Ocean Gateway Wedding in Portland, ME

East Coast Soul was blessed to be invited to join Anne & Derek for their stunning Ocean Gateway Wedding in .

Preprations for Anne & Derek's Big Day

Our groundwork for the wedding day began months in advance, with Anne & Derek offering a myriad of musical and logistical options with us for the wedding day (preparation is a key part of our process). Anne & Derek were heavily involved in this advanced planning and super helpful throughout.

Once the wedding day arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to and moved swiftly through our standard load-in, set up, and sound check process for Ocean Gateway 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 common, East Coast Soul was requested to perform cocktail hour music. Cocktail hour is a wonderful chance for the bride and groom to unwind after the intense emotions of the ceremony. We contribute by performing a variety of relaxed music for guests to listend to. In this case, and featured music by artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davies, and more.

Reception

In a lion's share of celebrations, the band is asked to take care of MC services for the formal portions of the celebrations. This Ocean Gateway Wedding was no different.

The couple’s First Dance

The newly married couple's first dance is invariably one of the most unforgettable parts of the wedding day. It's a chance for the bride and groom to take a moment for themselves. 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 circled back to the stage.

Dance Party

East Coast Soul shows commonly kick off with vintage material. We've discovered this is an excellent approach to get folks relaxed and dancing with songs they're familiar with. Artists like Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, and more dominated the beginning of our set list. 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 Anne & Derek for having us at their beautiful April wedding at Ocean Gateway!