrop deciding to collapse mid ceremony somehow ended up adding to the day rather than taking anything away from it.
Hannah and Ryan, thank you for trusting me with such a huge part of your wedding and for giving me the freedom to shape the music around the atmosphere as the day unfolded. From that very well prepared seven minute aisle track, to dancing together during the Drinks Reception and a Wedding Breakfast that none of us really wanted to end, this one was an absolute joy from start to finish.
If you are planning a wedding at The Mill Barns and looking for live music that can move naturally from ceremony songs to relaxed drinks reception music and then into upbeat Wedding Breakfast entertainment, I would very happily come back.
Ceremony Setlist:
Pre-ceremony:
Finally - Cece Pennington (slow version)
All Of Me - John Legend
Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue (slow version)
You To Me Are Everything - Chelsey Johnson
Bridal Entrance - Dreams - Chelsey Johnson
Register Signing:
Dream Catch Me - Newton Faulkner
Better Together - Jack Johnson
Exit Song:
Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows (Shrek fave
Wedding Breakfast:
Entrance: Where Is my Husband! - RAYE
Suppliers:
Photo: Violette Sivyer @violasworldweddings
Video: Stark Film Weddings @Starkfilmweddings
Venue: The Mill Barns, Shropshire
DJ: Mark Pike @rhylradio
Photo Booth: @pictureblast_uk
Caricaturist: @artsbyrich77