Category: Real Weddings

Live Violin and Cello Cover of “Are You Ready for Love” by Elton John — Drinks Reception at Rauceby Hall

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The drinks reception is where a wedding day exhales. The ceremony’s done, everyone’s got a glass in hand, and the atmosphere shifts from anticipation to celebration. It’s one of our favourite parts of the day to play — and for this one, we opened with Elton John’s Are You Ready for Love, live on violin and cello, outdoors in the gardens at Rauceby Hall.

About the song

Are You Ready for Love was originally recorded by Elton John in the late 1970s, but it found a whole new life when it was re-released and topped the UK charts in 2003. With its Philadelphia soul influence and irresistible groove, it’s pure feel-good energy — exactly the kind of track that sets the tone for a party.

Why it works so well on strings

There’s a lot going on in the original — lush strings, a driving rhythm section, that soaring vocal — and stripping it back to just violin and cello lets the melody and the groove shine. The cello carries the pulse while the violin sings the top line, and because it’s live, we can lean into the energy of the room. Outdoors at a drinks reception, it fills the space without ever feeling like background music.

About Rauceby Hall

Rauceby Hall is a Grade II listed, mid-19th-century Jacobethan revival house set in acres of parkland and gardens near Sleaford, Lincolnshire. With its 4-acre garden and 71 acres of surrounding parkland, it’s a wonderfully atmospheric spot for an outdoor celebration — and a beautiful backdrop for live strings drifting across the lawns during a drinks reception.

Book us for your wedding

We’re The Chapel Hill Duo, a violin and cello duo based in the UK, playing ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts anywhere in the country. If you’re planning your day at Rauceby Hall or anywhere in Lincolnshire and Are You Ready for Love sounds like your kind of song, we’d love to hear from you — get in touch at chapelhillduo.co.uk.

Live Violin and Cello Cover of “Latch” by Sam Smith — Wedding Ceremony at Bassmead Manor Barns

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Prelude music is the part of a ceremony most couples don’t think about — and it’s the first thing every guest hears. Get it right and the room settles into exactly the right mood before the couple even appears. For this wedding we played Latch by Sam Smith, live on violin and cello, as guests took their seats in the Rickety Barn at Bassmead Manor Barns.

About the song

Latch was Sam Smith’s breakthrough — originally a 2012 collaboration with Disclosure, before Smith’s own star rose. Beneath the dancefloor production sits a genuinely gorgeous melody and one of the most memorable vocal hooks of the last decade, which is exactly what makes it such rich material for a string arrangement.

Why it works so well on strings

Stripped back to violin and cello, Latch trades its club energy for something more intimate and emotional. The cello holds a steady pulse while the violin takes that soaring vocal line, and the result is a piece that fills a space without overwhelming it — ideal for the seating and prelude section of a ceremony, when you want atmosphere rather than a showstopper. It works equally well during the signing of the register.

About Bassmead Manor Barns

Bassmead Manor Barns is an exclusive-use wedding venue set in the Cambridgeshire countryside, surrounded by its own moat. Ceremonies take place in the 300-year-old Rickety Barn, a lovingly restored timber barn with solid oak beams, wooden floors and wrought iron chandeliers, softened by twinkling fairy lights. It even has a unique upper-level ‘nook’ designed to house musicians — a wonderful spot for live strings to carry out over a seated room. With its warmth and character, it’s one of the most romantic barn settings we’ve had the pleasure of playing in.

Book us for your wedding

We’re The Chapel Hill Duo, a violin and cello duo based in the UK, playing ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts anywhere in the country. If you’re planning your day at Bassmead Manor Barns or anywhere in Cambridgeshire and Latch sounds like your kind of ceremony music, we’d love to hear from you — get in touch at chapelhillduo.co.uk.

Live Violin and Cello Cover of “Belong Together” by Mark Ambor — Drinks Reception at Rauceby Hall

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Every so often a song comes along that just belongs at weddings, and Belong Together is one of them. This couple loved it so much that they had us play it twice on the day — first as the recessional as they walked out of the church, and then in full again during the drinks reception at Rauceby Hall. The video here is that full drinks reception performance, outdoors in the gardens.

About the song

Belong Together was released in February 2024 and became Mark Ambor’s breakout hit after going viral, charting across Europe and reaching the UK top 20. Leaning into folk and Americana with its breezy acoustic guitar and singalong hook, it’s a joyful song about finding happiness in the company of the people you love — which is exactly why it resonates so strongly at weddings.

A song worth playing twice

When a couple feels strongly about a song, we love finding more than one place for it in the day. Belong Together works beautifully as a church recessional — its uplifting bounce is the perfect send-off as the newlyweds head back down the aisle — and just as well reprised in full during the drinks reception, where it becomes a warm, relaxed celebration piece. Bookending the day with a song that means a lot to you is a lovely thing to do.

Why it works so well on strings

The charm of Belong Together is in its bounce, and that translates beautifully to violin and cello. The cello keeps the gentle, skipping rhythm ticking along while the violin carries the melody and the hook. It’s warm, uplifting and instantly recognisable — equally at home filling a church for a recessional and drifting across a garden at a drinks reception.

About Rauceby Hall

Rauceby Hall is a Grade II listed, mid-19th-century Jacobethan revival house set in acres of parkland and gardens near Sleaford, Lincolnshire. With its 4-acre garden and 71 acres of surrounding parkland, it’s a gorgeous setting for an outdoor celebration — and the open gardens are ideal for live strings drifting across a drinks reception on a sunny day.

Book us for your wedding

We’re The Chapel Hill Duo, a violin and cello duo based in the UK, playing ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts anywhere in the country. If you’re planning your day and there’s a song you love enough to hear more than once, we’d love to hear from you — get in touch at chapelhillduo.co.uk.

Violin & Cello Cover of “500 Miles” (The Proclaimers) – Live at a Norwood Park Wedding

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There’s nothing quite like a string duo turning a much-loved singalong into something unexpectedly moving. Here’s our violin and cello arrangement of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, performed live during the drinks reception at a wedding at Norwood Park.

The stately Georgian setting of Norwood Park is the perfect backdrop for live strings, and this crowd favourite had guests smiling (and quietly singing along) between sips of fizz. Our arrangement keeps all the joyful energy of the original while adding the warmth and depth that only violin and cello can bring.

Looking for live music for your own wedding drinks reception at Norwood Park or elsewhere in Nottinghamshire? Get in touch to chat about your day.

Live Violin and Cello Cover of “I Get To Love You” — Guests Arrival at Bassmead Manor Barns

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One of the moments we love most at any wedding is the guests arrival. It’s easy to overlook — all the focus tends to fall on the processional, the vows, the first dance — but that ten or fifteen minutes before the ceremony begins has a magic all of its own. People are finding their seats, greeting each other, taking in the room. The right music during that window doesn’t just fill silence — it tells everyone, without a word, that something meaningful is about to happen.

At this particular wedding at Bassmead Manor Barns in Cambridgeshire, the couple had chosen “I Get To Love You” by Ruelle as one of their guests arrival pieces, and it was a gorgeous choice.

Why the guests arrival matters

Think about the last wedding you attended. You probably remember walking in, looking around, soaking up the atmosphere. If there was live music playing, it shaped your entire first impression of the day. That’s what the guests arrival does — it sets the emotional tone before anything else has happened.

A song like “I Get To Love You” is ideal for this moment. It’s warm and unhurried, with a melody that rises gently without ever rushing. On violin and cello it becomes something almost hymn-like — intimate enough for a small gathering, but with enough depth to fill a larger space.

About Bassmead Manor Barns

Bassmead Manor Barns is a family-owned barn wedding venue near St Neots in Cambridgeshire, nestled within the medieval moat of an ancient manor. The ceremony space in the Rickety Barn is 300 years old, with original oak beams, wooden floors, and wrought iron chandeliers strung with fairy lights. It’s the kind of room where strings feel completely at home — the natural timber and the warm acoustics do half the work for you.

The venue also features the Bridge Barn for wedding breakfasts, landscaped gardens with a moat, and even resident peacocks. It’s one of those rare venues where rustic character and modern elegance sit comfortably side by side, and it’s a joy to play in.

Choosing your guests arrival music

If you’re not sure where to start with pre-ceremony music, here are a few things worth thinking about. The arrival set usually runs for around fifteen to twenty minutes, so you want three or four pieces that share a similar mood — gentle, reflective, building quietly towards the processional. This is the moment to use songs that mean something to you as a couple but don’t need the spotlight of the aisle walk. Save your biggest emotional hit for the entrance; let the arrival music be the slow, beautiful warm-up.

We’re always happy to help couples put together a set that flows naturally from arrival through to the ceremony itself.

Book us for your wedding

If you’re planning a wedding at Bassmead Manor Barns or anywhere in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, or the surrounding counties, we’d love to be part of your day. We tailor every set to the couple — from ceremony to drinks reception to wedding breakfast — across any genre you like.

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A Sky Full of Stars — Violin and Cello Recessional at Swancar Farm Country House

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For a recent wedding at Swancar Farm Country House in Nottinghamshire, the couple picked A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay as their recessional. It’s a great choice for the walk back up the aisle.

Why it works as exit music

The recessional is the first proper celebration of the day — the ceremony’s done, the couple are married, and the music wants to match that. A Sky Full of Stars, released by Coldplay in 2014, is upbeat and driving, built around a four-chord piano riff.

That riff is also what makes it work so well on strings. We give the rhythm to the cello and let the violin take the hook, so it keeps its energy even without the original’s electronics.

A moment in the mirror

There’s a big mirror behind where we set up, and watching the video back we spotted the couple having a little dance on their way out, caught in the reflection while we play. A nice unplanned moment, and you can see it in the clip.

About the venue

Swancar Farm Country House is a 16th-century house set in 250 acres of Nottinghamshire countryside, on the Nottinghamshire–Derbyshire border. It’s an exclusive-use venue, so the whole place is just for the couple and their guests on the day. The ceremony rooms have wooden beams and lots of natural light, and the acoustics suit live strings well.

Booking

We’re The Chapel Hill Duo, a violin and cello duo based in the UK. We play ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts anywhere in the country — get in touch if you’d like to chat through your day.

Live Violin and Cello Cover of “Take on the World” — Wedding Breakfast at Armathwaite Hall

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Last November we had the pleasure of performing at a beautiful wedding breakfast at Armathwaite Hall Hotel and Spa in Keswick — one of the Lake District’s most stunning venues. Among the set, the couple had chosen “Take on the World” by You Me At Six, and it turned out to be one of those goosebump moments you don’t forget.

There’s a rawness to this song that translates beautifully to strings. Stripped back to violin and cello, the melody carries all the weight of the lyrics without a single word being sung. When it landed in a room of close family and friends, midway through the wedding breakfast, people loved it.

Why contemporary covers work so well at weddings

More and more couples are moving away from purely traditional wedding music, and we love that. Songs like “Take on the World” carry real personal meaning — they’re the songs couples have actually listened to together, driven to, stayed up late to. Hearing them played live on strings brings a completely different emotional texture to the day.

It doesn’t have to be one or the other, either. We regularly mix modern covers with classical pieces throughout the day — perhaps Pachelbel for the ceremony, then You Me At Six over the meal, and something upbeat for the drinks reception.

About Armathwaite Hall Hotel and Spa

Armathwaite Hall sits on the edge of Bassenthwaite Lake, surrounded by 400 acres of deer park and woodland. The setting is spectacular in any season, but in November — with the low light and the trees turning — there’s a particular warmth to it. The hall itself has grand, high-ceilinged rooms with wonderful acoustics for live strings, making it one of our favourite Lake District wedding venues to play.

Book us for your wedding

If you’re planning a wedding at Armathwaite Hall or anywhere in the Lake District and Cumbria, we’d love to hear from you. The Lakes are one of our favourite places to work, but we travel all over the UK, so don’t be shy if you’d like some music for your day! We offer bespoke sets tailored entirely to your taste — from film scores and pop covers to rock anthems and classical favourites.

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