Last wedding of the year yesterday with Exe Valley String Quartet. Always nice to play for a traditional Christmas Church wedding. We played in the beautiful St Andrews Church, Colyton. Some new songs/pieces were requested by the Bride and Groom which we always enjoy arranging and rehearsing together. 'Open Arms' by Journey for the Brides entrance and 'Waiting for a Star to Fall' Boy meets Girl for the exit of the Bridal party and guests. We also played 'A Million Dreams' and 'All for Love' during the signing of the register and to complete the ceremony we accompanied the guests as they sang some Christmas carols. Time for a rest now!

I love the variety of our string quartet gigs.  Last Saturday evening we played for a suprise 60th birthday party at the very lovely and quite querky Exeter museum. We played by the entrance to surprise the guests as they arrived then moved to accompany their drinks reception.  Finally we moved again to accompany their birthday sit down meal. We played a set list of upbeat rock and pop classics and the guests even sang along with a few numbers as well. (I think they'd had a few drinks by this point).  Great night with lots of positive feedback.  Makes a difference from our wedding gigs. Love the variety of our work.

Lovely day out with Exe Valley String Quartet playing for a wedding at one of our favourite venues Bovey Castle. We had to show our versatility yesterday as we prepared and performed 'Plan and Elevation' - The Beech Tree by Caroline Shaw as part of the ceremony and also a challenging arrangement of Hedwigs Theme and Spring 1 (Richter). We then went into the bar and played a set of lighter rock and pop numbers while the guests had a drink and a good catch up. Who doesn't like a Christmas wedding!

A week on from an amazing experience at the BP Pulse Live Arena in Birmingham we had another wonderful choir experience at Kents Cavern in Babbacombe last night. The Torquay Rockies are taking part in this years 'Carols in the Caves' concert series in the caves. It really is a wonderful place to sing with a great acoustic. The audience were very appreciative and the feedback has been incredible. We will be there for the next two Fridays as well. We have made it into a really festive event with choir numbers, carols with the audience, carols by candlelight, Christmas readings and a violin solo as well. All three concerts have been sold out for weeks. Well done Torquay Rockies! An awesome start to the concert series! Rock Choir Caroline Redman Lusher

Little road trip out yesterday with Exe Valley String Quartet. We played for a charity dinner drinks reception at ANRÁN : Luxury Boutique Accommodation in Devon near Ashburton. The venue was beautifully dressed and looked all festive. We played a selection of pop/rock classics for the guests as they arrived and chatted over a drink including 'Simply the Best' as a music request. We are now getting ready for a busy December and three weddings as we approach Christmas.

Busy weekend of playing. Upton Barn & Walled Garden yesterday for the ceremony and then a road trip all the way to North Devon and Watermouth Cove Weddings today. Big playing day today. Ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast. Lots of different requests including At Last (Etta James), A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum), lots of Queen, The Greatest Showman and something a bit new to me but I loved playing it - all the hits from The Rat Pack. Great fun to play. The guests even had a sing along! Loved the variety of music this weekend. #musiciandevon #devonfiddler #weddingviolinist

Lovely solo wedding today at Higher Holcombe by Ottery St Mary. A rustic countryside wedding venue with lots of character and atmosphere. The perfect setting for 'Concerning Hobbits' from Lord of The Rings for the brides entrance. I also played a brand new arrangement of 'The Book of Love' by Peter Gabriel which is such a beautiful melody. I played a range of chilled out tunes and movie themes while the wedding guests had a drink and some photos and a good catch up. Lovely day. #WeddingViolinist #musiciandevon #dawlishfiddler

A gig with a difference. Tonight we took the trio to the RAMM in Exeter to play for a drinks reception. It was the 30th anniversary of Wilkinson Grant Estate Agents. Always a pleasure to play for corporate events. Our job is to add that extra layer of interest to the evening so its important to quietly and discreetly add our music to the atmosphere for the evening. We played a real mix of music from Bach to Mascagni to Guns and Roses and Oasis! Quite an unusual venue to play but still a great place to play. #corporatestringquartet. www.exevalleystringquartet.co.uk

Shilstone Weddings. Some pictures from yesterday afternoons drinks reception at Shilstone House. A nice relaxed occasion while guests have a drink and catch up with each other. I put together a set list of popular upbeat songs that guests recognise (and sometimes sing along to). Having live music at this point in your wedding day adds a nice touch to the day. Thank you for all your lovely feedback and kind words afterwards. It was a pleasure!  After this gig it was a short journey up to Exeter and the Rougement Hotel to meet up with the Exe valley String Quartet to play for a very special dinner. It was the 15th wedding anniversary for a couple that the quartet played for at their wedding ceremony all those years ago.  It was a very intimate and romantic evening full of emotion and love. Love working as a violinist in Devon. #weddingviolinist #dawlishfiddler #exevalleystringquartet www.musiciandevon.co.uk

This was my first ever visit to Bicton Park Botanical Gardens and despite the damp weather it is an absolutely stunning place. Such a pretty venue to have your wedding. Unfortunately the rain got the better of us so we somehow squeezed 70 people into the palm house with all the plants! It was a cozy ceremony! I got to play a couple of my new arrangements today, 'Come with me' by Norah Jones is such a beautiful melody that is perfect for the violin. Also 'It must be Love' by madness which got everyone singing and dancing. The drinks ceremony ended with lots of dancing and singing to a set of upbeat, well known somngs and tunes. #weddingviolinist #musiciandevon #dawlishfiddler

Busy few days. Solo Violinist wedding this afternoon at the very beautiful Powderham. Lovely wedding ceremony and drinks reception in the rose garden. It was a wedding where timing of the music was so important. The bridesmaids walked in to 'You Raise Me Up' and then I subtly went into 'Lean On Me' for the entrance of the Bride. For the signing of the register I played 'You are the Reason' by Callum Scott and Lily Allen's 'Somewhere Only We know'. The exit music today was 'Marry You' by Bruno Mars and then I played for another hour or so while the photos were taken and the guests caught up over drinks. Love my job! #devonviolinist #weddingviolinist www.musiciandevon.co.uk

Lovely afternoon out playing at Kingston Estate Weddings near Totnes with Exe Valley String Quartet. In a beautiful setting the bridal party walked down the isle to 'A Thousand Years' and danced out to 'Shut up and dance'. For the signing of the register we had the opportunity to play a couple of new arrangements, 'A sky full of stars' by Coldplay and 'Rewrite the stars' from The Greatest Showman. A lovely wedding in a beautiful setting. #weddingquartet www.exevalleystringquartet.co.uk

Lovely evening gig at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery tonight with the Exe Valley String Quartet. We are not just a traditional wedding ensemble we are also available to play for corporate events, drinks and dinners. A string quartet is the perfect backdrop for a reception. We put together a varied set list of mainly upbeat pop and rock classics and covers at the organisers request. The music was very much appreciated. #corporatemusicians #corporatestringquartet www.exevalleystringquartet.co.uk

I seem to have taken up residency at the very beautiful Rockbeare Manor after another wedding yesterday in the Devon sunshine. This time I was there playing as a solo violinist for the wedding of Jade and Michael. A lovely outdoor wedding by the Pavillion, Jade and her bridesmaids walked down the isle to 'Can you feel the love tonight' and I arranged 'Turning Page' by Sleeping at Last' for solo violin for the signing of the register. The wedding party made their exit to 'Love me like you do'. I then played for an hour or so while the guests caught up with each other over a glass of bubbly. A really enjoyable day. #musiciandevon #devonviolinist #weddingviolinist. www.musiciandevon.com

The Exe Valley String Duo played for a very beautiful wedding party yesterday at Glebe House in the heart of the beautiful Devon countryside. We played for Libby and Jordan and their American guests as they gathered for the ceremony. We played 'Make you feel my love' for the entrance of the bride and then 'Here comes the sun' for the exit of the wedding party. We then played a wide selection of songs and melodies for the drinks reception including lots of The Beatles and Musical Theatre/Film hits which was so lovely with the beautiful views all around us.

We are so fortunate to work with some top musicians. I was busy yesterday but my quartet friends Exe Valley String Quartet accompanied Roderick Williams OBE for a classical wedding in Totnes. Roderick is a well known baritone and composer and he arranged a bespoke version of Ave Maria for the wedding ceremony.

A slightly different gig tonight. We played for the Exeter Cathedral Staff Summer Garden Party in the gardens behind the beautiful Cathedral. Fantastic place to play and we got free ice cream!

Road trip for the quartet today. This was our first ever visit to Glebe Barn Weddings. What a stunning venue in the very heart of Devon and perfect for a wedding. We played a brand new arrangement of 'I like you better' by Lauv for the brides entrance followed by some classic tunes 'Iris' and 'Can't help falling in love with you' for the signing and we ended the ceremony with 'I'm Yours'. Then we played for an hour or so for the drinks reception with the stunning Devon countryside as our back drop. Fab venue. Congratulations Layla and Liam.