The Wedding Pianist

As a Wedding Pianist since 1999, I have played the piano for literally hundreds of Weddings. I have the confidence and range which is ideally suited for both the Wedding Ceremony (with the option of choosing music I have written myself) and the Wedding Reception, as well as a repertoire wide enough to be able to take guests'requests during the Wedding Breakfast. For evening entertainment you might like to consider my band - Nick Wiley's Little BIG Band.

There is no substitute for experience in almost any walk of life and I can claim plenty of that! I've played the piano for tiny, intimate weddings (one with only 5 guests!); enormous weddings (one Bollywood Wedding with hundreds of guests); Weddings for the rich and famous (guests including Jools Holland at one, England footballers at another) as well as being televised by the BBC for a Wedding Documentary programme called    'Don't Tell The Bride' (screening 9pm, Thursday 8th November, BBC3).. My guiding principles always stay the same: to provide music which is personal to the Bride and Groom and creates the right atmosphere for different parts of the day. Piano music is flexible and versatile in this respect: other instruments simply can't move effortlessly from classical to swing, or from Hollywood to Bollywood!

I play in local areas such as Wolverhampton, Birmingham and the West Midlands, but am happy to travel as far as North Wales, Nottingham, Coventry, Worcester and Shrewsbury. Please click on the 'Venues Where I Have Played' page for more details.

I play a wide range of music - things you might expect such as love ballads, musicals, shows and films, but I can also offer melodic jazz such as Duke Ellington, some Gershwin, as well as Queen, Elton John, Beatles etc. My range includes many songs from the 1930's - A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square and Cole Porter songs such as So In Love. Up-to-the-minute contemporary songs are also available - Coldplay, Daniel Bedingfield, Katie Melua, Norah Jones and Robbie Williams to name a few.

If you wanted me to play for the Wedding Ceremony as well, I play many classical pieces by J.S.Bach as well as Romantic pieces such as Clare de Lune, not forgetting traditional hymns should you wish. If the location for the Wedding Ceremony does not have a piano, I offer to hire out my digital piano - a Yamaha Clavinova - which can be used virtually anywhere. Weighing approximately one and a half hundred-weight and giving an excellent piano sound, it is much more than just an average keyboard. It also has a pipe organ facility which can add even more of a traditional sound, particularly if you want to be announced by the "Wedding March".

For the VERY romantic couple, I can offer to arrange any special, favourite song for piano, or even write a song - you supply the words!- which could be either a poem or something you have written yourself. You would then receive this as a CD with about 30 minutes of original piano music plus your own dedicated track.

As part of my service I will invite you to come and listen to me play at my home

• show you my core material and think about the atmosphere you want to create and where your musical preferences generally lie
• help you to choose a particular song or piece of music for any key moments
• check the condition of the piano at your venue (if there isn't one, I can hire out a very good digital piano) and think about where to position it in the room
• dress according to your wishes - either formally with a white tuxedo and bow tie, or informally if you prefer - at no extra charge.

Music for the Wedding Breakfast is raised to something for more meaningful and enjoyable when guests can make requests. I like to go round the tables and find out people's tastes: it gets rid of the wallpaper effect of continuous music, gives a nice pace to what is going on and involves guests. Whilst the overall musical balance can still be determined by the bride and groom, guests do appreciate being able to get involved.

If you are looking for a Soprano singer, Isobel Gibbins is ideal as a singer for the Wedding Ceremony. She is a member of the CBSO Choir and as a young singer has the ringing clarity in her voice which creates great intensity and emotion. As an alternative, Ruth Hickenbotham is a very experienced singer, ideal for a sophisticated jazz-club repertoire: she can make a great alternative to a disco. Ideal for a marquee setting or more intimate venue.