Mad River Barn Wedding in Waitsfield, VT

East Coast Soul was blessed to be invited to join Ally & Ellis for their stunning Mad River Barn Wedding in Waitsfield, VT.

Preprations for Ally & Ellis's Big Day

Our groundwork for the wedding day began months in advance, with Ally & Ellis expressing a variety of musical and logistical preferences with us for the wedding day (preparation is a key part of our process). Ally & Ellis were happy to be a key part of this advanced planning and super helpful throughout.

Once the wedding day arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to Waitsfield, VT and began our standard load-in and sound check for Mad River Barn 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

In this case, East Coast Soul was not involved with couple's ceremony, with those arrangements having already been taken care of.

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 relax 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 Outdoor patio adjacent to main pavilion. We provided a Playback and and featured music by artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davies, and more.

Reception

In a lion's share of wedding celebrations, the band is asked to provide MC services for the formal portions of the receptions. This Mad River Barn Wedding was no different.

The bride and groom’s First Dance

The couple's first dance is traditionally one of the most meaningful parts of the wedding day. It's a chance for the bride and groom to take a moment for themselves. Ally & Ellis danced to Real Love Baby by Father John Misty, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. With this portion 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

As part of our preparation process, we like to get a sense of what the bride and groom are excited to hear. Ally & Ellis Were a huge help here, giving us a ton of great input. Soul/Funk Ariana Grande Lizzo - Juice Proud Mary Prince Earth Wind & Fire Queen Michael Jackson Whitney Houston

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 Ally & Ellis for having us at their beautiful July wedding at Mad River Barn! And thank you to Leslie Swan for sharing these beautiful photos with us!