Andy & Karen's Jewish Wedding with Down for the Count
Photos courtesy of Peartree Pictures
In July 2015 Down for the Count performed for the Jewish wedding of Andy and Karen at The Elvetham Hotel, Hampshire providing a whole-day live wedding music package.
Andy and Karen had seen us perform at Andy's best man's wedding the year previously, and soon after that wedding they got in touch to ask us to perform for them.
At the time they were living in New York, and unusually we managed to arrange a wedding planning meeting there - with Mike taking a few hours off his holiday to meet them and discuss the music for their wedding.
The day itself was wonderful - with a dream combination of a wonderful wedding planner, excellent venue and marvellous suppliers all coming together to create a perfect day.
- The Chuppah with Down for the Count's wedding pianist
- The First Dance with Down for the Count's party band The Get Downs
- The Horah
- The Party
- After the wedding
The Chuppah
For Andy and Karen's Chuppah, they opted for our wedding pianist. As they had chosen some beautiful classical music, they also chose to add a cellist - pieces we performed for them included Salut d'Amour and Handel's Largo.
The First Dance
Whilst the guests were enjoying drinks on the lawn, we set up for the evening band in the marquee.
Before long it was time for our most popular party band The Get Downs to perform three sets of live music - starting with Andy and Karen's first dance, Dean Martin's 'Ain't That a Kick in the Head'. Karen had actually managed to break her ankle just two months before the wedding but somehow she managed to get through the first dance!
The Horah
Immediately after the first dance, it was Horah time - a traditional Jewish dance usually danced to the traditional song Hava Nagila - which involves the bride and groom being lifted high in the air on chairs, and everyone else holding their breath and crossing their fingers... You can see a video of us performing The Horah at another wedding at the end of this article.
The party
And then it was on to the dancing and the fireworks display. The dancefloor seemed like it was full all night long as everyone celebrated with this fantastic couple to the music of Down for the Count.
After the wedding
The wedding was a fantastic occasion and it was a pleasure to be involved in the special day of two great people. Andy and Karen's wedding planner Kate, from Isabella Weddings, had this to say about our performance:
"Down for the Count were the band for the evening reception and they were absolutely sensational. They played swing and soul music with a few modern classics thrown in for good measure. All of the guests danced the night away with this fantastic couple and everyone had such a fabulous time."
Here's a video of us performing Hava Nagila for the Horah at a different wedding. Find out more about Down for the Count's wedding music packages for Jewish weddings and celebrations - we're recommended by top Jewish wedding blog Smashing the Glass and provide sensational party music for any celebration.