A charming wedding at the Gedney Farm in New Marlborough, MA where East Coast Soul's Stax ensemble found it nearly impossible to say goodbye to this particular group of guests!
Testimonial
"I can't say enough about how incredible East Coast Soul was at our wedding. From the first conversation with Sean, I knew they would be awesome. Sean, Arthur and the whole band could not have been more flexible, amenable and just awesome to deal with from day one. And the music!! They were awesome! So much energy! Such an incredible set list! The dance floor was PACKED the entire night. Five stars is not enough for East Coast Soul. We really can't recommend them highly enough."
Yael (Bride)
New Marlborough, MA
November 5, 2016
Gallery
Check out some images from this Gedney Farm wedding!
East Coast Soul was blessed to be brought to join Yael & Richard for their stunning Gedney Farm Wedding in New Marlborough, MA.
Introductions and Preprations for Yael & Richard's Big Day
Yael & Richard initially got in touch with East Coast Soul in February of 2016. Our planning for the big day began many weeks prior, with Yael & Richard expressing a variety of musical and logistical preferences with us for the big day (preparation is a key part of our process). Yael & Richard were happy to be a key part of this advanced planning and incredibly helpful throughout.
Once the big day arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to New Marlborough, MA and moved swiftly through our standard load-in, set up, and sound check process for Gedney Farm weddings. Being prepared for load-in and set-up at any given venue is a critical part of our workflow. This is a part of the day that we take seriously, spending extra time to avoid rushing, and ensuring our gear is properly tuned for the room. Gendey Farm's performance space is a beautiful, spacious old barn that provides a wonderful two story venue for any wedding. Decorated with simple white lights, it truly is a sight to behold.
Ceremony
One aspect of our planning involves outlining exactly what portions of the big day East Coast Soul will be involved with. For this wedding in particular, Yael & Richard were also looking for East Coast Soul to help out for their ceremony. Yael & Richard 's ceremony started at 6:30 pm on and was held in the tent at the rear of the venue at Gedney Farm. East Coast Soul prepared a a Solo Guitar performance and Single Mic for speeches. Following East Coast Soul performing roughly 30 minutes of “prelude” music as guests found their seats, the ceremony took place. Yael & Richard provided a beautiful collection of songs for us to perform for the ceremony:
- Processional: Somewhere Over The Rainbow
- “Bride’s Entrance”: Theme From The Princess Bride
- Recessional: Signed Sealed Delivered
Cocktail Hour
As is often the case, East Coast Soul was asked to provide cocktail hour music. Cocktail hour is a wonderful chance for the bride and groom to unwind after the heightened emotions of the ceremony. We do our part by providing a variety of relaxed music for guests to listend to. In this case, cocktail hour took place bottom floor of barn/outdoor patio. We provided a Piano/Sax Duo and and featured music by artists such as Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and more.
Reception
In a lion's share of celebrations, the band is asked to handle MC services for the formal portions of the wedding celebrations. This Gedney Farm Wedding was no different. The guests of honor set the tone by dancing in to Celebrate by Kool & The Gang with everyone cheering them on.
The couple’s First Dance
The groom and bride's first dance is consistently one of the most emotional parts of the big day. It's a chance for the bride and groom to take a moment for themselves. For this specific wedding, we were requested to play the first dance tune live, as opposed to playing it from a recording. Yael & Richard danced to Hakuna Matata from the Lion King, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. With this part of the wedding complete, the guests and vendors took a break for dinner. After a quick break, East Coast Soul's Stax ensemble returned to the stage.
Parent Dances
In many weddings, East Coast Soul is often requested to perform the couple's parent dances. This was a chance for the to join Yael & Richard to spend a couple minutes in the center of the floor with their father and mother. For this specific wedding, Yael and her father danced to I Feel A Change Comin’ On by Bob Dylan. Richard and his mother shared a dance to You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins. Parent dances are a fantastic way to kick off the dance party portion of the evening. We often ask guests to join the couple and their parents on the dance floor, and then move directly in to the rest of the performance.
Dance Party
our shows commonly kick off with vintage material. We've discovered this is an excellent approach to get everyone relaxed and dancing with songs they know and love. Artists like Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, and more dominated the outset of our performance. We then moved into playing tunes by artists like Whitney Houston, Prince, Michael Jackson and more. Finally, we ended the night performing contemporary material that everyone could sing along with.
Guests danced non-stop from beginning to end, and we limited our breaks to ensure people had as much time to dance as possible.
Thanks so much to Yael & Richard for having us at their beautiful November wedding at Gedney Farm!
Ready to Learn More?
Planning a Wedding? Maybe at Gedney Farm, perhaps in New Marlborough, MA? Either way, feel free to learn more, and let's connect!