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.
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.
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.
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.