I had installed a disco in this venue before, so by liaising ahead with the wedding coordinator was easily able to assure a smooth unload and set-up for our equipment that didn’t disturb any guests as they sipped drinks in outer bar.
Last time I’d appeared at The Manor Hotel, I’d also had the (dubious!) honour of being the couple’s Best Man – so I can honestly say I was MUCH less nervous for this performance! It was a real pleasure to be back there, and this time helping create wonderful memories for an entirely different group of people who *this time* didn’t have a clue who I was. (Until I started to sing!)
Looking out across a picturesque vista from one end, the ballroom at The Manor Hotel is a sweeping, beautiful room with pale oak floors & ivory-colour walls which were a prefect canvas for the large Premium show Phat Aah’s Entertainments were hired to install. We therefore projected ‘moving wallpaper’ patterns onto the walls and ceilings, and our impressive 5ft flame effects framed the performance space while adding both warmth and drama to the stage and dance-floor. To compliment the look, we also used our exclusive white star-lit Pro-DJ booth, which we placed symmetrically on the stage and set up to twinkle in time with the venue’s icicle-drop lighting around the edges of the ceilings.
I opened the evening shortly after 6.00pm – an earlier start than most evening parties, but timed to fall shortly after the room had been changed over from the wedding breakfast. This way our service filled the stop-gap between the formal and informal parts of the day, greeting & engaging guests immediately as they re-entered the ballroom, but encouraging their conversation by performing laid-back & sophisticated sounds of classic popular jazz & easy listening. Older guests & the grandparents especially appreciated this, dancing at and tapping fingers on their tables as I performed long-ignored old-school favourites such as ‘Slow Boat To China’, Duke Ellington’s “Satin Doll” & the Nat King Cole trio’s arrangement of “Route 66”. Of course, I also sang music to catch the ear of less....matured...adult guests joining us, covering new-school arrangements of standards by artists like Diana Krall & Jamie Cullum, with even a nod to Eva Cassidy in my vocal arrangement of “Cheek To Cheek”, which some guests noticed and thanked me for.
After a short intermission, I heated the audience by progressing to a ‘hotter’ big-band Sounds of Swing set, picking numbers that everyone knew, including Michael Buble’s arrangements of ‘Sway’ and ‘Moondance’, Ole’ Blue Eyes (Fly Me To The Moon, Bad Bad Leroy Brown) and everyone’s favourite Italian-American... (not Tony Soprano! ....Dean Martin!) with “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head”.
With all the guests hyped and ready to party, DJ Mark magnetised more people again onto the dance-floor, mixing up the couple’s requests with other floor-fillers: despite the promise of a photo-opportunity (the much-anticipated first dance) and lure of evening buffet.
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Time was soon made for the main spectacle of the evening, featuring Natalie & Gareth as the ‘stars’. This lovely couple started off swaying together to a typical love song, but then jumping into a spectacular surprise first dance medley they had stitched together from snippets of a range of tracks, to make their own comedic dance-routine. 
DJ Mark & I have seen this idea executed a fair few times before, but even we were genuinely surprised and impressed when a group of the couple’s younger friends also sprang up in the final third of the routine to act as perfectly coordinated backing dancers for the routine’s finale! A proper ‘Strictly Come First-Dance’ floor-show if ever I’ve seen one, much to the other guests’ delight, for sure!
A tasty BBQ buffet was served, but party spirit never waned. I returned to the stage with gusto for my final two live sets of the night – and was delighted as the dance floor quickly re-filled with guests of all ages bopping along as I sang a journey through motown, disco and rock that took the party into its final hour. DJ Mark then finished the evening with more requests and newer chart hits, leaving some guests quite breathless from dancing!
So naturally, my many congratulations go to Natalie & Gareth, but also thanks to their fantastic group of family & friends for also helping making this a fantastic night to remember. It was a real pleasure to perform such a wide range of live music and ‘delight and excite’ guests of all generations.So to the happy couple once again: please enjoy many & very happy years ahead together – and remember to keep ‘dancing’ in unison in everything you do! J
Take care, and have fun.
Jon Paul
Jon Paul is available as a wedding singer with or without various disco & DJ packages - all tailored to various styles of weddings & events at most budgets, performing throughout South & Mid-Wales, as well as The South West, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cheshire and The Midlands. Contact Jon to discuss your event ideas without obligation, or take a look at his MAIN WEBSITE for free demos, videos and testimonials.
