Q Branch Archive for posts tagged ‘wedding bands’
Fantastic Wedding at Cleeve Spa
Doctor Chocolate were asked to play for Sarah and Martyn’s wedding at the beautiful Cleeve Spa, Wellington at the weekend. What a venue!
We arrived early and sat outside in the gardens enjoying the last bit of sunshine of the day. At this venue you have the option of being married in the gardens and the set up of the wooden structure with the rustic wooden benches for guests with the aisle decorated with lanterns on hooks looked lovely.
When the wedding breakfast was over the staff moved quickly to clear the top table so that the band could set up. With ten band members we managed to unload the van, set up and sound check within 45 minutes!
The resident DJ was great fun and kept the party going with a good choice of wedding music and built the crowd and atmosphere really well.
In the corner of the room Kooky Booths had set up their photo booth with lots of props, wigs and funky faces – they even had a singing video option which resulted in a queue all evening waiting to use the booth! Great people working this booth so do get in contact with them for a quote and to find out how to add some fun to your event or wedding.
During one song the brass section from Doctor Chocolate slipped off stage to mingle with the guests and promenade around the room – we lost sight of them for a couple of minutes but could still hear them playing perfectly! We found out they had slipped into the photo booth for four cheeky photographs!
It was a brilliant wedding – the floor was rammed packed all evening and the guests were really responsive and up for a party! It’s the first time we’ve had the conga danced whilst playing a bit of Madness – check out our facebook page and you’ll see the evidence and the video footage! Whilst on the Facebook page – pop us a little “like” – and we’ll keep you updated on news and events as they happen!
The wedding of Sarah and Martyn – what a wedding. We wish them both every happiness & health for the future and we are so pleased they chose Doctor Chocolate to be their wedding band.
Wedding Music
Wedding music is such a personal choice and many couples don’t know where to start.
Working in the wedding industry we are often asked by couples What music do we choose for the wedding ceremony? Do we need a wedding music playlist? I want music for my wedding but need some wedding entertainment ideas? I want to choose the best wedding music but don’t know where to start?
Well, music is a personal choice but its also an extremely important part of any celebration.
The Wedding Ceremony – Church or Civil
If you are having a Church wedding ceremony then you’ll need to choose entrance music for the bride, hymns to sing during the service, music for signing the register and exit music.
ENTRY MUSIC
You can choose classical wedding music for your entry/exit or pick a song that means something to you – perhaps a song that was playing when you first met – as long as it’s also suitable for playing in a church!
You’ll need an organist to play the hymns for your service but the rest of the music can be played by a small band, solo vocalist with backing tracks, harpist or why not opt for an acoustic guitarist who would sound fantastic in a church acoustic.
You will need to choose hymns though – so pick hymns that are popular if you can. There’s nothing worse than choosing a hymn with a melody that nobody knows – they won’t sing along and the Vicar may feel a little vulnerable singing on their own!
Choose a entrance song that is beautiful, serene and gentle – this is the arrival of the bride after all. Be clear in your choice when you relay the song to the organist – if you want the theme tune for Robin Hood – stress that you want “Everything I do” by Bryan Adams not THE theme tune for the 50’s TV show – believe us – we’ve heard this one played before! You don’t want the bride galloping down the aisle to the wrong song!
If you are having a civil reception – then you have a wider choice of songs to play for your entrance, recessional and exit music – but you can’t have anything played that has a religious side to it – so no hymns or similar.
Here are a few suggestions for entrance music – a few classical and a few modern:
They Long To Be Close To You – Carpenters
Songbird – Eva Cassidy
Make You Feel My Love – Adele
Bella’s Lullaby – Twilight
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride) – Wagner
Clare de Lune – Claude Debussy
Canon in D
Nocturne – Chopin
You’ll need music for signing of the Register too. Something classical, emotive, wonderful lyrics and reflective music. If you are in a church then perhaps choose something classical or have a vocalist singing Ave Maria. If you are having a civil ceremony then you are likely to remain in the same room whilst you sign the register – so choose something romantic that sums the pair of you up.
After signing of the register it’s time to leave the venue as a married couple. This will be your first song you hear after the official side of the ceremony so pick something that is lively, fun and has amazing lyrics.
Here are a few exit suggestions:
Signed, Sealed Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder
Now That We’ve Found Love – Heavy D & The Boys
Better Together – Jack Johnson
Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
From This Moment On – Shania Twaine
Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Lion King
After the formalities are over it’s time for the Wedding Reception.
Lots of wedding entertainment ideas here! Perhaps a steel band in the garden for a drinks reception, or a jazz trio, easy listening band? A harpist is always popular or for something a little different a brass quintet! There’s also singing waiters which seem to be a popular addition these days – choose wisely though – there are some that should really stick to waiting on tables rather than singing! Go by recommendation or ask to see videos of them in action to make sure you hire the best ones!
Although Doctor Chocolate are a 9piece band we can also provide music for your wedding reception earlier in the day if required by scaling down to a 3/4 piece playing easy listening and soft jazz classics such as Fly Me To The Moon, Zing Went the Strings, Autumn Leaves, My Funny Valentine, Besame Mucho, Dream a Little Dream and lots of other hits by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Andy Williams and all the other great crooners!Lots of ideas here for reception music.
The Evening Party
This is where your imagination can run and run! You need to pick your evening entertainment based on your guests! You may both absolutely love hard core Jazz, House Music, A Michael Buble tribute etc. These are great for adding atmosphere to the evening and be exactly what you as a couple are totally into and you’ll love it! Remember however that you are inviting guests along to the evening to celebrate with you and they will be of mixed age groups. Remember also that not all your guests will also love extreme jazz – not everyone will be into hard house music – and a Michael Buble tribute may be excellent but you can’t dance along to it! If your guests are not entertained or if they have their ears bashed with hard core jazz or house music – you’ll find they will start to leave the wedding venue early. If budget is no option then book a tribute for part of the evening and get a live band in playing covers for the remainder of the evening.
If budget is a problem and you can’t afford to have lots of different entertainment – then we would recommend going for a party covers band who will play music that your whole wedding party will enjoy, dance and get involved with. They will know the songs played, they can sing and dance along, they will have a great night dancing no matter what age group they are and most importantly everyone will have a brilliant evening.
Doctor Chocolate are a fantastic party covers band and we are experienced at celebrations where there is a mix in age groups and musical tastes. The key is bringing everyone together to have a great night and help you celebrate one of the biggest nights of your lives!
The First Dance
This is definitely one that is super-personal. It needs to be a song that you both love, that means something to you both. Perhaps the song that was playing when you first met, had your first date, came on the radio when you had a special evening, was your holiday song or is just something a little different or it has lyrics in that just touch the very heart of you and sums up your relationship perfectly. Remember you also have to dance to it in front of your guests so pick a song that you are comfortable with. If you can’t dance – pick a song where you just have to shuffle together and hold each other, encourage your guests to join you on the dance floor after the first 20 bars of the song. If you can dance – pick something where you can bust out some moves and impress everyone with your dance prowess!
Moon River – Frank Sinatra
The Way You Look Tonight – Tony Bennett
All Of Me Loves All Of You – John Legend
Use Somebody – Kings Of Leon
Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars
1000 years – Christina Perry
Falling In Love with You Again – Imelda May
Better Together – Jack Johnson
For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder
Read more articles on Wedding entertainment here:
Wedding Entrance Music
Wedding Recessional Music
Wedding Exit Music
Wedding Receptions – Music
Wedding Music – First Dance
Wedding Evening Celebrations
Clevedon Hall
Doctor Chocolate played for a lovely wedding in June 2014 at Clevedon Hall. This is a beautiful venue in the South West of England and perfectly suited to wedding celebrations.
Doctor Chocolate have performed in this venue on many occasions for weddings, dinner dances, corporate events and celebrations of all kinds. Playing in the main hall at Clevedon Hall means the band van can just pull up directly outside and access is easy – we were set up and sound checked in no time at all! Normally Doctor Chocolate set up for a wedding reception/evening party at the bottom of the stairs in the main hall. With two rooms at the rear of the stage area it means the band have somewhere to store empty boxes from the equipment as well as have somewhere to change and wait before we go on for the first set.
In February 2010 the magnificent Clevedon Hall was, for the first time in its 150-year history, opened for private events. It is considered among the top venues in the south west region. It is constructed in Mendip and other local stones with some impressive carvings and pierced-stone ballustrading. It has Dutch gables, a very large orangery and conservatory. It also has a 19th Century French tower. The grounds are luscious with many different varieties of shrubs and trees and some (often playful) wildlife, including red deer, pheasants, foxes, squirrels and ducks. There’s also a resident heron which spends much of its time gazing into the lake hoping to catch lunch. Charles Hill, who owned the Albion Shipyard in Bristol, bought the Hall in 1877 as a family home, and promptly changed its name to Clevedon Hall.
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Reliable Wedding Band
Doctor Chocolate have been on the professional circuit of function, wedding, covers, party bands in the Bristol and South West area for over 20 years. We are experienced, interactive, reliable, fun, sound great, look great and, more importantly, in all that time not once have we let a venue or a client down.
Sadly, this isn’t the case with all bands. In 2014 we’ve received over 8 last minute telephone calls from couples who are desperately looking for a band for their wedding as the band they booked emailed or telephoned them to say they couldn’t make it! This is dreadful and, after all the hard work that goes into organising your day and evening – the absolute last thing you want to hear.
Your evening entertainment for your wedding can be just as important as the daytime celebrations and ceremony. It is the part of the day when you need to ensure your guests are fed, watered and looked after and have a great evening!
Sadly, Doctor Chocolate haven’t always been able to help out as we have a packed diary of bookings ourselves. For a 9-piece band this is fantastic and we are one of the most hard-working bands on the circuit. But this doesn’t help you when you’ve been let down by a band that isn’t professional and won’t think twice about the implications of letting you down at the last minute!
Please always check out a band before you book them – not all bands are as experienced and reliable as Doctor Chocolate. Nearly every band now have a series of videos and recordings on their website for you to view before booking – please remember that the vast majority of videos have been recorded in a studio with the band having been tweaked to within an inch of their lives by a talented studio sound engineer! Go and see them live! Ask for recommendations and references from other clients! Ask to talk to previous clients if you need to!
Doctor Chocolate have uploaded 22 videos to our main website – each and every one of these videos has been recorded whilst we have been performing live in front of an audience! Not in a studio! they sound great – they look great – and this is what you can expect for your event!
We won’t let you down on our performance and will guarantee you a fabulous night of music and dancing that all your guests will enjoy and talk about for years after! Don’t take our word for it – check out the testimonials on our main website page.
Can I see the Band before I book?
Doctor Chocolate have had a very busy summer bursting with some amazing weddings, parties, celebrations, proms, officers mess events and festivals! Visit our Main Website here!
Doctor Chocolate receive requests from clients who are asking about booking the band for their wedding, party or corporate event as booking a band for such an important occasion can be a minefield. There are lots of bands on the circuit and not all of them are great! As we are always out working some fantastic private events it means we don’t have the chance to play for many open events where people can just pop along and see/hear the band.
If you are booking a band for your event you should really go and see them live first – to get a feel of whether they suit your event and theme. You need to be sure they are experienced, reliable, professional, adaptable and most of all – they know how to interact with the guests you have attending for your event! Thankfully Doctor Chocolate are all these things!
Websites can look great! Recordings can sound amazing! But you need to know that the band you are booking are just as good live. Doctor Chocolate have uploaded 22 videos to our website – they were not recorded in a studio, they were not filmed under studio conditions! Any band can walk into a studio and record their performance. They often sound great as the sound engineer who works in the studio can work miracles! Hear them live – that’s a different story altogether!
Doctor Chocolate’s videos on our website were recorded whilst we were playing for 200 people at a charity event in November 2013. If you look you’ll see some guests on the dance floor busting out some moves! The videos and recording are 100% live – we don’t need to go into a studio to look or sound good – we ARE good! See for yourself by watching our videos on the website!
As Doctor Chocolate are out most weekends performing for weddings, celebrations, parties, corporate events and everything inbetween, we don’t get the opportunity to play at open events very often. When we do we publish the information on our Facebook page – join us on Facebook and find out all the latest news and information first! Check out the events page on Facebook and come along to see the band – we do about 4-5 open events a year. Sadly it’s not possible to come along to a wedding to see us – but at least you’ll be assured we won’t bring anyone along to your private event!
Come and see Doctor Chocolate
Looking for a wedding, covers, party, function band for your event? Doctor Chocolate have many years experience at playing for all events all over the UK.
We are often asked if it’s possible to come and see/hear us perform live. And – the answer is: Yes of course you can!
This may be the only time you have to book a live band for your event and you want to be sure you book wisely! If you haven’t been recommended a band then you MUST go and see/hear them! So we try and book in open/public events throughout the year and there’s a few in 2014 that you are more than welcome to come along to.
21st June – Burtle Village Hall for their Midsummer Ball – Tickets £10 and include a ploughmans
25th July – The Thunderbolt Public House, Bath Road, Bristol – tickets £5 on the door
31st October – Royal Hotel, WSM, Halloween Ball
1st November – Charity Fundraiser for Weston Hospicecare – £35 to include 3 course meal.
All our other fabulous events are private events such as weddings and corporate so it won’t be possible to come along to any of those and heckle the band. However you can be assured that if you book us for your private event we won’t bring anyone along to your event either!
If you can’t make any of these dates then check our website – we’ve 22 videos on there that are 100% Fully LIVE! They were recorded at a charity event in 2013 – this is how we look/sound for each event. These videos were not recorded in a studio – they were fully live.
So, get in contact and find out more about how you can book Doctor Chocolate! We’d love to hear from you!
All quotes are fully inclusive, with no hidden charges or extras to pay!
All our other events throughout the year are private: weddings, corporate, charity events and it’s not possible to invite you along to these events. However, you can be assured that, when you book Doctor Chocolate for your event – we won’t be inviting anyone along to listen on that night either. We only bring along band members!
Wedding Band at Forde Abbey
Wow! What a venue. Party, covers and wedding band Doctor Chocolate had the pleasure of playing here at the weekend and it is simply stunning for weddings!
Beautiful grounds, beautiful building and lovely staff! It was an absolute pleasure to perform here!
If you have a wedding, party or celebration of any kind coming up then you need Doctor Chocolate! We are a fantastic band based in the South West of England and are available for any and all events.
We play music for all generations from all generations. With music from the sixties to present day chart hits there will be something we play that you just HAVE to get on the dance floor and boogie along with. If you are looking for a covers band, a party band, a wedding band, a corporate band, a charity fundraising band then you need Doctor Chocolate! We have many years experience of performing for all types of events and celebrations and we know how to interact with different crowds and age groups.
So whatever event you are planning – get in contact for a free, no obligation, fully inclusive and highly competitive quote today! We’d love to hear from you.
Find Doctor Chocolate on Facebook too!
Come and See Doctor Chocolate Live
Doctor Chocolate would recommend that you go and see any band you want to book for your event! The entertainment on the evening is such an important part of the night and it’s easy to get it wrong. A pub band can be excellent in a pub environment but not all of them are quite so good when booked for a wedding or special occasion. They may not have their own equipment, pa, lighting and have to borrow it all in, they may not be used to such a diverse crowd and they may turn up and perform in jeans and a t-shirt!
You can be sure that Doctor Chocolate are an experienced and reliable band and we are fully self contained with our own top of the range PA system and lighting – and we certainly know how to get a crowd going!
It’s not always possible to come and see us live – most of our events are private bookings so we wouldn’t invite you along to come and see/listen to us in the same way you can be sure we wouldn’t invite anyone along to your event either! However, we do have some open events through the year that are open to the public to come along to – just keep an eye on our Facebook page for details!
Alternatively it may be possible for you to come along to a rehearsal. We get together once a month to run through new songs and ideas/structures for songs. This is where we get to the bare bones of the songs and really thrash them out, make lots of mistakes and run and re run the numbers until they are perfect and ready to be performed in public! If we are having a normal monthly rehearsal then it may be possible for you to pop along and meet us. Just ask for details when you make your enquiry.
Better still – if you want to see what we look and sound like then we’ve uploaded 22 videos to our website. These videos were filmed at a charity event in November 2013 – they are 100% fully live – there is no studio recording here – this is exactly what the band sound and look like at an event! This live recording is a lot better than some bands studio recordings! Have a look for yourself here!
Wedding and Party Band
Doctor Chocolate perform songs from all eras and genres so there is always something for everyone in our sets. Doctor Chocolate perform for two x one hour sets and provide recorded music via ipod for the times when the live band are not performing. Doctor Chocolate are experienced at events of all times, functions, parties, weddings, festivals, corporate events, fundraisers and proms to name a few.
Doctor Chocolate only ever perform as a 9-piece band and always fully live. Ideally we would need space of 12’x15′ to perform in but this is a very rare occurrence and we can fit into smaller spaces as needed – we just don’t fling our elbows out with the dance moves as much!
As an experienced and reliable band we have the knowledge of performing at different events for different age groups and know exactly what is required of us at events and how to get every crowd involved in the evening. As an experienced and professional band people are often surprised at how affordable we are. We are hugely competitive for a band of our size – sometimes a lot less than a 5/6 piece band would charge you! However, we are not “cheap”. We always say you get what you pay for – if you pay peanuts… well, you know the rest!
Book a reliable, experienced and excellent band for your event – book Doctor Chocolate for a vibrant, full and explosive performance that will leave the competition standing….! Visit our main website or like our Facebook page to keep updated on the latest news and events. Contact us for a quote or more information
NYE Bookings
Doctor Chocolate now have confirmed bookings for NYE 2014 AND 2015! Wow!
The diary for the band is looking good for this year. We still have a few dates available so if you are still looking for a wedding band for 2014 please get in contact! We’d love to hear from you and talk about your plans for the day and to see if we are available to get the party started in the evening!