Wedding Wednesday means Wedding Fayres

Here’s a reminder of the wedding fayres and events I have coming up. Attending one of these events is one of the best ways to meet me and find out more about having emotional live harp music on your wedding day. I add events to the list all the time so keep checking this website and my social media. You can find the links at the bottom of the homepage of this website.

Sunday 31st March, 10-5 - Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre, Huddersfield, Spring Wedding Fayre

Sunday 28th April, 11-3, Storthes Hall Park - The Venue, Huddersfield

Sunday 12th May, 11am, Wortley Hall, Sheffield (Wedding Fayres Yorkshire)

If you’d like me to come and play at your promotional event, do get in touch, and if you’re thinking of having a harpist playing at your wedding, click on the contact page and drop me a line - I can’t wait to hear from you!

Wortley Hall Wedding Showcase

“Playing at promotional events is key to the success of any freelance musician. Read on to find out about my latest experience at Wortley Hall near Sheffield”

Chandelier

My harp beneath

I was invited to play for the Wortley Hall wedding showcase last Thursday evening. My relationship with this warm soulful place goes back quite a few years by now and I jump at any chance to play there. The staff are brilliant! They’re helpful and friendly in an unforced natural way and they go to great lengths to ensure that each wedding runs smoothly.

My excitement escalates when I approach the quietly spectacular structure of weathered golden stone. Pulling up outside the main building, the views over the grounds and the adjacent sprawling countryside are breathtaking. This truly is a fine example of Yorkshire at its best.

My heart leapt when I spotted my welcoming committee in the dappled shade of the yew trees:

Walking my harp through the hotel’s Ruddy Duck restaurant, I spied a pair of brass duck head bookends. Wortley Hall is a sanctuary for these feathered friends. They in turn lend an element of playfulness to their stately home.

If you read last week’s blog post, you might have detected a hint of ennui at the whole rigmarole of much of the wedding fayre business. Not so at Wortley Hall. I consistently get bookings from playing at their fayres. The harp is definitely right at home here.

I’ve played for lots of ceremonies in this unique hotel, and live harp music always goes down a treat, whether it’s for the civil ceremony and drinks reception, or the wedding breakfast afterwards in the glorious wooden splendour of the Foundry Dining Room with its ornate ceiling and gigantic chandelier. There’s a relaxed homely grandeur about Wortley Hall which I love. At the most recent Fayre in January, I had a quick look at the refurbished rooms upstairs in the heavens. They’re like little romantic nests tucked away in the antiquated eaves. Wortley Hall is the perfect place for a secret escape from it all.

Just like that - the atmospheric splendour of the Foundry Dining Room

The atmosphere at the wedding evening was peaceful and intimate. There was none of the hustle and bustle of dozens of suppliers promoting their wares to customers hungry to discover the latest wedding trends. I was one of only three suppliers. The others were Keith Woods Entertainment, who provided the floral arrangements, transforming the ceremony room into an exotic garden of paradise with the bountifully laden boughs of their blossom trees. Creative photographer Eternal Photography was the man behind the lens, or rather beside his photos. He definitely takes better photos than I do, but hopefully you get a feel for this beautiful location from my snaps.

For this event, I decided to take a slightly different approach from what I usually do at commercial fayres. I played what I wanted to play. A risky strategy? Maybe, but if I’m enjoying myself, there’s more chance my audience will enjoy themselves too. Don’t get me wrong! I love my wedding harp repertoire and I could play Mendelssohn and Wagner for a Thousand Years, or at least ‘til the ducks come home, but I was in the mood for something different that evening. And so were my audience from the feedback I got. Doing it my way could be the way forward…

Atmospheric

The gardens at dusk

Night time statue

“I’ll be recording some short sound clips (and maybe more) from March onwards. Keep checking in to listen to my harp beat!”

FAYRE ENOUGH

You cannot be serious!

Last night/this morning, I’ve had about 3 hours sleep. I’m in the throes of a creative phase and I have a billion ideas burgeoning busily and noisily in my head. I’ve had quite a frustrating time trying to get involved in more and more wedding fayres so that I can meet all you lovely brides and grooms who would like to book my wedding services but can’t find me for one reason or another. I’ve pushed beyond my comfort zone and contacted and reconnected with local venues within West Yorkshire without success. Despite several efforts I’m greeted with the reply that makes my heart sink - “We’ve already got a musician”, or a hefty charge in excess of £200 to go and work at a fayre. Anyone who knows me will know I’m not work shy and I’m happy to invest in something that will reap rewards, but after enquiring on a forum for harpists and, most importantly, within myself, wedding fayres these days aren’t the viable investment they used to be for harpists. The return simply isn’t high enough. There’s always someone who will do the work for less money in what is a niche market, relatively speaking. Understandably, everyone wants a bite of the apple. When you book me, you do get a highly personalised professional service. I have skill, experience, knowledge and expertise (I trained intensively for 11 years) - it isn’t just me rocking up with my harp and playing your favourite music. Most importantly, I genuinely care and I love my job!

I’ve experienced a fair (!) bit of interest at fayres but unless I take a deposit on the day, there’s only a small percentage of clients who actually pursue their initial enquiry to eventually end up booking. It would seem that the way forward is focusing on developing my online presence. A search engine ad? A social media advertising boost? Signing up with agencies? A sleek slick shiny brochure for clients to take home and show their nearest and dearest? New publicity photos and videos? Which one of these risky time consuming costly endeavours should I choose? If there’s something you would like more of, please don’t hesitate to get in touch - all suggestions welcomed! And if you know someone who would benefit from me playing at an event, do pass on my details!

I think my plan of action will become clear as I move through my year, and seeing as I’m quite an old fashioned girl at heart, word of mouth will play a major role. For now I’m focusing my energy on doing my new part time job. Did I tell you I’ve got a job? I started in January and it’s been one of the toughest learning curves of my life but I really am loving the stability and security it offers me and I can only see positives. It definitely beats almost falling asleep on the motorway round midnight after 2 or 3 days of orchestral work. The reality is that, financially, I’m probably better off doing my part time job. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying no to orchestral playing, which I miss very very much, but I haven’t found a way for it work for me yet this season. My focus now is on developing my presence locally. That and getting a few hours practice in. This week, I’ve managed a deliciously giddy hour. I thrive on four hours a day which is unrealistic nowadays, but I’m very optimistic there’ll be a quieter week in the near future when I get on top of learning and digesting so much new information.

“What’s your new job Rhian?” I hear you all ask? Check in during the next month to find out more. There are some exciting events coming up which I would never have imagined and which I can’t wait to share with you…

Behind the scenes - getting creative. All images - John Steel Photography. With heartfelt thanks to Wortley Hall for their generous support in allowing me use of their spectacular hotel

The Fun of the Fayres

Rhian Evans Harpist having fun. Image courtesy of John Steel Photography

The atmospheric ceremony room at the Manor House

I’ve had great fun playing at three separate wedding fayres recently and I’ve met some really lovely people. The first fayre was at the Manor House in Lindley, a beautiful bijou boutique hotel on the outskirts of Huddersfield. It was extremely well attended and I was provided a prime position in the ceremony room so that potential clients could see the impact the harp could have as they walked through the main doors and so they could visualise their ceremony. I was really pleased that the level of interest was very good. Wedding fayres can be tough, tiring and unrewarding if there’s no engagement and this hasn’t been the case at all in either of the fayres I’ve exhibited at so far this year. My music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and the services I offer could be considered niche, but I know there’s a demand for wedding harp music and 2020 is already looking healthy. It’s a question of finding my clients, and my clients finding me.

The Foundry Dining Room at Wortley Hall

It can take months for clients to contact me again as they sort all the other wedding details out. Occasionally, I can get bookings on the day. This was the case at the last fayre I did at my beloved Wortley Hall. I just can’t get enough of that venue. There was a warm relaxed atmosphere and I was in a great position next to two other gorgeous suppliers who made it a fun fayre. Check out Lara Croft Photography and Posh Petals Flower Preservation. I took advantage of the mid afternoon lull and went for a stroll upstairs. The rooms are lovely and there’s just such a gorgeous feel to the place. If I got married, I would do it there. Except I probably wouldn’t as I wouldn’t want any fuss, so it would have to be Vegas (I’d settle for somewhere nearer too) with a small ice cream party and a virgin Bloody Mary to celebrate the tying of the proverbial knot. This is my blog and I’m allowed to be as imaginative as I like! I met a gorgeous quirky couple who found each other online. They’ve thrown down the gauntlet with a weird and wonderful request for their exit music. Game on!

I would like to clarify that I’m unbiased. I love all the venues I work at! It’s a question of finding a venue that ticks your boxes and you’ve usually done that way before you meet me anyway. Live music is so important though. I felt a bit intimidated when I found out the Manor House had an Ibiza saxophonist exhibiting. She had wonderful exotic publicity photos and some amazing video clips. She’s called Ellie Sax and she’s a really lovely girl. She does what she does brilliantly with such enthusiasm. I have no idea how she can coordinate playing, dancing and maintaining such a genuinely radiant smile all at the same time. I’ve tried (not the dancing obviously) and it isn’t a look that works for the wedding service I offer. She’s also a DJ! Between us we agreed on how we could make our music work within adjacent rooms. When she blasts that sax, boy is it memorable! I asked her if she spends much time in Ibiza, and she goes there regularly. Ibiza harpist anyone? In any case, I had nothing to worry about as we both provide totally different services within the same sector of the industry. It was interesting to discover that we trained at the same establishment, the RNCM in Manchester.

Never far from a chandelier (and a dance floor) if I can help it

The other fayre I played at was Bertie’s, another local venue between Huddersfield and Halifax. It was meticulously organised by those lovely people at Wedding Fayres Yorkshire. I’ve played at a couple of weddings and a private function here and it’s another great venue. It was fairly quiet (Football? Weather?) but I had some interesting conversations with couples, some of whom were researching suppliers for their weddings in 2020 and even 2021. I like that level of preparation! I met a lovely Irish lady and her fiancé. She was quite overwhelmed when she heard my music. I think it touched something inside her and she started crying when I played a particular piece of music. I don’t like making people cry but these were good tears. I’m reassured when my playing moves people because it means I’m doing my job, that I’ve played music that resonates for them. At each fayre, I made one woman cry. That emotion is what it’s all about and it’s what keeps me doing what I do. I get a buzz when my music touches someone and I really don’t think that’s something that can happen by watching a video or listening to sound clips. It has to be a live experience. It must be visceral, otherwise the impact isn’t the same.

My stand in the Foundry Dining Room at Wortley Hall

If you’re thinking about having harp music at your wedding, please do follow my Facebook and Instagram pages (you can find links on my homepage) to keep informed about the fayres I‘m playing at, and come and say Hello and find out more about what I can offer you on your wedding day. Oh, and do ask me about your favourite music - you never know…!