We’re very lucky here at Huntsmill Farm that we get to welcome some truly fantastic suppliers to our farm wedding venue. We’re excited to introduce to you another member of our gang on our blog, wedding and events pianist, Nigel Hammond Music. Nigel is a talented wedding pianist, and has played at many a wedding here at Huntsmill Farm during ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts with his beautiful pianos.

You can read more about Nigel Hammond Music in our interview below, and see why we love having him and his piano here to play music with us on wedding days.

Photo thanks to Marcus Charter Photography

Tell us about yourself

I am Nigel and I play the piano for a living, mainly at weddings!

I am a quietly spoken, smartly dressed bloke with a friendly smile but don’t be fooled by my gentlemanly persona. I am actually a mad musician and cheeky chappy on the inside! 

Why did you want to become a weddings and events pianist?

I have always had an addiction.  Not drugs or anything like that, my addiction is the piano.  I love it! It’s all about joy and expression that lifts my spirits and the spirits of people listening to me play. I was classically trained through all the grades but love playing all sorts of music and tend to play from ear most of the time. 

I have been described as a human jukebox!  I have performed music on the piano at weddings every so often for most of my adult life while maintaining a professional day job.  In 2017, I branded myself properly as a business, and took the scary step of leaving my day job.  I’ve had no regrets about my decision, and have been so busy with weddings since, plus I am so much happier!

Being a wedding pianist is the ultimate dream job.  I get to turn up to work where everyone is happy!  I get to work with lovely couples and find out about their dreams and their vision for what may so far be the most amazing and important day of their life. Also, I get to provide the music to enhance their special day and offer soothing and fun entertainment for their lovely guests.

Photos thanks to Marcus Charter Photography and Cat Lane Weddings

What is your style?

My look; I always wear a smart suit for weddings.  If you happen to look closely though you may notice my subtle music-themed waistcoat, piano cuff links and socks with music notes on them! 

My pianos, they are very pretty!  When I started out, my wife had one particular recommendation, that my pianos need to be prettier and more feminine for weddings.  Taking this on board I made sure that my upright mobile pianos are a white, shabby chic style with fairy lights.  I can also put pretty coloured sashes and flowers on the top of my piano to match the wedding décor to suit my couples. All this makes my pianos look particularly at home at the magical Huntsmill Farm.

Photo thanks to Chris Teagles Photography

My playing; I have so many wonderful reviews from lovely couples who often comment on how diverse my playing is. I have a repertoire of over 530 piano versions of well-known songs; mostly my own arrangements which I have committed to memory. I am able to go from soothing, tranquil calm and tender music such as ‘Clair De Lune’ and ‘I Giorni’ to help guests settle and relax was they take their seats and later I can switch to lively music; happy songs such as jazzy numbers like ‘Bring me Sunshine’ and ‘When You’re Smiling’, to Classic Rock by artists such as Queen and Elton John, to heavier music such as the Foo Fighters and Blink 182 to magical Disney tunes like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, to Hans Zimmer and John Williams film soundtracks, to classic games themes such as Zelda and Pokemon, to Motown favourites such as ‘Sweetest Feeling’ and ‘Signed Sealed Delivered’ to recent songs such as Golden Hour and Blank Space, to world music such as Bollywood songs and Persian music!! I could go on!

All this means that I can come up with a bespoke set list tailored to the wedding couple and their guests’ musical tastes.

What advice would you give couples when choosing their music during the ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast?

Make it live music!  Recordings can’t react to people and they can’t rearrange themselves when the timing of bridal procession is impossible to predict, but live music can. If a flower girl gets a bit of stage fright, or the bride has a momentary adjustment to her dress, I am able to add or remove verses or improvise to make the music match the build up of the bridal procession. 

Request music that is specific to your tastes for the key stages of the wedding such as the bridal procession, signing and wedding exit, confetti shoot, and walk in for the wedding breakfast and first dance.  When it comes to the rest of the time, don’t forget your guests! They may be of many ages and backgrounds so it’s good for them to hear a variety of different styles.  The beauty of piano is that it enhances their socialising and feelings of wellbeing without getting in the way of their conversations.

What makes you happy?

The happy faces of the bride and groom as I play my music and the smiles on guests of all ages in response to hearing tunes they recognise and love.

I have some other favourite parts of the job too!  I love helping through my music to enable the bridal procession to go smoothly and magically as I play a bespoke arrangement of the couple’s chosen song and adapt it on the fly to fit beautifully with the movements of the bridesmaids, flower girls, page boys and the bride herself!  I also love seeing the happy couple march out or sometimes dance out of the ceremony with everyone clapping and cheering while I add energy to that magical moment with their chosen lively song.  I also find it wonderful when people dance and sing along to my playing – especially when I play the Jungle Book songs! Sometimes I even get asked to perform for the first dance which is a wonderful privilege. 

Photo thanks to Emma Brooks Photography

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be and why?

I’d quite to like be Tom Cruise, doing all those incredible stunts in Mission Impossible but I don’t want to risk injuring my hands so I better stick to playing the piano!

What do you love most about your job?

Getting caught up in the emotion and joy of wedding couples as they share their special day with all their family and friends.

What wedding trends are you loving at the moment?

I love outdoor ceremonies and drinks receptions, and I am pleased to say that they seem to have become more popular.  This is great in terms of my mobile pianos as I can set them up anywhere as all my equipment is battery-powered and wireless.  Huntsmill Farm is a perfect venue for having that choice of beautiful indoor and outdoor weddings.

In terms of requests, I find that some songs seem to go through phases of being more popular.  For the last few years many walk down the aisle requests have been ‘A Thousand Years’ or ‘Canon in D’ but lately I have been receiving more unusual requests often segwayed to Canon in D.  ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ has been a very popular request for wedding exits this year.

Another trend I have noticed is Lego! I have been to several weddings this year where there are Lego characters on cakes and table decorations and Lego gifts to the ushers to build during the wedding breakfast. I really hope this trend lasts!

Why should our couples choose you?

Couples should choose me because of my piano talents and my beautiful unique fully-mobile pianos. I am very efficient and helpful throughout the booking process and this is often commented on in my 140 five star reviews.

What’s your drink of choice?

Kraken black spiced rum – I love the taste and it makes me feel like a pirate when I drink it!  However, I wouldn’t want to be caught drunk in charge of a piano, so I don’t drink when playing at the same time. It is however thirsty work, so I am always appreciative of a diet coke with ice and lemon (hint hint!).

Who is your dream celebrity wedding couple?

All of my wedding couple clients are dream celebrity couples to me. There is such a build up to their weddings, and I practice their chosen music for weeks to ensure everything goes beautifully on the day. So by the time the wedding arrives, I feel very star struck to see them beautifully dressed and smart on their wedding day.

You can find out more about Nigel Hammond using the links below:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

We love welcoming Nigel to our wedding venue as one of our recommended wedding suppliers here at Huntsmill Farm. If you haven’t checked our suppliers out yet, we highly recommend that you do so, they are a fantastic bunch!

At Huntsmill Farm we are very lucky to work with such a fantastic list of recommended suppliers during weddings. We are happy to introduce another one of our wonderful suppliers to you, Bridal Makeup by Juliet. Juliet is one of our talented makeup artists on our preferred partners list, with a wealth of experience, and full of great stories!

You can read more about Juliet below, and why we love having her at our wedding venue as one of our suppliers.

Tell us about yourself

I have been a makeup artist since the year 2000, specialising in Bridal makeup. I live in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, with my partner Jim, my two daughters Amy and Emily, and our dogs Teddy and Wilson.

Photo thanks to Hannah Hall Photography

How did you get started?

I was originally a graphic designer but decided on a change of career when my first daughter was a baby. As I am a trained artist it was a side step to now paint on faces rather than painting a canvas! My first year started slowly with just a handful of weddings, but now I work between 70 and 100 weddings a year.

Do you have a specific style?

I like to create a look on my brides so that they look like themselves on their best day! I tell all of my brides that I want them to walk down the aisle and for their friends and family to still recognise them. I can create any look a bride feels comfortable with, whether it’s barely there and very natural, or super glamorous.

Photos thanks to Emilie May Photography

What advice would you give couples when choosing their bridal makeup?

Make sure you pick a makeup artist who’s got experience and great reviews, that way you’ll know you’re in safe hands. I’d also check that they’re comfortable working on people of all ages and skin tones, that they don’t just apply the same makeup look on every person they work on. Then everyone will look fabulous from your teenage bridesmaid to your grandma!

What makes you happy?

One of the best feelings in the world is holding up my makeup mirror to a bride on her wedding day and her telling me she feels beautiful!

When I’m not working I love spending time with my family or walking my two dogs in the woods. I’ve also sung with the choir, Rock Chorus, for the last 12 years. I love it and my inner showoff can come out!

Photos thanks to The Studio Without Walls

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be and why?

If I could be someone else for the day, I’d be a backing singer for the Foo Fighters when they perform live. They are one of my favourite bands and my practice in the choir would come in handy!

What you love most about your job?

I love being a bridal makeup artist as I enjoy meeting people. Now chatting is a big part of my job, whereas before in my other jobs, I was always told off for chatting too much!

The wedding industry is a wonderful industry to work in, and I genuinely feel privileged to be with a bride on her wedding morning, It’s a very special moment being there to see her get into her wedding dress. I never lose sight of the fact that it’s one of the biggest days in a bride’s life.

What wedding trends are you loving at the moment?

I’ve worked on a few weddings recently that have done a “first look’, where the bride and groom are photographed seeing each other for the first time before the ceremony. A very special moment caught on camera. This is pretty common in the USA but is becoming more popular in the UK.

Photos thanks to Hannah Hall Photography

What makes you unique?

As I’ve worked on over 3500 weddings I’m as cool as a cucumber on a wedding day when things get stressful. Nothing rattles me and I always finish on time! I’ve also got 100s of wedding stories that I entertain bridal parties with and I’m very hot on celebrity gossip! My brides always say that they loved how I kept everyone laughing and made the morning such fun!

What’s your drink of choice?

A cup of tea with skimmed milk. Or if I’m on holiday a cocktail, I don’t mind which one!

Photo thanks to Sarah Vivienne Photography

You can find out more about Bridal Makeup By Juliet using the links below:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

We love having Juliet as one of bridal makeup suppliers alongside our list of other talented preferred partners. They are all a fantastic bunch, and we highly recommend checking them out for your wedding.

We’re delighted to introduce another fantastic preferred partner on our blog, Grace from Grace and Cake. Grace is a wedding cake supplier specialising in buttercream and fondant celebration cakes. Her wedding cakes are beautiful, and you can find out more about Grace and her cakes below and get to know why we love having her as one of our suppliers!

Photos thanks Jade Alana Photography

Tell us about yourself

Hi, I’m Grace, the one-man-band behind Grace & Cake. Originally from Newcastle, I now live in Buckingham with my husband, daughter and two miniature dachshunds.

Why did you want to become a wedding cake maker?

Having grown up in the kitchen, baking with my mum, excellent-tasting cake has long been a feature of my life! I have always been really artistic and found a distinct gap in the wedding industry for cake which looked great and tasted incredible too! The desire to fill this gap whilst combining my two passions inspired the start of Grace & Cake.

What is your style?

As a self-confessed perfectionist, I love creating beautiful, flawless wedding cakes incorporating modern techniques. I work predominantly with fondant and love combining hand-crafted sugar flowers with dried florals to create contemporary looks.

What advice would you give to couples when choosing their wedding cake?

Enjoy the cakey process! The wedding cake is, for sure, the BEST part of the wedding planning process, and it’s my job to make it stress-free and fun! Having a supplier who is an expert in their field will put you at ease whilst you eat delicious cake and chat about your wedding. The cake design is a two-way process, so having a good relationship with your cake maker is imperative so they can truly understand you as a couple and create something unique and special to tie in with your big day.

Photos thanks to Brad Gommon Photography

What makes you happy?

The simplest things make me the happiest! Dancing around the kitchen with my little girl, long dog walks in the beautiful countryside, watching rugby with my husband and anything food related!

I am the biggest romantic, so meeting lots of happy couples at the start of their next chapter together fills me with joy. Allowing myself to be consumed in creativity makes me feel truly blessed to do what I love as a career.

If you could be someone else for the day who would you be and why?

I would be my dachshund, HotDog. He has the BEST life! He spends his days sleeping in the sun, without a care in the world, enjoys cuddles and is so very loved.

What do you love most about your job?

I absolutely love turning ideas, concepts and visions into reality! Seeing these beautiful little works of art come to life just as I envisioned it and hearing how loved and enjoyed the cake was more than makes up for those long nights!

Eating off cuts of cake for breakfast is a bonus too!

What wedding cake trends are you loving at the moment?

I love that fondant is back in fashion! This medium has so much versatility, including draping, to create absolutely stunning centrepieces to be admired! Wafer paper art is also huge on cakes right now and can be used in many ways to create attractive, modern effects.

I am also here for the sugar flower/dried flower combo!!

Why should our couples choose you?

Creating wedding cakes is so personal for me; I value my relationships with my clients and the trust they place in me to bring their dreams to life. My attention to detail is impeccable, and each cake is made with the utmost love. This is not just my full-time job but also my lifelong passion; I only make one wedding cake per week so that you can rest assured your cake has all of my attention – just as it deserves.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, is the taste! I am all about great-tasting cake! All the flavours on my menu have been fine-tuned and rigorously taste-tested (it’s a tough job) to ensure they are perfect! You deserve to have the most delicious cake for your wedding day, and I pride myself on delivering just that!

What your drink of choice?

I am partial to a cup of tea or ten… But on those rare days when I can let my hair down, I always go for a nice chilled glass of bubbles!

Who is your dream celebrity wedding couple?

Not sure if it classes as celebrity, but I would love to one day make a cake for a royal wedding of some sort!

Photo thanks to Suzy Elizabeth Photography

You can find out more about Grace using the links below:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

We are very lucky to have Grace as one of our recommended suppliers. They are all such a great gang of wedding professionals, they are certainly worth checking out!

It’s been a little while since we introduced you to one of our preferred partners, so it’s about time we introduced Kym from Purple Lily Event Hire. Kym specialises in supplying games, light-up letters, post boxes, and various other event hire items. We’ve welcomed her to many a wedding here at Huntsmill Farm, and her garden games are particularly popular in our lawn area. You can read more about Kym and Purple Lily Event Hire below, get to know her better, and see why we love having her as one of our gang!

Tell us about yourself

Hi, I’m Kym, mum to one little diva, who is the main reason I started my event hire business.

My professional background is in hospitality and events. Alongside being a PA for the past 20-plus years, customer service has always been a big part of what I do, and I love people and organising.

How did you get started?

I’ve always wanted to work for myself within events and the opportunity arose at the start of COVID so I thought, why not! I previously worked with another event hire company that decided they no longer wanted to continue, but would like to pass the reins on to someone they knew would share the passion they did. So as they closed their doors, Purple Lily was formed and has expanded and grown ever since.

Photos thanks to Kate Jackson Photography and Sam Bennett Photography

What is your style?

I am bubbly, friendly and relaxed. I treat everyone how I like to be treated, so I’m always honest, informative and down to earth with my couples.

What advice would you give couples when choosing event hire?

No one knows what you’ve spent, or how it should look, so always choose and do what makes the two of you happy.

What makes you happy?

My daughter, closely followed by a nice glass of wine!

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be and why?

That’s tough but I’d go for Wonder Woman as she can fly, which would save me a lot of travel time!

What do you love most about your job?

The people!

Photos thanks to Kate Jackson Photography

What wedding trends are you loving at the moment?

For me it’s not the trends I love, it’s seeing what each couple choose to make their day special and unique to them.

Why should our couples choose you?

I pride myself on providing excellent customer service and great communication with my couples, and my reviews verify this. I’m part of a couples exciting journey, and will always help with anything I can to ensure it takes any extra stress away from them.

I am grateful for each and every couple who choose Purple Lily Event Hire to play a small part in their special day – help to add the finishing touches to any occasion.

What’s your drink of choice?

I’m partial to a fruity cider in the sunshine, or a chilled glass of rose wine, but on a day-to-day basis, Pepsi Max is my go-to that you’ll always see in the van whilst I’m out and about.

Who is your dream celebrity wedding couple?

Now to be honest, I’m not a big celebrity fan mainly because I don’t have the time to invest and get suckered into it. That said if Craig David popped an enquiry into my emails I’d be ecstatic!

Photo thanks to Mark Horton Photography and Two D Photography

You can find out more about Kym using the links below:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

We are very lucky to have Kym as one of our recommended suppliers. They are all such a great gang of wedding professionals, they are certainly worth checking out!