Louise & Bart had been speaking to another DJ for some time before they found us, but didn't feel completely comfortable as he seemed to be dictating, rather than asking and listening to what they wanted. However, they signed on the dotted line within 3 days of our meeting.
Venue: The function room at Bushey Hall Golf Club is situated on the first floor of the club house, accessed via a staircase immediately inside the front door. The bar is in a separate, smaller, adjacent room (on the other side of the stair case).
Being on the first floor, the views our the golf course and surrounding countryside are lovely and uninterrupted. The room is suitable for smaller wedding receptions: Bart and Louise had approximately 60 guests at their wedding.
Special mention has to go here to the staff at the venue who, without exception, we found incredibly helpful, friendly and efficient.
Supplied / What they wanted: Louise and Bart decided to book us not only for their evening DJ, but also for their chair covers with violet (deep purple) organza sashes, plus matching table runners as well as their wedding post box decorated to match their colour scheme. Louise gave us a piece of fabric from the bridesmaids dresses so that we could match this as closely as possible, and, even though we say so ourselves, we did a pretty good job!
Louise and Bart also considered up-lighting at the venue, but after we did a site visit, we advised that it would be a waste of their money due to the only unobstructed walls being made of glass, so the effect would be minimal.
Their Big Day: We liaised with the venue on the ideal time to arrive (ie so that we would have the table runners there in time for them to lay the tables, but not so early that the tables and chairs wouldn't be laid out). We fitted the chair covers, sashes and table runners, and placed the post box (having decorated it beforehand) in the designated place. We then left the venue long before the bride, groom and guests were due to arrive at approximately 4pm for their reception following their church wedding.
Our DJ returned in the evening and set up the equipment whilst the guests retired to the bar and some tables were removed to create an area for dancing.
First dance / Music: During our pre-wedding consultations, Louise and Bart gave us some guidance about the styles of music they liked / disliked and told us a little bit about their guests, although they didn't have any specific requests apart from their first dance.
They ideally wanted chart-toppers from each year from 1976 (the year they both were born) to current, but also wanted us to cater for the large number of Irish and Jewish guests they had attending.
They chose to start the evening portion of their reception with the formalities, with our DJ gathering all the guests around for the cutting of the cake, followed immediately by our DJ calling the newly-weds to the floor for their first dance as husband and wife: Eva Cassidy – Songbird.
After the first dance, armed with the information the bride and groom had given us, our DJ used his discretion to ensure guests of all ages took to the dance floor until the 1am finish.
Comments: At the end of the night (whilst we were waiting for the room to clear so that we could pack down the equipment and strip the chairs, etc) both the bride and groom made a point of seeking us out (even though we were trying to hide!). The groom shook our hands and the bride gave us a hug and a kiss telling us how wonderful everything had looked and what a great selection of music had been played.
