Our Favourite Suppliers
At Mike Paul-Smith Music we consider ourselves very fortunate to have worked with many fantastic suppliers and venues over the years. Here are some of our favourites!
Photographers
There are so many great photographers out there that it’s hard to know where to start, however you can’t really go wrong with any of these choices.
Marcus Charter Photography
We met Marcus years ago and made great friends with him, and he is our Number 1 “go-to” photographer – a huge number of the studio and live photos on this site were produced by Marcus. He’s an absolute superstar and we can highly recommend him.
Sarah Legge
We met Sarah when we performed at Ailsa & Will’s wedding a few years ago, and she kindly allowed us to use her photos for our article about their wedding – so we love her for that alone! We seem to keep bumping in to her and love working with her.
Potter's Instinct
There was one summer where Kevin seemed to be at every wedding we went to! He is a great photographer and wonderful to work with. Check out some of the great moments he has captured at weddings we’ve been lucky enough to work on with him.
Indiego Photography
A personal recommendation here, as Jonathan and Ella took the photos at my wedding! Jonathan captured so many wonderful moments during the day and was incredibly unobtrusive. He was also flexible with some of my ideas, including my all-time wedding top tip – doing the more formal posed photos before the ceremony!
Videographers
We’ve also worked with loads of amazing videographers over the years and have no hesitation at all in recommending any of the following.
If you’re having a videographer, talk to us about making a professional-level recording of your speeches and/or the band’s performance. It makes an amazing backdrop to your wedding video!
Jack Childs Productions
Jack Childs produced many of the videos on our website – and he is also the sound engineer on Down for the Count’s theatre shows. He is insanely talented, has top quality video gear, and is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet.
Veiled Productions (Rachel Vine)
We’ve known Rachel for years and have worked with her on many occasions. Her award-winning videography speaks for itself and her customer service is second-to-none.
York Place Films
We met Matt from York Place Films when we performed for a Jewish wedding at The Brewery in London. Although we can’t show you the video from that day, check out the clips of the band in action – the quality of which we think speak for themselves.
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We met Sarah when we performed at Ailsa & Will’s wedding a few years ago, and she kindly allowed us to use her photos for our article about their wedding – so we love her for that alone! We seem to keep bumping in to her and love working with her.
Venues
There are so many great photographers out there that it’s hard to know where to start, however you can’t really go wrong with any of these choices.
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxfordshire
This is Raymond Blanc’s 2-Michelin starred restaurant in Oxfordshire, where we have been honoured to be a recommended supplier for the past 8 years or so. If you’re having 50 or so wedding guests and want amazing food, look no further! There are two perfect spots at this venue for our 6-piece party band The Get Downs Lite to perform, and our ceremony and drinks reception musicians fit in perfectly as well.
Micklefield Hall, Buckinghamshire
We’ve performed at Micklefield Hall on a number of occasions – it’s a venue that manages to be beautiful and yet relaxed at the same time, and the stage area works really well for the 8-piece version of our party band The Get Downs (and you can just about squeeze in the 10-piece line up of Capital Sounds Showband, as long as you don’t have a separate DJ). The owners Anna and Jamie are lovely and it’s always a treat to perform here.
The Reid Rooms, Essex
This is the venue that my fiancée (now wife) and I chose for our wedding and we couldn’t have been happier with it. The staff are lovely and flexible, and two things really drew us to the venue – firstly there is a farmhouse on site which can accommodate 20 overnight guests, and secondly there is a lovely lounge area with a piano which we used for a Christmas-carol sing-a-long!
Kachette, Shoreditch, London
Kachette is really cool – set underneath some railway arches in East London. It’s a dry hire venue so you can bring in your own caterers and bars and it’s a really unique, quirky place to hold a wedding or event.
Wedding Planners
The Wedding Arrangers
We love working with Chris Adnitt – who loves a party, and loves music, and seemed to like us as well. He specialises in planning dry-hire weddings in London and works with some really great venues helping you take the stress out of planning your day.
Veiled Productions (Rachel Vine)
We’ve known Rachel for years and have worked with her on many occasions. Her award-winning videography speaks for itself and her customer service is second-to-none.
Caterers
I’ve eaten a lot of wedding food over the years. Like, seriously, a lot. I also love food, and secretly consider myself a bit of a foodie. So believe me when I say it’s tough to get on the list of my favourite wedding caterers!
Kalm Kitchen
Kalm Kitchen is basically exactly what it says on the tin. We’ve worked with them on a number of weddings now – they never get stressed and the food is always great.
Satkeer
In all honesty I’m a bit fed up with wedding food, so when it came to my own wedding I wanted something different… so had a curry, and chose Satkeer. I got married in 2016, and still people talk about the food at my wedding – so I think that’s all you need to know. (Also, can I just say that having a curry at a wedding is SUCH a good idea and I can highly recommend it!).
Production Companies
Not all events need a production company, but they really can help to move things to the next level (for example by enhancing your venue’s features with extra lighting).
We’ve worked with loads and loads of production companies and in all honesty, they are almost all great. We’ve singled out two here but have loads of other suggestions – just get in touch if you need more recommendations.
That Event Company
That Event Company are based in Oxford and we probably work with them more than any other company. They are a great team to work with, and really know what they are doing. Check out the above lighting design and how it transformed the space of the Oxford Museum of Natural History.
Bespoke Productions
We really love working with Bespoke – they are a very friendly team and really can transform a venue into something special.
Other suppliers
Not all events need a production company, but they really can help to move things to the next level (for example by enhancing your venue’s features with extra lighting).
We’ve worked with loads and loads of production companies and in all honesty, they are almost all great. We’ve singled out two here but have loads of other suggestions – just get in touch if you need more recommendations.
Amie Bone ~ Florist
I’ve seen a lot of Amie’s work and more often than not, it leaves me speechless. Check out her website for some truly spectacular floral designs.
Booth 19 ~ Photobooth (with style!)
We love Booth 19 – their “booths” use vintage furniture and are actually not enclosed, so everyone can join in the fun.
About the Author
Mike Paul-Smith has been delivering live musical entertainment at events since 2005. He is the director of Mike Paul-Smith Music and personally manages most of the band line-ups on this website.
