What I wanted to say was the most colossal, enourmous, heartfelt THANK YOU - in behalf of Rik and I, but also every single one of our guests - for an utterly PHENOMENAL show on the day. It was quite simply flawless.Let me start with the gorgeous 'sunset sax' set, which we weren't sure was even possible to do, but which you did a fantastic job of, not only making Rikin's day , but making our guest's experience so much better too - it truly elevated the whole canapes reception part of the day into something super glamorous and high energy, and got people super excited for the evening. it was magical, and I'd recommend to anyone booking you guys (which should be everyone) that they consider treating themselves to some special music during this part of the day - we had tons of great comments on it, and I remember it as a total highlight.
Keeping on the theme of 'making Rikin's day', you very neatly managed to integrate the playing of the Chelsea FC stadium entry song as we walked into the marquee... a rather comedic moment but no mean feat to coordinate (given it's a niche song that was on our friend's phone!), and something Rik will boast about until his dying day. And then to the first dance - not a part of the day Rik or myself were fully looking forward to, not having practiced anything, and em being very nervous and embarrassed, but knowing the guys were learning the song we'd chosen (an old Motown classic) specially, and having a band that could do it such fantastic justice (in particular, having such a fantastic male and female vocalist team to nail the duet), made it not just bearable, but actually really enjoyable - and again, you had our guests in the palm of your hands, we had loads of complements on the song choice, and people couldn't wait to join us up there. And that brings me to...
The party itself: UNBELIEVABLE. Someone said to me afterwards that they'd never been to a wedding before where the transformation from people sat round tables stuffed full of food, to a fully packed dance floor going at full tilt, was so a. fast and b. all-encompassing. It was like a switch was flipped and suddenly it was a carnival. we were actually nervous that, having stuffed people full of rich Indian food, we might struggle to get the party going... you guys made a mockery of that worry. The ENERGY of the ENTIRE band was utterly infectious, and combine that with the unreal you guys have, the talent and skill in the band, the fantastic song choices, even the costumes were AWESOME, you just made every one of our (320, old and young, multi-cultural) guests want to join you and party at full speed.
The combination of sets was exactly as I had dreamed of: an early set of motown, funk, and soul classics that got EVERYONE dancing; a more pop and cheese -driven DJ set that kept them there; a second set where you gave some huge floor-filling pop songs AND my beloved UK garage a big band makeover; and a late-night DJ set where you managed to combine UK club / chart hits, with some bangra bangers, a super fun indie disco fix, AND even finish on my dad's favourite Killers song, to get us all in a big, happy, drunk circle. Both my parents told me how thrilled they were with the music - my mum is a big music head and she was totally blown away.
Rik and I were both on cloud 9 (or more like cloud 900) for the whole night - I don't think I've ever danced so much / so happily / with so much energy in my whole life (and believe me, there is a substantial back catalogue of me dancing to compete with). Rikin didn't get a single picture in the photobooth all night, because the music was too good to leave the dance floor. I was supposed to change dresses - but I just couldn't bear to leave. it was too good. We have had DOZENS of people make a point of telling us how much they enjoyed it - lots of people said that you guys were hands down the best wedding band they've ever seen. I'd be AMAZED if we don't get people asking us to pass your details on when the time comes for them.
Some further shout outs:
- to yourself, Geoff, for being an absolute pleasure to work with; efficient, responsive, enthusiastic - and utterly patient with all my endless song requests and attempts to micromanage!!! as I understand it Rik had an equally seamless experience with everyone he dealt with, including things like getting the al fresco sax performance arranged - you couldn't have made things easier for us
- to the hilarious red-haired male vocalist form the band; i didn't catch his name but i think he needs a special shout out for the hilarious energy and showmanship he brought to the party; from the stage dives, to the various forays into the crowd and center-of-the-dance floor serenades (I remember dancing with him in the middle of a big circle of people at one point...).
- to the entire band (es.p female vocalist) for leading us through the 'Candy' dance... an absolute dream come true for me and my sister
- to the DJ for playing all the random songs I made him fit in, and making it seamless; the moment where 'Body', my fave dance song of the last few years and a huge fave from the hen do came on, and I was with all my bridesmaids on the stage, was like a life highlight
I could go on for weeks to be honest, and I only hope you have the editing skills to cut this down into something you can use wherever you need it (let me know if you need a specific format / x number of words, happy to re-write something more manageable!). But in short: aside from actually 'getting married', the party and the music, and everyone loving both, was pretty much the only thing I truly cared about on the day... and you honestly just made it beyond anything I could have wished for (and as my 8 page word doc of song suggestions probably hinted at, I was wishing for a lot!!). I know Rik feels the same, and both our families, and all our friends.
We promised people the party of the year... and thanks to you lot, I think we gave them the party of the decade. So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts! With lots of love, from 2 very happy customers!!
Lucia and Rikin, Wedding at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire – 31st August 2019