Paul & Laura's Wedding at Eaves Hall | Agent Smith

The band were amazing, so professional, fun and also a little bit different... they kept the dance floor full all night!

Our ceremony took place at St Peter's Church in the grounds of Stonyhurst College. Afterwards we chose the beautiful Eaves Hall in Lancashire as our wedding reception venue. We really can't praise it enough. We were looking for a venue which had the wow factor but which didn't feel too old fashioned or stuffy. It was really important to us that our wedding was relaxed and down to earth, and for our guests to feel at home so that they could let their hair down and have lots of fun. Everything about Eaves Hall was fantastic; the staff were just so kind and welcoming and could not have done more to make our day special, the rooms were beautiful and the food was delicious. They also allowed us to have an after party in their snooker room for those guests still standing which kept the party going all night. It was perfect.

Our wedding was a bit of a muddle of themes but I think (hope!) that they all came together on the day! I love 1920's style so wanted to incorporate subtle 1920's elements without it feeling too themed. We decided upon an Autumn wedding. To complement the autumn colours half of our bridesmaids wore burgundy and the other half wore lavender in contrast. Our flowers were loose and rustic and included autumn fruits; blackberries and figs. Finally as we both love bonfire night we settled upon bonfire night eve for our big day. We therefore incorporated elements of this into our theme with an open fire, mulled wine, toffee apple favours, a fire pit with marshmallows for toasting and an amazing firework display finale.

Entertainment was one of our priorities when planning our wedding. We just wanted everyone to have lots of fun! We therefore booked lots of entertainment, a choir sang at the church and my sister in law played classical guitar. At our reception venue we booked a vintage singer for our drinks reception and a casino for after dinner; as we got engaged in Vegas this seemed fitting! We also had a fabulous DJ to end the evening but the icing on the cake was most definitely the incredible Agent Smith.

There were so many amazing parts of our day but my favourite moments were our wonderful fireworks display and dancing with my friends and family during Agent Smith's incredible set. The way that the band interacted with our guests was really special. We especially loved when they sang Sit Down by James and the band managed to get all of our guests (suited and booted) sitting on the floor! I remember a friend handed me a plastic cane from our photo booth prop box and we danced around it! We also loved their 90's medley including the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme tune.

We really didn't know where to start when booking a band for our wedding. We ended up searching supplier lists in wedding magazines for entertainment agencies or band recommendations and that it is how we stumbled across Function Central. They were great, really helpful and kept us informed throughout. There are so many wedding bands out there that narrowing the list down to one can seem like an impossible task! In the end we took a leap of faith and trusted our Function Central advisor. Best thing we did!

My advice when planning a wedding would be that sometimes you need to follow your gut instinct. If it feels right and the reviews are good then don't over-analyze it - just book it! Also for any brides - if you are carrying a clutch (including payments for suppliers) then pack it the night before and get as much else ready in advance as you can. Work out how much time you think that you will need to get ready in the morning and then double it!

It may sound like a cliché but Agent Smith just made our wedding. We struggled to pick a band and ended up going off reviews and a recommendation from Function Central. We were nervous about this having never seen the band live but it was the best wedding decision that we made. The band were amazing, so professional, fun and also a little bit different. They kept the dance floor full all night and our guests are still talking about how good they were.

Suppliers:

Photographer - Lucy Little

Dress - La Sposa at Knutsford Wedding Gallery

Hair and Make-Up - Rebecca Anderton

Groom's Suit - Whitfield and Ward

Cake - Bloomsbury Cakes

Casino - Pier Fun Casinos

Room Styling - Creative Cover Hire

DJ - Dancefloor Couture

Fireworks - Phenomenal Fireworks