The Dotted Crotchets

Monday, 3 February 2014

A Dotted Crotchets Wedding : Natalie and Clare

At the end of August 2013 we had the privilege of performing for Natalie and Clare's wedding reception at the Manchester Art Gallery. This is a beautiful and unique city centre venue, which suited the couple's big day perfectly...

"We got engaged in Paris at the beginning of 2012 after 6 years together. As soon as we started planning our wedding it was clear that what we both wanted was to ensure that our family and friends had a fun, relaxed and enjoyable day. For us making a commitment in front of the people that we love was enough, so all of the ‘extras’ that we planned into the wedding were to show our appreciation for the support and love we have received from our friends and family. We wanted to arrange a day that they would all enjoy and remember as a ‘good day out’."

"We chose The Manchester Art Gallery as our venue, having been to a friend’s wedding reception there a few years previously. We could imagine creating the day that we wanted in that venue. We knew that we wanted some live music to feature in the day and set about looking at the options and how this would fit in with the ‘feel’ that we wanted for our day. We liked the idea of a string quartet who could play during the drinks reception and dinner to give our friends and family something nice to listen to, but we didn’t want the traditional ‘classical’ string quartet. We googled ‘string quartet and Manchester band music’ and up popped The Dotted Crotchets. We loved their unique style and the fact that they wore colourful quirky clothes rather than more formal attire, completely in tune with our loose Parisian/vintage theme, including colourful macarons as favours for the guests! The Dotted Crotchets website was really helpful and we loved the extensive musical playlist on offer, including The Stone Roses and The Cure!! They were exactly what we were looking for and we emailed them straight away hoping they would be available! They were and we certainly have no regrets about booking them for our wedding."

"Our ceremony took place in one of the smaller gallery rooms with the day moving on into one of the larger galleries for the drinks reception. We had chosen to add hibiscus flowers to the glass of prosecco that our guests would receive, giving it a distinctive purple colour and in keeping with the bright colours of the macarons and flowers. The Dotted Crotchets played our eclectic choice of music throughout the drinks reception ranging from Oasis to Lady Gaga. Our guests really enjoyed their music and I think they all felt very decadent wandering around the artwork, drinking prosecco and listening to a very talented and unique string quartet."

"The day moved on through the gallery and dinner was in the glass atrium, where The Dotted Crotchets set up professionally at one side of the room. They played music as our entrance into the atrium was announced and we walked together down the staircase into the centre of the room, something that we had decided at the last minute to do and were so glad we did as we honestly felt so special being welcomed by our guests. The Dotted Crotchets thought on their feet and plated ‘Marry you’ by Bruno Mars for our entrance. We were happy with their choice. They played throughout dinner until the speeches and really added to the ambience and feel to the day that we had wanted to create."

"Dinner was over and sadly it was time for The Dotted Crotchets to leave, however, the live music was not over as Natalie’s dad had arranged for The Manchester Gay and Lesbian choir to sing to us all after his speech. They sang ‘Climb every mountain’ – The sound of music and ‘Somewhere’ – West Side Story. This was an amazing end to a wonderful day and we all moved onto the evening reception to dance the night away."

Natalie and Clare's Wedding Playlist

Bridal Entrance

I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz

Signing of the Register

Perfect Kiss - Marie Hines

The Power of Love - Gabrielle Aplin

Never Tear Us Apart - Paloma Faith

Exit

So Close - Calvin Harris

Drinks Reception

A mixture of pop, indie and chart hits performed by The Dotted Crotchets

First Dance

Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac

Suppliers

String Quartet: The Dotted Crotchets

Venue: Manchester Art Gallery

Choir: Manchester Gay and Lesbian choir

Flowers: David Jayet-Laraffe of Frog flowers

Macarons: The English Rose bakery

Photographer: Haydn Rydings

Videographer: OYFE Productions

Table plan and stationary: Peter Mason

Rings: Anne of RA Jewellery

Congratulations again to Natalie and Clare!

If you would like your wedding to feature on our blog please send an email to ruth@thedottedcrotchets.co.uk for more information.

Thursday, 2 January 2014

A Dotted Crotchets Wedding: Ben and Nicola

To kick off the new year in style, we have got another stunning wedding to share with you today. Nicola and Ben were married in April 2013 and The Dotted Crotchets String Quartet had the privilege of performing for both the ceremony and drinks reception at Sefton Park Palm House. Here's a beautifully written account of the wedding from Nicola...

"Ben had planned his proposal to the finest detail. Prior to our summer holiday in 2011 he had secretly chosen a ring and carried it with him throughout our trip from Montreal to Washington DC. Not even a hurricane in upstate New York was going to spoil it.

On the penultimate night we ended a night-time walk around the presidential monuments in DC at the Lincoln Memorial, and on the very spot were Martin Luther King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech he popped the question. And how could a girl refuse?

After we returned home we both agreed that the only place we could possibly hold our wedding was the Sefton Park Palm House, a Victorian glass house in the heart of South Liverpool.

So the date was set, and we spent the next 18 months making our dream day a reality. We wanted to make sure that it truly reflected us as a couple, and that all our friends and family would instantly know why we had chosen every little detail.

After the venue, the next booking we made was The Dotted Crotchets. As an avid Love My Dress reader (wedding magazines really weren’t my thing) I knew as soon as I read their website and listened to tracks they were the quartet for us. We wanted a mix of classical, contemporary and the occasional silly pieces of music to add that extra something to the experience of our guests and getting everyone into the wedding spirit.

From there I then tracked down ‘the dress’, a Charlie Brear, Vintage Wedding Dress Company gown thanks to Eve at The White Closet, adding some little finishing touches from Sash and Co, Flo and Percy, and shoes from Benjamin Adams.

For both my sister, Mandy, as bridesmaid and for Ben, we didn’t want textbook wedding garb. So we headed to LK Bennett for Mandy, and to Jack Wills for Ben’s grey suit. And for the whole groom party, we went with matching stripy Paul Smith socks, and grey skinny ties from the dearly departed Aubin & Wills.

We also travelled to the Lake District to commission a personalised slate platter for our wedding cake from Chesters by the River just outside Ambleside, to Coniston Brewery for drinks, and to York to Bettys for tea, coffee and an after dinner chocolate fix. We also created, with Carringtons Catering, a spring menu, and with florist David Beckham Doyle seasonal bouquets and buttonholes, including the most beautiful fringed tulips.

Along the way we also worked with a close friend on bespoke designs for all our invitations, orders of services, seating plans and so on, choosing motifs to represent places Ben and I had travelled to, as well as collecting wedding photos of our parents and grandparents, a 1930s typewriter for guests to write messages on, and a monogrammed suitcase of Ben’s granddads for cards and gifts.

When the day finally arrived we really couldn’t have asked for more. Despite the odd spring shower the sun came out in time for the ceremony, bathing the park in golden sunlight. As the guests arrived the Dotted Crotchets sounded amazing and really set the tone for the whole event.

Before the ceremony we had a mix of songs, and Ben particularly appreciated some Fleetwood Mac to calm his nerves before I arrived. And walking down the aisle to the traditional Bridal March was a dream come true for me.

While we signed the register we wanted to celebrate our Liverpool wedding and asked Ruth if they could learn and perform ‘In My Life’ by the Beatles. We both love that song, and it was especially fitting as the wedding was taking place in John and Paul’s backyard.

After the serious business was out of the way The Dotted Crotchets really got the celebrations under way and raised a few laughs with our quirky song choices. As we were having our photographs taken we couldn’t help but smile as they gave amazing renditions of ‘Match of the Day’ and The Cantina Band tune from Star Wars.

Safe to say everyone had a totally amazing day and we cannot thank The Dotted Crotchets enough for creating the perfect atmosphere."

Ben and Nicola's Wedding Playlist

Bridal Entrance

Bridal Chorus - Wagner

Signing of the Register

In My Life and All You Need is Love - The Beatles

Exit

The Wedding March - Mendelssohn

Drinks Reception

A mixture of pop classics, chart hits, film and television themes

Suppliers

String Quartet: The Dotted Crotchets

Dress: Charlie Brear

Venue: Sefton Park Palm House

Photographer: Stuart Rayner

Flowers: David Beckham Doyle

Catering: Carringtons Catering

Graphic Design: Mark Lane

Congratulations again to Mr and Mrs Capper!

If you would like your wedding to feature on our blog please send an email to ruth@thedottedcrotchets.co.uk for more information.

Tuesday, 3 September 2013

The Dotted Crotchets On Tour

Those of you who have been following our latest plans will know that we have recently launched a new branch of The Dotted Crotchets string quartet and trio in Glasgow, available for weddings and events across Scotland. Although bookings are now starting to come in we decided to speed things along a little and get the word out that The Dotted Crotchets are in business. So last week Ruth and Michael spent 5 days on a promotional tour visiting 60(!) wedding venues across Perthshire, Tayside, Fife, Edinburgh and Glasgow, dropping off these pretty packs of information.

If you have just got engaged and are looking for a wedding venue in Scotland there are some really beautiful hotels, houses and even castles to hire. Below we've listed some of our favourite venues that we visited last week, starting with the grand settings of Hopetoun House and Edinburgh Castle and finishing with more alternative and quirky venues such as Timberyard and Edinburgh Zoo.

1. Hopetoun House 2. Rufflets Country House Hotel 3. Edinburgh Castle 4. The Caledonian 5. Timberyard 6. Dovecot Studios 7. Hotel Missoni 8. Edinburgh Zoo 9. House for an Art Lover

Here is a list of all the venues we visited... so many to choose from, and all a perfect setting for a string quartet or trio! Which is your favourite?

Perthshire and Tayside

Scone Palace

Huntingtower Hotel

The Royal George Hotel

Murrayshall House Hotel

Inchture Hotel

Piperdam Golf and Leisure Resort

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dundee

Invercarse Hotel

Apex City Quay Hotel

Fife

Rufflets Country House Hotel

Fairmont St Andrews

Scores Hotel

St Andrews Golf Hotel

Macdonald Rusacks Hotel

The Old Course Hotel

Craigsanquhar House Hotel

Balbirnie House Hotel

Edinburgh

Hopetoun House

Edinburgh Marriott Hotel

Edinburgh Zoo

Malmaison Edinburgh

The King James Thistle Hotel

Apex International Hotel

Edinburgh Castle

Timberyard

The Caledonian

Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel

Sheraton Grand Hotel

The Roxburghe

Apex Waterloo Place Hotel

Glasgow

Glenbervie House Hotel (Stirlingshire)

Pollok House

House for an Art Lover

Sherbrooke Castle Hotel

Cottiers

Hotel du Vin

Oran Mor

Hilton Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel

Glasgow Concert Halls

Glasgow City Chambers

Corinthian Club

29 Private Member's Club

Grand Central Hotel

Radisson Blu Hotel Glasgow

Thistle Glasgow Hotel

Glasgow Marriott Hotel

We received a very positive response from all the venue wedding coordinators we spoke to, so really looking forward to working with them in the future. And if we missed out your venue on our tour let us know and we'll pop a promotional pack in the post for them.

The Dotted Crotchets

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

The Dotted Crotchets in Print

Your wedding is undoubtedly one of the most special days you will share together and for a lot of the couples who book us, music plays an important part in helping create a unique and unforgettable celebration. Therefore we are pleased to announce the launch of our new personalised art prints, which will provide a long lasting memento of your special day.

Treat yourself and your loved one to a personalised music print, featuring the musical score of your favourite Dotted Crotchets' song. The prints are available in either A4 for £15 or a set of three 5x7" prints for £20 (prices include postage and packaging), and both sizes feature your initials and the date of your wedding. Each print is sold unframed (the ones featured in the photos are RIBBA frames from Ikea) and will either be posted to your home or left at your venue on the wedding day.

Whether it’s the song you’ve chosen to walk down the aisle to, your exit song, or even your first dance, if the song is in our repertoire list then we can create it for you. If you can't just choose one song then the set of three 7x5” prints are perfect for the entrance, signing of the register and exit songs.

These prints make the perfect keepsake so order one for yourself or drop a hint to friends and family who are looking to buy you a gift! The option to buy one of these prints will now be included before the final invoice for your string quartet or trio booking is created, but if you have already had your wedding then please send an email to ruth@thedottedcrotchets.co.uk stating which size of print you would like and which song(s) you have chosen.

Love from,

The Dotted Crotchets

Monday, 22 July 2013

A Dotted Crotchets Wedding: James and Yasmin

Back in March we travelled through snow and ice to get to the wedding of James and Yasmin, all the way down at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. The beautiful venue and vintage styling definitely made up for the long car journey and we were excited about getting to play a new request for Yasmin's arrival. Here's a bit about the day from the bride herself....

"James and I had been together for two years, and we were engaged the day before Valentines Day while away in Manchester, it was a complete surprise, I had no idea! I had always dreamed of the typical fairy tale wedding and couldn't wait to get organising. James and I decided to tie in my love of all things vintage and create a day that was completely unique and reflected both of us.

We spent nearly two years planning our special day and all our hard work paid off on the day. I had spent nearly a year collecting glass vases for our flowers, we chose "afternoon tea" and hired vintage mismatched china for our guests, I used my Nana's old dressing table for our seating plan and had a suitcase to hold all of our wedding cards.

In the evening we had an old pine welsh dresser and I had collected many jars and bowls to display hundreds and hundreds of old school sweets and my aunts made some delicious home made cakes too. The "sweet dresser" was a massive hit with all our guests and we had nothing left at the end of the night!

We wanted some music to entertain our guests from the moment they arrived and we were looking something a bit different, not your typical "string quartet" playing the likes of Beethoven and Bach, when we found The Dotted Crotchets, we were surprised how many of the songs we recognised and started to sing along, we knew our guests would feel the same with comments like "Oh I know this one" or "Isn't this Lady Gaga?" :)

The song I chose to walk down the aisle to took me a while to think of...I had always loved Ben Howard and his song "Only Love" popped into my head one evening and it just kind of stuck! I think it set the scene beautifully! Although to tell you truth I couldn't wait to reach James at the end :) James and I are now happily married and I can't believe 3 months has passed by so quickly! We can't wait to see what the future brings, and look forward to a long and happy life together forever."