Pachelbel met Bruno Mars at Barrie and Matthew’s wedding ceremony when we played ‘Canon in D’ and ‘Marry You’ with an upbeat touch of swing at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club!
Thank you again for your lovely performance. Everyone said you suited the style of our wedding perfectly. I think I underestimated how much people like to dance at weddings but you read the room and entertained all our guests suitably for the entire day.
Fabulous music from these two perfect for the occasion.
The lovely bubbly Celebrant Candice shared at the wedding ceremony how Barrie and Matthew were vastly different in personalities and lifestyles, but they somehow manage to blend beautifully in a relationship. And in Barrie’s words ‘somehow it just works’. It’s perhaps that curious mix of sweet and hot, classical and contemporary, paced and upbeat that makes the perfect playlist of life or love!
7 year-old Anneke came down the steps in her lovely lace dress leading the couple down the aisle. Barrie and Matthew made an elegant entrance down to the lawn as we tinkled Pachelbel’s Canon in D on our four-string instrumentation. The cosy lawn, tucked in a secret corner just below the deck and reception proved to be front-row seats for that beautiful bay view.
As they signed, we then played an instrumental version of Nat Cole’s L.O.V.E. Then Moonbeam gave a swinging twist to that Bruno Mars favourite ‘Marry You’ as they walked back down the aisle in celebration. There wouldn’t be a more eclectic electric mix that morning than Barrie and Matthew’s personal playlist.
We continued to serenade the guests in the gentle sun and breeze on this beautiful Spring day. Facing the waters, we sang navy-themed standards like Beyond the Sea, Let’s Fall in Love and more.
RFBYC has quite a reputation for having consistently good service and great food, and the afternoon proved no different. The staff always had time for great smiles, a nice chat, and make their guests feel welcome. The groom Matthew, with a background in hospitality would have no problems spotting that when they decided on their wedding venue.
We continued playing and singing the arvo to guests over casual, feel-good canapes and lots of champagne before little Anneke came up to us and said ‘It’s time!’. Aww, this girl is just THE STAR. We loved having her come up and share her performance of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ to the newly weds. After her performance, the littler cousins came up and gave her a kiss and a hug. I melted, literally.
She was also our star dancer for the arvo, next to the ladies who came up and shimmied, pas de deux and everything in between! Anneke nailed everything from latin to swing, and even contemporary! At one point we had to ask her for the tempo she was after. We were pulling out everything from Peter Allen’s The More I See You to So Danco Samba. She was leading the dance floor. It was so sweet when she had a slow dance moment with one of her aunts. It was the loveliest slow dance, ever.
During our breaks, the kids were having a game or two of hide-and-seek, and little Walt had positioned himself in what i’d call a slightly overly-strategic spot, he was basically a step. None of his mates spotted him, so he had recruited me to be the spy who gave clues when there was a chance. We loved that the kids and the adults all found their own little space to be themselves and celebrate the day in their own little ways.
Before cake-cutting, Matthew shared a heartfelt speech about how he had felt his parents’ presence and their joy on this occasion, even though they are no longer physically with them. There was a moment of acknowledgement, and quiet joy we all shared as human beings, of another’s happiness, before we hit the note again, dueting and swinging over Bruno Mars’ classic.
Every love story has its own hues. And there are times, when we stand by fully understanding, other moments, we stand by just blessing, being happy for another’s joys. Be kind, be loving. Is what I have gathered from this day with this lovely couple and their beautiful family. Thank you so much for having us play for your special day. It never pales, never does, to be one of the hand-picked for someone’s intimate significant occasion.
Barrie and Matthew’s handpicked lot:
Venue: Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (www.rfbyc.asn.au)
Photography: Sally Uphill Photography (www.sallyuphillphotography.co.uk)
Celebrant: Celebrations by Candice (www.facebook.com/CelebrationsByCandice)
Florals/Styling: Touched by Angels (www.touchedbyangels.com.au)
Cake: Vines Cakes (www.vinescakes.com.au)
Live Music: Polkadot + Moonbeam @apugnosedream (www.polkadotandmoonbeam.com.au)
Here’s an unplugged performance of Irving Berlin’s Blue Skies on the day as lovingly shot by Candice:
Pachelbel’s Canon in D as requested by the couple for their bridal processional, recorded in Sydney’s Blackwattle Bay on double ukulele: