Ray’s Piano
Very simply, I love “turning melodies into memories” on your wedding day.
Live piano music adds an elegant touch to your daytime wedding celebrations, and provides a memorable talking point for you and your guests long after your wedding day. It’s ideal to set the mood when welcoming your guests, creates magical highlights during your ceremony, entertains guests during your reception and sits as the perfect musical backdrop to your wedding breakfast.
I provide a personalised songbook for your wedding, including tailored arrangements for your ceremony songs, and I’ll always include some of your personal favourites in your reception and wedding breakfast.
Growing up playing across the North East pubs and clubs provided an invaluable musical (and social!) education, leading to memorable professional adventures on the UK theatre and festival circuit (yep, Glastonbury too!) and playing in wedding bands. Having played in a popular wedding duo, I then decided to perform as a solo wedding pianist, and I’ve never looked back.
The legacy is that I can call upon a musical catalogue of Motown, rock, pop, blues, jazz, Disney, boogie-woogie, soul, country, rock’n’roll and show tunes to provide a rich musical cocktail for your daytime celebrations, with something for everyone from 8-80.
As a highly experienced performer, I deliver an outstanding professional service accompanied with an easy going approach, a genial Geordie smile and a big sense of humour – I even play Baby Shark!
Raves
Ray played piano for our wedding at The Lowry, Salford Quays and we cannot recommend him enough.
We met him at a wedding fayre in North Yorkshire with relatives and didn't want them to know what we'd be walking down the aisle to so he asked us to tell him the song and he'd play something in that style. After 30 seconds we'd decided he'd be perfect!
He is such a lovely guy and so easy to chat to. In the lead up to the day he asked us to come up with a few songs for the ceremony and then, for the drinks reception and wedding breakfast, artists and particular songs that we like and things we definitely didn't want playing.
We have had so many comments from guests on the day and since about how great the music was and some of the kids had a great time joining in with him on the piano! Thank you so much for being a special part of our day!Becky & Shaun
We were contacted by Ray after visiting a wedding fayre. Right from the first email we knew we wanted to have Ray at our wedding. He was the most kind and considerate person we had spoken with. He was so helpful in ensuring we got all the music we wanted at our wedding and not just that but, he also offered help and support and his knowledge of other wedding contacts for our big day, which really helped.
We wanted a calm and relaxed atmosphere during our wedding breakfast and he delivered that and more. You made it so chilled and relaxed, even the venue commented on how relaxed the wedding breakfast was. All of our guests commented on how lovely his music was and how the ambience of the meal was made by Ray, and added a perfect special touch to our day. His music is so beautiful and he has such a warm and friendly energy. Ray made our meal extra special and we cannot be more thankful for his time and patience, even with four children running around him!Samantha & Ben
We first met Ray at a wedding fayre looking for ideas after we got engaged. There were many different people to speak to but Ray came across as the most professional, yet friendly person in the room. Having spoken to him about our type of songs, Ray played a few samples and we just knew we had to book him. Ray kept everything simple, explaining what we could have and having booked, kept in touch at the key times to ensure everything was going to plan. Of the many things we booked for our day, Ray was the most pleasant and easiest to deal with by far!
On the day itself, we arrived at our venue to find a smiling Ray playing to our guests. Ray was booked to play our drinks reception and wedding breakfast and was superb throughout. We had guests ranging from 2 yrs to over 80 years and everyone enjoyed the range of music and nothing was a problem for Ray. He played requests and even made sure that the children were entertained by playing child friendly songs when they got up to dance. My wife and I had a few personal song requests and he made sure they were played too. Having spoken to guests after the wedding, Ray’s playing was regarded as one of the highlights of the day.
Overall, we were over the moon with the ambience Ray created with his playing and know we made the perfect choice of wedding day entertainment. We have only positives to say about Ray and we would not hesitate to book Ray’s Piano again.Clare & Gavin