VENUES WE LOVE

There are loads of great venues for getting married in - just a small peek in London will have revealed.  Great wedding entertainment works in lots of London wedding venues - and here are some of our favourites -

Pembroke Lodge - Apart from the beautiful scenery and breath-taking view from the Terrace of the Belvedere Suite, there's also -

- Beautiful interiors - (see photo from a recent wedding as we set up in the Russell Suite)
It's an elegant Georgian mansion, steeped in London history (Dickens, Thackeray and Tennyson were all entertained here by the then Prime Minister Lord George Russell; it was also used in WW2 as regimental headquarters, David Niven was there at the time).

- Helpful staff
 They're a well-honed team at Pembroke - having had so many weddings here, they take it all in their stride.  When we mentioned a 5 piece band to them, they said 'That's a lot for that room - but if your client wants it, we'll accommodate them).  That to my mind is good service.

- Stunning views and lovely scenery
Worth mentioning twice, we can't get enough of them even having been here so many times!



Other great venues we've worked in recently include our string trios, harpists and DJs in Chandos House - stunning venue, small but a jewel.

October 'Green Shoots'

We are working like crazy to provide the right people for the events that you require. I am not convinced by the idea of 'green shoots'. I keep reading and hearing different points of view, but we have had to tackle the recession and the lack of overflowing budgets with smaller, bespoke options.
Not everyone requires such smaller bookings. In December, we are providing a string section for hire for 2 events held by Doxa Deo Church in London. One will be in Wimbledon, and one in Stratford Picture House. We love this, as playing miked up with a great band is a refreshing change from the standard classical music we often play. It is always a highly enthusiastic service, and led by the excellent singing and keyboard playing of Ioannis Dekas. We hope to get some film footage to put on the site as well this time.
Apart from this, we've provided Julian's solo guitar hire for several weddings, and over the summer in association with Courtneys at Paddington Recreation Park there were some fantastic duos including the brilliant corporate entertainment from Liquid Strings electric violin and keyboards/turntables Matt and Naomi. If a string quartet sounds a bit much, a string trio for hire can be excellent, and see the photo of Brian, Victoria and Stefano entertaining the guests at Putteridge Bury Conference Centre at Nick and Kelly Booth's wedding.

Ok, enough for now - got lots of work to do.

News and Tips for Events

Please feel free to add any comments/suggestions, or fire a question if you wish!

RECENT EVENTS

• Wedding Reception and Dinner in 'Home House' private members club.
• String Quartet to play for Sultanate of Oman in a Gala Dinner at Muscat, Oman.
• 60th Birthday Surprise Party string duo in Carvasso's Restaurant, Chiswick.
  

NEW ACTS

The best of our new acts are -

• Brazilian Samba Band (see above)
• Electric violin and keyboards/turntables duo with Cafe del Mar style music (see above)
• Hannah 30s style Swing Singer
  

MUSIC FOR EVENTS TIPS/IDEAS

Small is beautiful!

During the recession, we have been offering our clients budget-busting alternatives that still look and sound fantastic.

For example, if the event is not that large and you cannot afford to book a string quartet, why not book a string duo? The combination of violin and cello looks great, and most essentially, it sounds great as well. It can sound as good as a string trio, but is of course cheaper!

A solo musician doesn't have to be an expensive harpist (and if the harpist is not expensive, beware!). It can be a more economical cellist, jazz or classical guitarist.

An amplified function band can be exorbitant, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative for live, amplified music for events, ask us about our jazz bands. Some of the combinations (ie trio with female singer) can be very reasonable and flexible in their fees.



With Best Wishes,
Brian

Our string duo played in Carvosso's for a 60th Birthday on Sat 28th. It went superbly well, and up and coming events include providing a string section for hire in a concert in Raynes Park, as well as more weddings.
We have also recently had Eva playing in a wedding at the beautiful church in Ely Place - St Etheldreda. Solo flute for weddings is a lovely pure sound - well worth using for a small, intimate event, which this event was. Another lovely wedding choice is solo guitar hire.

Solo musician for events

If your budget is low, but you want live music, book a solo musician for events and weddings. It can be absolutely beautiful and a very reasonable price. Julian on solo guitar has just entertained and moved Nadia and Matthew in their wedding, and Eva on solo flute made an impact on a small but beautiful church wedding in Farringdon. It's a really simple booking, and being solo, easier to get the music you require if there are any requests. Call Brian for a quote today - what are you waiting for?

string duos for weddings and corporate events

This combination is becoming more popular with us, especially for those without the budget for a string quartet. I am covering a lot of these with great new cellist, Magda - as violin and cello string duo is an ideal combination for weddings, parties, corporate events, product launches and many other kinds of events.
Liquid Strings is more than happy to cater for smaller budgets. If times are tough, that's no reason not to have live music - but we understand that booking an entire gospel choir during a recession is not a fantastic idea for most, so we would recommend smaller combinations, such as jazz solo artists, string duo for wedding and solo guitar.
Call Brian today for advice on how to find the best musicians to hire for your event, to make it a day or night to remember.

February

Recession means there is belt tightening from most - the demand has been for less musicians per event. So, duos and soloists are suddenly in demand. The imagination of people inquiring creates new possible duos. We were just about to provide a violin and cello duo for a surprise 60th Birthday Party, when the unexpected snow intruded on plans - and it was postponed until March.
March also brings a wedding in London - and the bride has asked for a solo flute for the wedding. We are happy to oblige, and Eva will be playing Mozart, Pachelbel and Delibes for the happy couple on their very special day. So there has been less demand for string quartets for weddings and events. Although we do have some advance bookings for July and December - organised people who know what music they want.
Not everyone does though, and that's why Brian is more than happy to try and offer advice and practical tips on what live music works for which kind of event. So call Liquid Strings today and get some expert advice on how to make an ordinary event beautiful with extraordinary live music.


"Music gives a soul to the universe,
wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination,
and life to everything."
~ Plato ~

We have been getting bookings for string duo for weddings and events, more than ever before. It is a lovely choice for smaller events, an elegant sound and looks good also. It also doesn't decimate the budget, which is clearly a factor of concern for most at the moment. If the combination is violin and cello, then you have the simplicity of a beautiful melody line on the violin with the cello to accompany it. It is surprising that not more music was specifically written for this combination, since it sounds so lovely.
Given a larger budget, we would definitely recommend a gospel choir for an event - a gospel choir for a wedding or a gospel choir for a corporate event. We have 3 different gospel choirs for events, and they are all seasoned professionals with incredible vocal abilities! It is an entirely uplifting, joyous sound and will make people smile.

string quartets for weddings in London

Now is a great time to book a string quartet for a wedding in London and the surrounding regions. There are brilliant string quartets for weddings available from Liquid Strings. And if that seems too much for the budget in the current climate, why not book a string trio for your wedding in London or a string duo for your wedding. Call Brian today to find the perfect string quartet, trio, duo or even solo string player for a wedding in London

string quartets and duos for weddings

It is a period of booking musicians for weddings in London and beyond. We are getting most of our inquiries for string quartet hire for weddings in London, and for string duos in weddings - possibly as a result of the economic situation - since string quartets are usually a more common request.
String duos or even trios for hire in weddings are also great choices. I played myself for a London wedding last year with Cat on cello, and the simple combination of violin and cello was an effective one - as there is lots of good music, and the simplicity of violin and cello duo in a wedding reception or a wedding ceremony can sound really lovely.

We also have a great covers band for weddings in London and the surrounding regions, who can play loads of great hits - current and oldies, which can provide the right atmosphere to get people dancing and celebrating in the way that only a live band can really do. If you hire a string quartet (or duo/trio) for the wedding reception or ceremony - or indeed both, and the covers band for after the dinner , then you can get a good discount. Phone Brian for details on the usual Liquid Strings numbers (see the site). Book musicians for weddings now, as demand is high!