Gavin and Hannah McMahon's Perfect Wedding & Perfect Wedding Entertainment!

The live band really made the day. I didn't stop dancing.

Our church service took place in the chapel at Sandhurst Military Academy.  We were able to use the chapel as my father has worked at Sandhurst as Head Chef for the last 48 years.  My mother and father were married at the church, and both my brother and I were christened there.  We held the wedding reception at Wasing Park Barn in Aldermaston, which is a Grade II listed castle barn.  It has the dramatic appearance of a castle, with the informality and flexibility of a stylish restored barn.  There were 100 guests in the day, with an additional 30 guests arriving in the evening.

During the wedding ceremony, we had a gospel choir who performed in the chapel.  As I walked down the aisle they sang “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, which is one of our favourite songs.  They performed “Ain't No Mountain High Enough”, “Higher and Higher” and “I'll Be There” during the ceremony.

When we arrived at Wasing Park Barn, our wedding reception venue, we were greeted with Pimms and canapés.  We had photographs taken, and then started the formal receiving line led by our fantastic toastmaster, Peter.

We didn't have any particular theme for the day but we chose green, cream and lilac as a colour theme.

We had an amazing three course dinner followed by speeches from the Father of the Bride, the Groom, and the two Best Men.  We moved to the ceremony barn to cut the cake and have coffee, to allow the florists to turn down the main barn for the evening’s entertainment.

In the evening, the florists turned the main barn into a night club theme with bean bags, palm trees, pop corn, cube seating and balustrades.

We returned to the main barn for our first dance which was “You and Me” by Lifehouse, sang by our band, Face in the Crowd, which we booked through Alive Network entertainment agency.  (Unfortunately, Face In The Crowd have recently split up so they are no longer available to be booked through Alive Network). 

They continued to play three sets of awesome live music, which everybody loved.  We ended the night with an encore for the band, which resulted in Gavin and I taking to the stage and singing “I've had the Time of My Life”.  We then took to the dance floor, leaving the singing to the band, while we recreated the dance ending with a piggy back off the stage rather than the lift!

The gospel choir made a huge difference to the wedding ceremony in the chapel.  It made the service very special, and encouraged others to join in and sing.  The live band in the evening were incredible.  They were fantastic musicians, and performers, and managed to please all age groups!  They were professional and friendly, and kept the dance floor full all night.  Guests are still talking about the band now.  I would definitely recommend Face In The Crowd, in fact I am hoping my friends book them for their wedding!

Everything about the day was spectacular.  It’s so difficult to pick favourite moments, as it was all just amazing.  The church service was incredibly special, which included the choir.  The speeches were brilliant.  The live band really made the day, and I didn't stop dancing!  The wedding venue was superb.  It was truly the best day of my life!

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

Don't be put off by suppliers who tell you it's too early to start organising things, or too early to place an order!  If you like something, just have it, and save hard - as it’s so worth it in the end!  Keep a spreadsheet with all of your costs on it, so you can keep an eye on budgets.  Have what you like, and don’t try to please everybody because it’s impossible!

The gospel choir made a huge difference to the wedding ceremony in the chapel. It made the service very special, and encouraged others to join in and sing.