Michael & Patrick’s Le Manoir wedding reception with Down for the Count swing band
Photos courtesy of Paul Wilkinson Photography
In August 2016, Down for the Count’s swing band provided live music for Michael and Patrick’s wedding reception at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire.
Michael and Patrick are a great couple from New York, who chose to get married in the English countryside. Our wedding music packages were recommended to them by the team at Le Manoir – where we have been a recommended supplier for over 5 years.
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is the Oxfordshire restaurant and hotel of top chef Raymond Blanc. It’s the perfect venue for weddings with 50 to 60 guests and is one of our favourite venues to perform at. The staff are friendly, the service is impeccable and, as you’d imagine, the food is top notch.
We’ve performed at Le Manoir for a huge range of events – including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve celebrations, birthday parties, and wedding receptions.
Before booking the band, the couple came to see us performing live at London’s top jazz club, Pizza Express Soho. Down for the Count perform in public at least once a month – and it’s a great chance for clients to come and meet us and hear us play.
Michael and Patrick’s wedding ceremony was in Le Manoir’s new conservatory, with great views over the private garden. They were accompanied by a string quartet performing classical music.
After dinner, Down for the Count took to the stage with our 6-piece swing and soul band The Get Downs. We had carefully planned the set list with Michael and Patrick in advance. The set started with high energy swing music such as Sing Sing Sing and Well Alright, Okay, You Win – great tunes to get everyone dancing straight away.
At the end of set one, we had a special surprise planned for the wedding guests. Patrick is a musical performer and joined the band to sing two songs – Harry Connick Jr’s It Had To Be You and Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud.
Down for the Count then performed two sets of soul and Motown music. Based on the photos it looks like everyone had a fantastic party dancing to our live music.
Our 6-piece swing and soul band The Get Downs is the perfect choice for wedding parties at Le Manoir. It fits perfectly into the space, and creates a great party atmosphere.
We are also able to provide classical and contemporary wedding ceremony music, and background jazz music for dinner and drinks receptions. These options are all available as part of our wedding music packages.
A few weeks after the wedding, we caught up with Michael and Patrick to ask them how they thought everything went. Here’s what they had to say:
“We had a wonderful time and our wedding day was something we will remember for a long time. Thank you and please thank everyone from Down for the Count who performed.”
Thanks to Michael and Patrick for booking us for their wedding reception entertainment, and to Paul Wilkinson Photography for letting us share their fantastic photos of the event.
About the author
Mike Paul-Smith has over 12 years experience in delivering bespoke live music and entertainment packages for wedding receptions and corporate events across London, the UK and internationally. He is the pianist, band leader and manager of Down for the Count.
