Tag: wedding ceremony music

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

on By

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 “I Get To Love You” — Guests Arrival at Bassmead Manor Barns

on By

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.

COntact

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

on By

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.