Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield) – Violin & Cello Cover, Live at Norwood Park

Here’s our violin and cello cover of Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, filmed live before a wedding ceremony in the Clock Tower gallery at Norwood Park in Nottinghamshire. We played it as part of our pre-ceremony set while guests arrived and found their seats.

Playing at Norwood Park

Norwood Park is a Georgian country house near Southwell, and its Clock Tower is home to the Long Gallery, the venue’s biggest ceremony space. Think white walls, oak floors, tall sash windows and a row of gold chandeliers. It’s a gorgeous room to set up in, and pop songs on strings feel right at home in there.

Why Unwritten works as wedding ceremony music

The music before a ceremony has a simple job: help everyone relax while they find their seats, catch up with relatives and wait for the main event. Unwritten is great at that. It’s warm and upbeat without being too much, and most people recognise it within a few bars.

It also works across generations. Plenty of guests will remember it from the mid-2000s, when it was a UK top ten hit and the theme tune to The Hills. Younger guests are just as likely to know it from Anyone But You, which sent it back up the charts in 2024.

Then there’s what the song is actually about. A story that’s only just getting started, played in the minutes before a couple say their vows, doesn’t take much explaining.

If you love it but want it somewhere else in the day, it makes a brilliant walk-out song after the ceremony, or a mood-lifter during the drinks reception.

Your wedding, your songs

We’re The Chapel Hill Duo, a violin and cello duo, and every piece we play is arranged by us. That means your ceremony music doesn’t have to come from the usual string quartet setlist. We’ve arranged everything from Avenged Sevenfold to Studio Ghibli, because wedding music should be fun, not a chore.

Getting married at Norwood Park, elsewhere in Nottinghamshire or anywhere else in the UK? Get in touch with your date and a few songs you love, and we’ll take it from there.

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

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.