Granite Links Golf Club Wedding in Quincy, MA

East Coast Soul was fortunate to be invited to join Emily & Dan for their stunning Granite Links Golf Club Wedding in Quincy, MA.

Introductions and Preprations for Emily & Dan's Big Day

Emily & Dan first got in touch with us in January of 2018. East Coast Soul actually performed at the groom's brothers wedding several months prior. The bride emailed with "I can honestly say anytime someone brings up that wedding people start raving about you." Of course, we're thrilled to join for another family event! Our groundwork for the wedding day began well ahead, with Emily & Dan offering a myriad of musical and logistical options with us for the wedding day (we take our preparation process extremely seriously). Emily & Dan were incredibly helpful during this advanced planning and a huge asset throughout.

Once the wedding day arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to Quincy, MA and began our standard load-in and sound check for Granite Links Golf Club weddings. We're often asked about our process for loading in and sound checking at various venues. 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.

Ceremony

Part of our groundwork involves outlining exactly what portions of the wedding day East Coast Soul will be involved with. For this wedding in particular, Emily & Dan were also interested in East Coast Soul to help out for their ceremony. Emily & Dan 's ceremony started at 5:30 pm on and took place The Lawn at Granite Links Golf Club. East Coast Soul prepared a a Solo Guitar performance and One Wireless Mic and One Lavalier Mic for speeches. Following East Coast Soul performing approximately 30 minutes of “prelude” music as guests found their seats, the ceremony took place. Emily & Dan provided a beautiful collection of songs for us to perform for the ceremony:

• Prelude: James Taylor
• Processional: James Taylor – Carolina on My Mind
• “Bride’s Entrance”: Zac Brown Band – Free (performed by the Best Man)
• Recessional: The Band – Atlantic City

Cocktail Hour

As is often the case, East Coast Soul was asked to provide cocktail hour music. Cocktail hour is a great opportunity for the bride and groom to unwind after the intense emotions of the ceremony. We do our part by providing a variety of relaxed music for guests to listend to. In this case, 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 receptions, East Coast Soul is asked to take care of MC services for the formal portions of the receptions. This Granite Links Golf Club Wedding was no different. The bridal party set the tone by dancing in to Teenage Dream by Katy Perry with the wedding guests cheering them in.

The couple’s First Dance

The newly married couple's first dance is almost always one of the most emotional parts of the wedding day. It's a chance for the bride and groom to take a moment for themselves. Emily & Dan danced to I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Mark Jones, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. With this part of the evening finished, the guests and vendors took a break for dinner. After as short a break as possible, East Coast Soul's Stax ensemble circled back to the stage.

Dance Party

East Coast Soul shows often start with older material. We've found this is a great way to get guests up on the dance floor with songs they know and love. Artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and more dominated the outset of our performance. We then transitioned into playing tunes by artists like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince 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 Emily & Dan for having us at their beautiful June wedding at Granite Links Golf Club! And thank you to Somerby Jones for sharing these beautiful photos with us!