HotScotch Ceilidh Band in Italy – September 2011

In September 2011, HotScotch Ceilidh Band travelled out to Italy to play for a wedding in Castello di Vincigliata near Fiesole. Set in the rolling Tuscan hills overlooking Florence, this proved to be a fantastic setting for a wedding reception. The medieval castle has been restored by it’s current family owners to provide a spacious, luxurious venue to celebrate and along with lovely sunshine and beautiful catering, it is simply stunning.

The mixture of Scottish and Australian guests really enjoyed the Scottish Ceilidh Dancing and the function suite provided ample space for dancing. As ever, accordionist Paul Chamberlain did the calling for the ceilidh dances to ensure that everybody could join in even if this was the first time they had ever been to a ceilidh. The band consisted of Paul Chamberlain on Accordion, Steve Moffat on Fiddle, and Jim Walker on Drums.

A very experienced Ceilidh Band

HotScotch Ceilidh Band have a vast amount of experience in playing for wedding receptions, and have played for over 300 events in the last five years. They know what works and what doesn’t and can give helpful guidance when planning your evening reception.

Popular Ceilidh Dances

Popular ceilidh dances such as the Dashing White Sargeant, Eightsome Reel, Strip the Willow and the Gay Gordons are ideal to include in your ceilidh which is a great way to ensure social interaction during the event along with a lot of fun and enjoyment.

Whether you are planning your function in Scotland or abroad, HotScotch Ceilidh band will ensure that things go smoothly and with first class music you will not be disappointed.

Some advice on choosing a venue for your wedding reception

Choosing the right venue in which to hold your wedding reception is extremely important and will ensure that the event runs smoothly, your guests enjoy themselves and there are adequate facilities for the successful  entertainment.

Some popular types of venues are hotels, village halls, sports and social clubs, marquees and historic buildings.

Hotels

Probably the vast majority of couples opt to have their wedding reception in a hotel. This is usually the most straightforward option as the hotel will be able to provide catering facilities and a bar in situ.

There is great variance between the sizes of rooms and dancefloors that are contained within hotel suites. Older buildings tend to have a proper dancefloor which may be covered with carpets in normal circumstances. Many newer hotel venues will have a floor which is put together whilst the room is being turned round after the meal has finished. These tend to be fairly small in most cases and can also come apart slightly with vigorous dancing if not assembled correctly. If you are hiring a Scottish ceilidh band for your reception then it is a good idea to check with the hotel that there is sufficient space for dancing.

The larger the dancing space, the better as this will ensure that there is plenty of room especially when it comes to ceilidh dancing.

Village Halls

Village halls can provide an excellent setting for a wedding reception and tend to have a wooden floor for dancing, plenty of space and often a stage at one end for the band, giving a nice rustic setting. Hiring a village hall may also be a cheaper option than a hotel, but mobile caterers will need to be brought in to provide the meal and bar. It is worth checking out the kitchen facilities to make sure they are adequate for a catering company to use.

Sports and Social Clubs

Again, with these, most of the time you would need to hire in outside caterers for the meal, but many of these venues will already have a bar. Social clubs are built around entertainment and so usually have a stage and decent size of floor area. They may also have their own sound system and lighting.

Marquees

Marquees are another popular venue in which to hold a wedding reception. There are a vast range of sizes available to suit different occasions and capacities.  Mobile toilet facilities may have to be hired if the marquee is not attached to another venue, and outside catering would be needed. Some hotels set up a semi-permanent marquee in their grounds for the summer season and these will generally have facilities like a bar, built in.  Depending on the weather, Marquees can be a little cold and damp at times, or hot and humid so many are supplied with heaters or dehumidifiers to cope with this.

Historic Buildings

These have become popular venues over the last few years to make to occasion even more special. Places such as Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Blair Castle, Traquair House, Linlithgow Palace regularly host weddings, to name but a few. Some of these venues may have tighter regulations in terms of what they will and will not allow, for example most will insist that you use their recommended caterers, and may also have restrictions on sound levels, the use of lighting and effects machines which some forms of entertainment like discos may use.

As can be seen, there are many different types of venue where a wedding reception can be hosted. As the entertainment is key to having a good night, the space and facilities available  must be considered so that if you book a ceilidh band for instance, they have adequate room to set up and a power supply. Most importantly in this situation, there should be a level, adequately-sized dancefloor where your guests can enjoy Scottish ceilidh dancing.