Newport Marriott Wedding in Newport, RI

East Coast Soul was blessed to be asked to join Emily & Drew for their stunning Newport Marriott Wedding in Newport, RI.

Preprations for Emily & Drew's Big Day

Our groundwork for the big day began well ahead, with Emily & Drew offering a myriad of musical and logistical options with us for the big day (we always leave an excess of time for preparation). Emily & Drew were heavily involved in this advanced planning and incredibly helpful throughout.

Once the big day arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to Newport, RI and began our standard load-in and sound check for Newport Marriott 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 groundwork involves outlining exactly what portions of the big day East Coast Soul will be involved with. For this wedding in particular, Emily & Drew were also looking for East Coast Soul to help out for their ceremony. Emily & Drew 's ceremony started at 6:00 pm on and was held the Atrium at Newport Marriott. East Coast Soul prepared a a Solo Piano performance and One Wireless Mic and One Lavalier Mic for speeches. Following East Coast Soul providing roughly 30 minutes of “prelude” music as guests found their seats, the ceremony took place. Emily & Drew provided a beautiful collection of songs for us to perform for the ceremony:

• Processional: The Beatles – In My Life
• “Bride’s Entrance”: Roberta Flack – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face [Performance]
• Recessional: Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams [Recording]

Cocktail Hour

As is often the case, East Coast Soul was requested to perform cocktail hour music. Cocktail hour is a wonderful chance for the bride and groom to relax after the heightened emotions of the ceremony. We contribute by providing a blend of relaxed music for guests to enjoy. In this case, cocktail hour took place Upstairs from ceremony in the hallway outside of ballroom. We provided a Playback and and featured music by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, 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 Newport Marriott Wedding was no different.

The couple’s First Dance

The couple's first dance is almost always one of the most unforgettable parts of the big day. It's an opportunity for the bride and groom to take a moment for themselves. Emily & Drew danced to Crazy Love by Van Morrison, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. With this part of the wedding finished, the guests and vendors took a break for dinner. After as short a break as possible, East Coast Soul's Soulsville ensemble circled back to the stage.

Dance Party

East Coast Soul shows often start with older material. We've discovered this is an excellent approach to get everyone up on the dance floor with songs they know and love. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Sam and Dave, and more dominated the beginning of our set list. We then transitioned 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 Emily & Drew for having us at their beautiful October wedding at Newport Marriott! And thank you to Silver and Salt Photo for sharing these beautiful photos with us!