Hayley & Rich head off to Paris

Clients: Hayley & Richard Holt

Venue: Founders Hall, London EC1

Date: 28th November 2012

Package: Total Music

Upgades: Creative Mood Lighting, Name Projection

London week continued last night for the wedding of Hayley & Richard at Founders Hall in West Smithfield, a venue better known for it’s corporate banquets although it does stage the occasional small intimate wedding, and we think it’s a little gem in the heart of the city.

Despite its thriving City location the venue is actually positioned in a very quiet backstreet adjacent to London’s oldest church St Bartholemew The Great which is steeped in movie history. We were fortunate to see some of yesterdays photographers shots from inside the church (founded in 1123) which boasts amazing Norman architecture, yesterday Hayley & Richard married at the location of blockbuster movies such as Sherlock Holmes (2009), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991).

St Bartholemew the Great, EC1

We were chatting to local girl Hayley just before the first dance yesterday and it transpired that everything had fallen into place naturally for her perfect day, she said “I never thought we would get the opportunity to marry in such an amazing church as you have to meet certain criteria, however one day I got a call asking me if I would like to attend the church and to get confirmed and it all just fell into place after that, the church is run by lovely people. After we left we were lucky to then learn that Founders Hall can also accommodate weddings and with it being right next door it was perfect for us with it being a small intimate wedding”. Yesterdays guest numbers were at 26, which was actually our smallest wedding to date but the ideal number for Founders Hall’s main event room which can accommodate between 10-100 guests. The wedding was coordinated by Leo & Hannah, we chatted throughout the day and it transpired that costs were more than reasonable at around £45 per head for food and room hire at around £1,000, prices may fluctuate depending on the time of year but if you are looking for an intimate affordable City venue then give them a call as they went out of their way to ensure the newleyweds special day turned out to be everything they wanted it to be.

We arrived at Founders Hall around 2pm,  the worshipful Company of Founders is one of the oldest Livery Companies of the City of London, and can trace it’s existence back to 1365. The craft of Founders of London was one of the earliest medieval guilds formed to protect the interests of its members and to promote high standards of quality and workmanship in articles of bronze and brass. As you enter the lobby which is located at number 1 Cloth Fair (one of Londons oldest streets), there is an area to the right where the drinks reception takes place adorned with bronze and brass statues, if you get a chance to speak to Leo he will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the history of the organisation and the work that they do. Other than being a walking encyclopedia, Leo also helped us downstairs with all of our kit so he instantly earn’t “greatness” status.

Once on the lower ground floor, the quiet and tranquil Livery Hall staged Hayley & Richards wedding breakfast and reception, it is the largest and most modern room available, dominated by the large porthole windows that bathe the room with natural daylight and overlook the gardens of St Bartholomew’s the Great. Access is via a small flight of stairs, alternatively there is wheelchair access via a lift which we used to transport the equipment to the lower ground. The dance floor is surrounded by 4 pillars which we uplit in purple, the booth sits discretely to the side between two of the pillars. The backdrop to the top table is a stunning wall of plaques, it’s a very cosy room full of warming colours and textures.

Entrance to Livery Hall

Hayley & Richard entered the Livery Hall around 430pm, as part of our total music package we provide an early set up and the option for background music during the meal. Throughout the meal we set up a playlist of 80s Soul Groove as requested by the groom and we were provided with a list of some of the couples favourite songs to be played throughout the reception when appropriate. Due to this being a Wednesday wedding finishing at the earlier than the usual midnight we also included our name projection service free of charge which we positioned onto the Livery Hall door to personalise the entrance to the room.

The bride and groom took their first dance just after 7pm leaving a short but sweet 2 hours for close family and friends to enjoy the remainder of their special day together dancing to their favourite songs before Hayley and Richard departed for a St Pancras hotel in anticipation of their honeymoon, 10 days in Paris via the Eurostar first thing this morning …very nice too  🙂  – Leo and the lovely Hannah (co ordinators) were on hand throughout the evening tending to everyone’s needs (even ours)concluding a hugely enjoyable pair of back to back gigs in the City of London with Founders Hall proving to be one of the most hospitable venues we have ever come across

Article written by DJ Phil Webster 

Click here to see more photos from this wedding on our facebook group.

Here’s the set list from Wednesday, if you were at the wedding how about leaving us a comment.

16:29 : D Train – Music
16:33 : Frantique – Strut Your Funky Stuff
16:37 : Luther Vandross – So Amazing
16:41 : Sade – The Sweetest Taboo
16:45 : Womack & Womack – Teardrops
16:49 : Cherelle – Saturday Love (feat. Alexander O’Neal)
16:54 : Anita Baker – Sweet Love
16:58 : Gladys Knight & the Pips – Taste of Bitter Love
17:03 : Jermaine Jackson – Do What You Do
17:07 : Imagination – Music and Lights
17:11 : Evelyn “Champagne” King – I’m in Love
17:13 : Booker Newbury III – Love Town
17:19 : Mac Band – Roses Are Red (feat. The McCampbell Brothers)
17:23 : Donna Allen – Serious
17:26 : The Pointer Sisters – Dare Me
17:30 : Shakatak – Down On the Street
17:33 : Lionel Richie – All Night Long (All Night)
17:37 : Gwen McCrae – All This Love That I’m Giving
17:41 : The Temptations – Treat Her Like a Lady
17:45 : Shalamar – I Can Make You Feel Good
17:49 : Loose Ends – Hangin’ On a String
17:53 : Diana Ross – Upside Down
17:57 : Luther Vandross – So Amazing
18:00 : Cherelle РSaturday Love (feat. Alexander O’Neal)
18:05 : Oliver Cheatham – Get Down Saturday Night
18:09 : S.O.S Band – Just Be Good to Me
18:14 : Alyson Williams – Sleep Talk
18:19 : Gwen Guthrie – Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent
18:22 : The Whispers – And the Beat Goes On
18:26 : Heatwave – Gangsters of the Groove
18:30 : Alexander O’Neal – Criticize
18:34 : Steve Arrington – Feel so Real
18:39 : Change – Searching
18:42 : Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett – Don’t Look Any Further
18:47 : Nu Shooz – I Can’t Wait
18:54 : Rockers Revenge – Walking On Sunshine (feat. Donnie Calvin)
18:59 : The Streets – Fit But You Know It
19:03 : Mario – Let Me Love You
19:05 : Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe
19:08 : Beyonce – Love On Top
19:12 : Kevin Lyttle – Turn Me On
19:15 : Bob Marley – Is This Love
19:19 : Usher – Pop Ya Collar
19:22 : Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack
19:22 : Next – Wifey
19:29 : Taio Cruz – Dynamite
19:29 : Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Single Version)
19:32 : PSY – Gangnam Style
19:36 : Sam and the Womp – Bom Bom (Radio Edit)
19:39 : D’Banj – Oliver Twist
19:44 : Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger
19:48 : Robbie Williams – Candy
19:51 : Katy Perry – Firework
19:52 : Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
19:56 : Taio Cruz & Ludacris – Break Your Heart (Radio Edit)
19:58 : Rihanna – Only Girl (In the World)
20:03 : Basement Jaxx featuring Lisa Kekaula – Good Luck (Featuring Lisa Kekaula)
20:03 : Whitney Houston – Million Dollar Bill (Freemasons Club Mix)
20:05 : Mark Ronson – Valerie (Feat. Amy Winehouse)
20:08 : Peter Bjorn And John – Young Folks
20:12 : Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game
20:13 : Robin S. – Show Me Love
20:16 : JLS – She Makes Me Wanna (feat. Dev)
20:18 : Tavares – Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel
20:22 : JLS – She Makes Me Wanna (feat. Dev)
20:22 : Rihanna – We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)
20:26 : Swedish House Mafia & Tinie Tempah – Miami 2 Ibiza (Radio Edit)
20:28 : David Guetta & Sia – Titanium (feat. Sia)
20:30 : Empire of the Sun – We Are the People (Wawa Remix)
20:34 : Bob Marley & Funkstar De Luxe – Sun Is Shining
20:36 : Aha – Take on me
20:40 : Gym Class Heroes Featuring Patrick Stump – Clothes Off
20:44 : The Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize
20:47 : Jay-Z – Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)
20:52 : Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
20:55 : Starship – Nothings gonna stop us now
21:00 : Dean Martin – Thats Amore
21:03 : Spandau Ballet – True (12” Mix)