Jess and Will at Hazel Gap Barn

Jess and Will wanted their evening at Hazel Gap Barn to bring several very different musical tastes together. With around 146 guests, that meant giving every generation something to recognise while still keeping their own choices at the heart of the night.

Jess and Will – starting the evening their way

The evening started with the arrival of Mr and Mrs Morris, followed by their cake cutting to Parra for Cuva featuring Anna Naklab’s Wicked Games.

Then came the first dance. Jess and Will chose Myles Smith – My Home. However, this was not simply a case of pressing play.

Instead, I started with the acoustic version before mixing into the original upbeat version at the first chorus. Jess and Will began alone, then their guests joined them as the fuller version came in. Afterwards, the evening moved into the main DJ set.

I provided my Essential evening dj service, with no additional extras required.

Jess and Will – mixing very different music tastes

Jess leaned towards R&B, afrobeats and dancehall, including Drake and Gyptian. Will, meanwhile, brought house, dance, indie and rock into the mix.

Therefore, their request list covered plenty of ground. ABBA, Avicii and Earth, Wind & Fire sat alongside Kings of Leon, The Kooks, Fred again.. and Calvin Harris.

Importantly, Jess and Will also wanted older guests included throughout the evening. So, rather than treating 1970s and 1980s music as a separate section, familiar tracks were blended naturally amongst their newer choices.

There were personal details too. Robbie Williams’ Rock DJ had particular meaning for Jess and her cousin Annabel. Meanwhile, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) was dedicated to Debbie, the mother of the bride.

Jess and Will – finishing with a classic

Later, FISHER’s World, Hold On came into the set after 10.30pm as requested. Finally, Jess and Will closed their night with Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.

You can see more real wedding evenings in my previous weddings.