Wedding at Notley Abbey
It’s always a delight to return to the spacious and splendid grounds of Notley Abbey which is a wedding venue right on our doorstep here in Buckinghamshire. Notley has a long and distinguished history and everything has an understated and tasteful quality about it.
We have played here both as a duo and quartet many times [...]
Music for a military function
This week we were privileged to be asked back to a local military barracks to provide music for a dinner to commemorate the Battle of Britain. As live music was needed before, during and after the meal with guests spreading out across two rooms, we suggested a string duo (with violin/ viola combination) as this [...]
Wedding at Ware Priory
On Friday we returned once again to play for a wedding at Ware Priory in Hertfordshire. With around 60 guests, the bridal couple had opted for a string duo, choosing the violin / viola combination which is extremely versatile in terms of repertoire. After playing during the ceremony itself, we moved outside with the guests onto [...]
The summer wedding season….
This time of year is as usual, particularly hectic, with bookings on 7 days out of 10. Over the weekend, we provided music for four weddings in places as far afield as Le Talbooth near Colchester, Northampton, Rhinefield House in the New Forest down in Hampshire and a little bit closer to home at the Manor of Groves Hotel in Hertfordshire.
With [...]
Wedding at Newland Hall
This Saturday we returned once again to Newland Hall to provide a string duo for a wedding service and reception. We entertained guests for an hour before the ceremony with a selection of classical pieces such as Greensleeves, an arrangement for duo of La Donna E Mobile and some lovely chamber duets by Pleyel, Mozart [...]
Cost of a String Quartet - what it costs us
A quick half hour spent on the internet will turn up hundreds of different wedding string quartets, all charging a wide variety of prices - from just a few hundred pounds to over a thousand, superficially it appears for providing the same service. In the same way, calling around wedding venues will also reveal big differences [...]
Booking a string quartet for just the wedding ceremony.
On the whole, quite a large proportion of string quartets have a ‘minimum booking period’ of at least 2 or 3 hours, particularly for peak Saturdays over the summer months. This is simply because in the busiest and best string quartets, all four musicians will not only be in demand for the quartet itself, but [...]
Wedding timings, sunshine, rain and high winds!
Despite the best laid plans for the day itself, if you’ve booked a string quartet for your wedding reception with your guests coming straight from the church or registry office, do allow a generous amount of time for the move between venues. Although you might have envisaged that 5 minute drive taking everyone no more [...]
Hiring a string quartet - Duo’s and making the most of your group
Many people have their heart set on walking up the aisle to the sound of a full string quartet, but in reality, the price of a string quartet can mean couples end up compromising on the quality of the group they book to keep within budget. Unless you’ve got a large gathering planned, there are [...]
Hiring a string quartet? Getting value for money
The next few blog entries are going to be a series of articles about various ways of keeping costs within budget and also gaining the maximum impact from hiring a professional string quartet for a wedding.
Overall, if clients are looking for quality, the cost of a string quartet can be a significant chunk of a wedding [...]
