Dave and Kim Powles Perfect Wedding & Perfect Wedding Entertainment!

Halfway through the evening, I stood back from the dance floor and just enjoyed five minutes watching everybody have a great time. It made all the effort worthwhile.

Our wedding took place at Elms Barn, in Norfolk, near to Beccles.  It is a former farm that has been converted into a wedding barn, complete with accommodation for around 30 people.  The venue is absolutely stunning.  The farmhouse is right out in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by a moat.  That was obviously one reason to choose it.  We were also keen that the wedding would be more than just one day, more of a weekend event, and the accommodation arrangement meant we could get close family and friends together on the Friday.  We had also booked out a set of barns nearby, where other guests stayed until the Monday, meaning we could all get together on the Sunday for a barbecue.  Our wedding party consisted of 120 people for the full day, with another 40 guests arriving for the evening.

There wasn’t a main theme for the wedding, we just wanted everybody to feel as relaxed and happy as possible.  One of the other benefits of the venue was that they sort so much out for you.  They did the flowers, provided a front of house manager on the day, and really took all the stress away.  This meant that we could concentrate on the smaller things, which hopefully contributed to make the day so memorable and the wedding unique.

Both Kim and I are journalists, so there was a slight newspaper theme.  We did a set of bills to welcome people to the venue and created a special wedding day newspaper.  We also had the time to hand make favours, with the women receiving handmade brooches and the men receiving CD’s containing all the music from the day.

The ceremony and reception were both held inside the barns.  I'm a massive music fan so had been charged with sorting all the music for the day.  With this in mind we had a local band from Norwich play during the afternoon while everybody mingled and enjoyed canapés and champagne. 

They were a two piece acoustic act playing upbeat covers.  They were perfect, and created the relaxed, festival-like atmosphere we wanted.  This was helped by the fact there was barely a cloud in the sky.

After the wedding breakfast, a band called Hipster who we booked through Alive Network entertainment agency played two long sets.  What a success they were.  I'll be honest, they weren't the cheapest of Alive Network’s bands, but they were worth every penny.  What I really liked about them was that they had a really long list of songs they can play, meaning we didn't have to have the sort of songs you hear at every wedding.  They sounded ace and were a top bunch of lads too.

Being someone who is really into their live music, it had a major impact on my day.  We just wanted it to be a big party and having good music to dance to was integral to that.  We received so many compliments about both bands.  It also made it feel a bit different to many weddings where you hear the same old songs time and time again.

I have so many favourite moments of the day.  The first and foremost was seeing my bride, Kim, walking down the aisle.  Watching everybody chill out in the sun, in the garden, with our band playing in the background (just how we envisaged it to be).  The speeches, the wedding breakfast, the evening guests arriving, everybody dancing to the evening band.  The band DJ’ing all of our favourite songs to end the night to.

What pearls of wisdom or words of advice would you extend to future brides/grooms who are planning their perfect wedding?

My main piece of advice would be to try and take a chance at some point during the day to take it all in and enjoy the moment.  It does go in a flash, so it is easy not to appreciate the fact that, probably for one of the only times in your life, everybody who means something to you is gathered together.

Personally, halfway through the evening I stood back from the dance floor and just enjoyed five minutes watching everybody have a great time.  It made all the effort worthwhile.

I would also, if at all possible, recommend people try and find a way to make it last all weekend.  On the day itself you feel almost guilty because you have spoken to everybody, but feel like you have spoken to nobody.  Making it last a couple of days means you can spend quality time with everybody.

Hipster weren't the cheapest of Alive Network’s bands, but they were worth every penny. Being someone who is really into their live music, live music had a major impact on my day. We just wanted it to be a big party, and having good music to dance to was integral to that.