Down for the Count's Wedding Suppliers Directory
Down for the Count travel all over the country performing at wedding receptions, and have been lucky to meet some amazing wedding suppliers along the way. As I'm always being asked to recommend photographers, videographers and more, I thought that I'd start a very small, very selective wedding suppliers directory for you to use.
I have personally worked alongside all the suppliers we are listing here, and neither me nor Down for the Count Ltd have received anything in return for listing them - I'm telling you about them because I've worked with them and I think they are awesome.
- Wedding photographers
- Wedding videographers
- Wedding venues
- Production companies (PA and lighting hire)
- Photobooths
- Miscellaneous
Wedding photographer recommendations
I'll be honest, there are so many great wedding photographers out there that it's hard to know where to start - however, it's unlikely you'd go far wrong with any of these recommendations:
Charter Photography (Marcus Charter)
If you're reading this article, you'll already have seen Marcus' live and studio photography on our website - he is THE person we trust when we need more photographs.
We first met Marcus in January 2016 when he took photos of our Swing Orchestra in performance at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, and I was immediately drawn to the fantastic quality of his pictures.
Marcus is a wedding photographer based in Buckinghamshire, and he definitely has a unique way of getting the most out of the people he is photographing (I would tell you more, but I don't want to give the game away) - and the quality of his pictures on our website hopefully speaks for themselves.
Marcus Charter Wedding Photography - find out more
Marcus is also a busy commercial and corporate photographer. Take a look at this handsome wedding band for hire which he recently photographed:
Sarah Legge
We met Sarah Legge at a great countryside wedding in September 2018, although we're fairly certain we've crossed paths before but couldn't quite remember where. Sarah is lovely and has a great style which you can see on her website.
Potter's Instinct Photography (Kevin Potter)
Kevin Potter is a fantastic wedding photographer based in Oxfordshire, who has a knack for capturing spontaneous photos in a reportage style.
We've bumped into Kevin at several weddings now and love how easy it is to work alongside him, and also love his great pictures - some of which you can see below.
Potter's Instinct Photography - find out more
Indiego Photography
Ella and Jonathan are a couple based in Kent, who I chose to photograph my own wedding in December 2016. My wife and I loved their informal style, beautiful editing and also thought they were great value for money.
On the day Jonathan was great to work with, and seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once - by which I mean he was always where the action was, without once getting in the way of us or our guests.
Ella and Jonathan used to be documentary film-makers, so it's no surprise that they also offer joint packages which include videography and photography. They captured every moment of our wedding beautifully - here is just a small selection.
Indiego Photography - find out more
Down for the Count performing (with guest vocalist) at Mike's wedding. Photo by Indiego Photography.
Amber-Rose Smith
Amber-Rose was with us when our sister band, Bella and the Bourbon Boys, performed at the Eiffel Tower in Paris in September 2018. Here are some of the lovely photos she captured of the gig which speak for themselves!
Amber-Rose Smith: find out more
Wedding videographer recommendations
More and more people are booking wedding videographers to document every moment of their special day. If you do book a videographer, speak to us about recording the band's performance to use as the soundtrack to your video - more information about that can be found here.
Veiled Productions (Rachel Vine)
I've known Rachel and Pete from Veiled Productions for years, and have worked with them on many occasions. They have won several awards including back-to-back success in the Guides for Brides Customer Services Awards.
Rach and Pete are a couple who offer videography and photography respectively (with discounts available if you book them both for a photo-video double). They cover weddings in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex and are great fun to work with.
Here is a video they produced of a wedding in summer 2016 - see if you can spot the appearance of a certain wedding band towards the end of the video!
Veiled Productions - find out more
Wedding venue recommendations
By the time you're looking for wedding bands to hire, you've probably already got a venue and date sorted - but if not, here are my two favourite wedding venues:
The Reid Rooms, Essex
I'm able to personally recommend this venue, because I booked it for my own wedding in December 2016. We couldn't have been happier with the venue - the staff were helpful and accommodating, and nothing was a problem for them. The venue is set deep in unspoiled countryside, and is beautiful at any time of the year.
What really sold the venue to us was the fact that we could bring our own caterer (with no obligation to use one of their preferred caterers), and our own alcohol for the meal and drinks reception - with no corkage fee.
Even better than that, there is a Farmhouse onsite which sleeps 20 people on the night of the wedding (with a great breakfast the morning after). Apparently you can also get married outdoors, although as our wedding was in December that was never a consideration for us...
All in all, we had a perfect wedding day at The Reid Rooms and can't recommend this wedding venue highly enough.
Find out more - The Reid Rooms
Wedding celebrations at The Reid Rooms, Essex. Photos courtesy of Indiego Photography.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire
The second wedding venue I'm recommending is Raymond Blanc's countryside restaurant and hotel, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. If you have a smaller wedding (50 to 60 guests) you can't go wrong with Le Manoir - the venue is beautiful, the service is second-to-none, and the food is - as you'd expect - absolutely incredible.
Down for the Count perform at Le Manoir at least three times a year, and we always look forward to going back. It's our aim that one day we'll be able to afford to have our band Christmas party in the restaurant - watch this space...
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons - find out more
Down for the Count performing in the conservatory at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxfordshire. Photo courtesy of Weddings by Nicola & Glen.
Audio & Lighting Hire
THAT Event Company
Down for the Count usually provide our own stage lighting, but if you want something spectacular - or if you want to highlight your dancefloor or other parts of your venue - then you'll need to hire in extra lighting. You'll also need to consider hiring in extra audio equipment if you have more than around 250 guests.
We love working with THAT Event Company, who are based in Oxford. They are a professional company who cover corporate, private and commercial events and can supply high-grade AV equipment for large or small events. Battery LED uplighters are an incredibly easy way to add glitz and glamour to your venue, and the company can also provide dancefloors, drapes and all audio, video, DJ and band equipment.
The company are very friendly and provide cost-effective, no obligation quotes for large and small weddings. Just check out what they did with The Oxford University of Natural History when we worked with them there in 2019:
Photobooth recommendations
Booth Nineteen
Some wedding professionals think that photobooths are a bit of a fad, but it seems to me like they're here to stay - and if you're going to have one, you might as well have one that's a bit special.
Booth Nineteen is certainly that - they have vintage-inspired Art Deco photo booths which look amazing (and because the booths are not enclosed, everyone can join in the fun - not just the select few inside the booth at any one time). It's possibly the first photobooth I've seen that I would be happy to have in my living room!
Booth Nineteen is based in Bristol but can be hired as far afield as London.
Find out more - Booth Nineteen
CD manufacturers
DiscWizards
We produce our albums (available on our album store) at DiscWizards, a really helpful company based in North London who always deliver a fantastic product.
About the author
Mike Paul-Smith has over 18 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 company director, pianist and musical director of Down for the Count.
