Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely! If your venue doesn’t have a suitable piano on-site, I can provide my own electric baby grand piano at no extra cost. This is an electric stage piano within a white baby grand shell, so you have all the benefits of an electric piano (portability, no tuning required, ability to set volume), but with the aesthetics of a beautiful baby grand piano! Please note your venue will need to have parking available on-site if I am providing my own piano.

If my own equipment is required for two or more sections of the day, I will occasionally also provide a second smaller electric piano on an upright stand (in addition to my baby grand), if it works better to have two separate setups.

It can vary based on factors like the venue layout. If I’m providing up my own piano, I usually arrive about 2 hours before the performance starts. It doesn’t take me all of this time to set up, but I like to have a good amount of buffer time, just to be safe!

If I’m just playing your venue’s piano, I’ll usually arrive about an hour before the performance starts just to get settled and have a quick warm up.

The baby grand requires a space of at least 2 metres x 2 metres for the piano, my seat, and amp. If you have any concerns about the available space, please let me know as I can provide a smaller piano instead if needed.

I am usually happy to work out the best spot on the day with your wedding coordinators, based on space, access, availability of power etc. However if you have a strong preference for location, please let me know and I’ll do my best to accommodate this.

Absolutely, I love playing outdoors if the weather allows! I simply request that there is a back-up plan in the event of rain (e.g. moving indoors, or positioning the piano under a covered area). On particularly hot days, it’s also preferable to be under some shade so that the electrics (and pianist!) don’t overheat.

My piano requires access to a power supply, so an outdoor socket or the ability to run power from a nearby building would be required. Also some venues have licensing restrictions on allowing amplified music outdoors, so please do check this with your venue to make sure they are happy.

If you need the piano to be moved between areas for different sections of the day, this is usually possible and takes about 15 minutes to reposition and reconnect everything, if the areas are near to each other. I may just kindly ask a willing volunteer from the venue or wedding party to assist with the move, as it requires two people to carry the piano once it’s been put together. Alternatively the piano can be packed down and carried by myself only, although this takes a little longer.

If the move is a little tricky (e.g. long distance, different buildings/floors, steps or narrow entrances) then I sometimes suggest bringing my second smaller upright electric piano (in addition to the baby grand), enabling two completely separate setups. I’ll need to arrive a little earlier to set them both up, but it makes everything smoother when changing over between sections!

Yes, as this is often a requirement for many venues. I am currently covered for up to £10m Public Liability Insurance, and all my equipment is PAT tested annually. I can provide certificates for both of these on request, and if it’s a venue I’ve not played at before I’ll drop them an email in the run-up to the day with both of these documents attached so that they have them on file.

My specialism is as a contemporary pop/rock pianist, so most of my repertoire consists of recognisable hits from the last 50 or so years. I love taking well-known popular songs and reworking them for instrumental piano in a way that fits beautifully into your wedding day!

I don’t tend to play much traditional/classical music, although there is a small selection of this on my repertoire, and I do play a few ‘contemporary classical’ pieces such as Einaudi, Yiruma, etc.

Please note that religious music is not allowed to be played during a civil ceremony.

Please also note that the Sax + Piano duo option has a smaller repertoire of songs that have been specially chosen to suit the duo setup.

Sure! I have an existing repertoire of over 200 fantastic tried-and-tested songs, but I am also very happy to learn a request if there is a song that you really want to hear that isn’t on my list already. I’ll check that it’s workable on piano, but I find that the vast majority of popular songs can be prepared as requests.

If you have a request in mind, please feel free to let me know at the point of enquiry/booking, but I don’t need your final song choices until a couple of months before the wedding.

I usually recommend that you request only one new song where possible, so that I can spend sufficient time making it sound great for you.

If the request is to be played during the reception, I’ll always try and make sure that you are somewhere nearby when I play, to ensure that you get to hear it!

Please note song requests are not available as part of the Sax + Piano duo option. This package has a fixed repertoire that has been chosen specially to suit the duo setup.

A couple of months before the wedding, I’ll be in touch with a final details form where you can list any music preferences. For example, for weddings taking place in August, you’ll hear from me in early June. I then request that the form be completed by the end of that calendar month, e.g. by 30th June for any weddings taking place in August, so that I can prepare your setlist during July.

For ceremony bookings, I can usually play about 4 or 5 songs as your guests get seated. It’s up to you if you want to choose these, or leave me to play a selection of suitable songs to fill this time.

However I’ll always ask for you to specify which songs you want for your aisle walk (usually 1 song), signing of papers (for legal ceremonies only – usually 2 songs), and your exit walk (1 song).

Occasionally people choose 2 separate songs for the aisle walk (e.g. a different song for bridesmaids). This can work really well, but means you get less opportunity for the song(s) to establish themselves. So if in doubt, stick with one song for everyone coming down the aisle, but we can always have a chat about options if you really want a mash-up!

For a reception, I can usually play around 20-25 songs during a drinks reception, and at least 30 during a wedding breakfast, though of course it does depend on your final timings and which songs are played. It’s up to you whether you want to choose all these from my repertoire, or just give me a sense of your favourite songs/artists/genres and leave me to choose the rest. Lots of couples simply ask for a nice mix of everything during the reception to cater for all ages and music tastes!

For a drinks reception of up to 90 minutes, I tend to play right through the slot without an interval, perhaps with the odd short pause to grab some water etc. If your drinks reception is longer than this, I’ll often take a short break in the middle and split the performance into 2x 45 minute sets.

Wedding breakfasts tend to be a little longer. I’ll aim to play through most of the meal service, but will usually take a 15 minute refreshment break in the middle, splitting the performance into 2x sets.

To secure a date, it’s simply a £100 deposit (via bank transfer) with the remaining balance due 30 days before the wedding day. If you would like to go ahead, I’ll just need to know:

• Your name, and your partner’s name
• Your venue
• Your chosen package
• Anticipated start-time, e.g. your official ceremony time

I’ll then send through a booking contract with some T&Cs. Once you’ve accepted that online, you’ll receive a deposit invoice to finalise your booking! Please note that your date is only secured on receipt of the deposit.

All the other details (song choices, final timings etc) can be discussed in the run-up to your day.

I include travel to all venues within 50 miles of my base in Leicestershire at no extra cost. For venues further away than this, I’m usually able to travel, but there will just be an additional mileage cost to cover additional travel time/costs.

For venues several hours from home, I will sometimes need to add on the cost of booking accommodation too.

Please note that there are some locations where it is not practical to provide my own piano, such as venues in large cities where the parking/loading limitations inhibit access, or if a flight is required to reach your wedding. In these cases, I would be limited to venues where a piano is already available on site.

No, I am not required to be VAT registered, so there is no VAT payable on any of my packages.

Sorry, I do not offer any discounts on my package prices.

My preferred method for new enquiries is via the contact form on my website, and then over email for ongoing communication, as this helps to keep everything in one place. You’re also very welcome to message me on social media, but for any important details related to your wedding, email tends to be best.

My working days/hours vary each week based on my wedding schedule. I usually aim to reply to enquiries within 48 hours, but this can occasionally be longer if I have multiple weddings in a row. If I’m away for much longer, e.g. on holiday, I will always put an ‘out of office’ notice on my emails and website, so you can know when to expect a response.

I don’t publish my phone number on my website, but I always send over my personal mobile number in the days leading up to the wedding, just in case you need to contact me for anything in the final days, or on the day itself. If you need it sooner than this, e.g. to pass on to your venue, please just let me know.

Thank you for asking! If I’m only playing for your ceremony and/or drinks reception, please don’t worry about providing a meal for me. However if I’m also playing over your wedding breakfast, or further into the evening, then I’m always very grateful if you are able to include me on your list of supplier meals.

I have no dietary requirements and would be very appreciative of anything you might be able to provide. I will usually eat during a short interval between sets during the wedding breakfast, as this tends to be when venues serve supplier meals.

Weddings can be very long days for your on-site suppliers, especially with all the loading and travel either side, so we’re always super grateful of a hot meal to keep us going! Thank you so much!

As a contemporary pop pianist, my style is not ‘ultra-formal’ (so you definitely won’t find me in tails!), but I’ll always dress smart, usually with a waistcoat and/or jacket. You can see examples of what I wear for weddings on my Instagram feed.

However if you do have you have a specific preference, e.g. black tie, I can sometimes accommodate this – please just ask at the point of booking.

I am proud to have an incredibly strong track record when it comes to fulfilling wedding bookings. However, there’s always a small possibility that any supplier may become unwell, or have to miss a wedding due to other unforeseen circumstances.

I have a good network of alternative pianists and musicians that I can call on to stand in for me should the worst happen. If we are not able to locate an alternative performer, or if you would simply just prefer a refund, then I’ll always return all money paid in these cases.

Out of literally hundreds of wedding bookings that I’ve taken, to date I have only ever had to miss one booking, which was for the birth of our first child (not something that happens often!). In this instance, an alternative pianist stepped in to cover for me, and the couple were delighted with their performance.