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 initially got in touch with East Coast Soul 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 planning for the wedding began months in advance, with Emily & Dan sharing their music and logistical preferences and vision with us for the wedding (we always leave an excess of time for preparation). Emily & Dan were happy to be a key part of this advanced planning and a huge asset throughout.

Once the wedding arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to Quincy, MA and moved swiftly through our standard load-in, set up, and sound check process for Granite Links Golf Club weddings. Our process for loading in and setting up at any given venue is a big part of our preparation process. 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 planning involves outlining exactly what portions of the wedding 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 was held 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 arrived, 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 relax after the heightened emotions of the ceremony. We do our part by performing a blend of relaxed music for guests to enjoy. In this case, We provided a Piano/Sax Duo and and featured music by artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davies, and more.

Reception

In a lion's share of celebrations, East Coast Soul is asked to handle MC services for the formal portions of the weddings. 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 everyone cheering them on.

The bride and groom’s First Dance

The couple's first dance is consistently one of the most meaningful parts of the wedding. 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 portion of the wedding finished, the guests and vendors took a break for dinner. After a super brief break, East Coast Soul's Stax ensemble returned to the stage.

Dance Party

our dance performances commonly kick off with vintage material. We've found this is a great way to get guests up on the dance floor with songs they're familiar with. Artists like Marvin Gaye, Sam and Dave, The Temptations, and more dominated the beginning of our set list. We then moved 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!