Supplier Spotlight: Craig Smith Music

A beautiful touch to your ceremony, drinks reception or wedding breakfast (or all three!) is live music. One of our favourites is Craig Smith, a pianist specialising in weddings. We managed to have a chat with him about his experience in performance and why he does...what he does!

How long have you been playing for weddings? 

I played my first wedding professionally at 16, over 16 years ago now! Weddings have been my main business for a few years now and it keeps growing year-on-year. Last year I took over 120 wedding piano package bookings, so it really is an honour that so many couples trust me to help make their day really special.

Why did you go along that path?

I had always enjoyed playing weddings. I enjoy being so central to creating an atmosphere for any part of the day, and I also relish the challenge of creating some "weddingy" versions of some quite unusual songs people request for their big day!

Do you have a set list or does it change dependent on the couple?

My repertoire includes over 12 hours of music, so I couldn't list it all if I tried! It does mean that I can adapt my set specifically to each couple, venue, age range of guests and so on. Different parts of the day require different moods, I find. For ceremonies, my ethos has always been that couples should choose their music - it has to be personal to you for your ceremony - so there has never been a list to choose from. For drinks receptions and meals, it's best to give me an idea as to the sort of thing you'd like, and from there I can adapt what I play to who is around.

Why do you think that live music is so important for events/weddings?

For me, I think the most important aspect is music's ability to evoke memories and emotions. We've all heard songs that reminded us of a person, immediately transport us back to a favourite holiday destination! Getting involved in your song choices, particularly for ceremonies, helps you create those memories, and they'll come

You can get in touch via email: weddings@craigsmithmusic.co.uk

Or simply browse the website and see for yourself:http://www.craigsmithmusic.co.uk/