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JOANNA & JOSH

DJ and live sax at Lartington Hall: a wedding surprise

Lartington Hall · Near Barnard Castle, North East

By Spencer Moran

Joanna and Josh had a secret planned for their guests: live sax straight after their first dance. With around 50 people celebrating at Lartington Hall, this was an intimate wedding with a huge amount of energy.

From a surprise ABBA entrance to personalised tambourines and a very special “Local Hero” finale, their evening was full of moments that felt completely their own.

Spencer holding his saxophone beneath colourful evening lights at Lartington Hall
Ready for an evening of live sax at Lartington Hall.

A surprise wedding sax entrance to ABBA

I arrived on the dance floor for the second song: the Sgt. Slick remix of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”. It was a brilliant way to reveal the surprise, with everyone singing along and the children dancing too.

Joanna looked amazing and brought so much energy to the party. Both she and Josh had their own personalised tambourines, and the guests brought tambourines onto the dance floor as well. It made the whole evening feel wonderfully interactive. The room was full of personal touches, right down to Joanna and Josh’s personalised beer mats on the bar.

Personalised bride and groom tambourines on a wedding table
Joanna and Josh’s personalised tambourines, ready for the dance floor.
Joanna and Josh pouring drinks into a champagne tower
A celebration full of personal touches.

Live sax alongside DJ Ian Conway

This was my first time working with Ian Conway from Icon Entertainments, and I really enjoyed it. His sound system and lighting looked and sounded fantastic, and he had some brilliant remixes of favourites from the 70s and 80s. Those familiar tunes, with a fresh party feel, created such a good atmosphere for live sax.

Joanna and Josh booked my evening party package: three 30-minute sax sets spread across the night. The first followed their first dance, with the remaining two after the evening food. That gave everyone time to eat, catch up and come back ready for more dancing.

A smaller guest list certainly didn’t mean a quiet dance floor. With the singing, tambourines and children joining in, there was plenty happening throughout the sets. Guests were even using their glow sticks for their best saxophone impressions, which I always love to see.

Spencer playing saxophone with colourful DJ lighting behind him
Live sax alongside Ian’s brilliant sound and lighting setup.
Spencer and DJ Ian Conway with the wedding party and colourful lights behind them
A brilliant first evening working with Ian Conway from Icon Entertainments.
Spencer making a quiet gesture before his surprise sax appearance
Keeping the sax surprise under wraps before the big entrance.

An emotional “Local Hero” finale

I finished my night with the “Local Hero” sax theme, that instantly recognisable Newcastle favourite associated with St James’ Park. The reaction was amazing, and Josh absolutely loved it. Seeing him visibly moved, tambourine still in hand, was a lovely moment to end on.

As I was leaving, guests kept stopping to say how much they’d enjoyed the sax. Those little conversations at the end of a wedding always mean so much.

Wedding entertainment at Lartington Hall

Lartington Hall, just outside Barnard Castle, is one of my favourite North East wedding venues. Part of the Apartment Group, it has such a beautiful setting, and the team run the day so well. The staff were fantastic and the evening food was delicious. I’m already looking forward to returning.

It was also lovely to see photographer Stephen McDonald there. He’s someone I always enjoy seeing at a North East wedding, and Joanna and Josh’s celebration was another great one to share.

THE WEDDING TEAM

Planning a celebration nearby? Explore wedding sax and DJ in North East.