Fanhams Hall Wedding DJ
Fanhams Hall is one of Hertfordshire’s best-known wedding venues, and it’s easy to see why. Set in 27 acres of grounds in Ware, the venue combines the original Jacobean house with beautiful gardens, the Great Hall and the more modern Lakeside Pavilion.
I’m Andy from Herts Events, and I’ve been a full-time professional wedding DJ for more than 20 years. I’ve also provided the evening entertainment at Fanhams Hall, so I wanted to put together a guide to the venue from a DJ’s point of view.
If you’ve already booked Fanhams Hall and are now looking for your wedding DJ, hopefully this will give you a better idea of the different options and how I approach the evening.
A Wedding Venue With Plenty of Character
One of the things I like about Fanhams Hall is that it doesn’t feel like a standard hotel wedding venue.
The main house has plenty of history and character, with oak panelling, fireplaces, high ceilings and original features. The Long Gallery is a particularly impressive setting for a ceremony, while the Gazebo Lawn and Japanese Teahouse provide outdoor options during the warmer months.
For the reception, you have the Great Hall or the Lakeside Pavilion, giving you two very different settings for the evening.
That mixture of historic and contemporary spaces means your wedding can have a different feel as the day progresses.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall has plenty of character before any entertainment is added, with its high-beamed ceiling, stone fireplace, lattice windows and minstrel’s gallery.
Once the wedding breakfast and speeches are finished, the room naturally becomes more focused around the dance floor.
As it gets darker outside, the lighting around the DJ setup becomes more noticeable, so I think it’s important to get the balance right. Fanhams Hall already has plenty to look at, so there’s no need to fill the room with equipment just for the sake of it.
The sound needs to be right, the lighting needs to suit the room and the DJ setup needs to work with the venue rather than distract from it.
The Lakeside Pavilion
The Lakeside Pavilion gives you a more contemporary setting, with large windows overlooking the lake and surrounding grounds.
During the daytime, the views and natural light are a big part of the room. Once the evening starts and it gets darker, the focus naturally moves towards the dance floor.
This is where the lighting can make more of a difference. The DJ setup can be kept fairly subtle while guests are eating and the evening is getting started, before becoming more noticeable once the dancing begins.
Your Wedding Day
Wedding timings don’t always go exactly to plan, and after more than 20 years of working at weddings, I’m very used to that.
Speeches can take longer than expected, the wedding breakfast might run over or photographs can take a little longer than planned. Sometimes everyone is ready to start dancing earlier than expected.
None of that is a problem.
The evening entertainment simply adjusts around what is happening on the day. The important thing is that the music fits around your wedding rather than the wedding having to work around the DJ.
The Evening Reception
Once the formal part of the day is finished, the evening reception really gets going.
Usually that starts with the first dance, although every couple has their own ideas about how they want the evening to develop. Some want everyone dancing straight away, while others prefer to build things up gradually.
Before the wedding, I’ll talk to you about the sort of evening you want, the music you enjoy and anything you definitely don’t want played.
That gives me a much better idea of what you’re looking for and means I can take that into account when I’m DJing on the night.
The Music
The music is the most important part of what I do.
As the wedding gets closer, I ask couples to send me a Spotify playlist with some of the songs and artists they really like. You can also include any must-play songs, along with anything you would rather avoid.
There’s no need to create a playlist that covers the whole evening. Your choices give me a starting point and help me understand what you both enjoy.
On the night, I’ll mix the music live rather than simply playing through a playlist from beginning to end. I’ll read the dance floor and move between different styles and decades depending on what is working.
That could mean anything from 70s and 80s classics through to 90s and 2000s music, disco, R&B, indie, dance, house, UK Garage or more current tracks.
Requests from your guests are also welcome where they fit with the music and the atmosphere you’re looking for.
Wedding DJ Lighting at Fanhams Hall
I have a few different options depending on how much of a feature you’d like the DJ setup to be.
Sapphire Wedding DJ Package
The Sapphire Package includes my white Starcloth DJ booth, professional RCF sound system and your choice of either Love Heart or Elegant Mirror Ball lighting.
View the Sapphire Wedding DJ Package
Diamond Wedding DJ Package
The Diamond Package gives you a larger DJ setup, with illuminated white plinths and additional lighting around the DJ area.
Explore the Diamond Wedding DJ Package
Platinum Wedding DJ Package
Platinum is my biggest wedding setup and includes six Ape Labs Neon Pix lighting tubes around the DJ area.
The Neon Pix lights create flowing colours and effects and can be kept softer earlier in the evening before becoming more dynamic once the dance floor starts to fill up.
Discover the Platinum Wedding DJ Package
Wireless Uplighting
Wireless uplighting is another option if you’d like to bring some colour into the room.
The uplighters can be positioned around the room and colour matched to your wedding, adding some extra atmosphere once the evening begins.
The best option depends on the room you’re using and the sort of look you’re after.
Fanhams Hall After Dark
One of the things I like about Fanhams Hall is how much the venue changes during the day.
The gardens and grounds are a big part of the venue earlier on, particularly for photographs and outdoor parts of the wedding. Once the light starts to go, the focus moves indoors and the evening reception takes over.
The lighting becomes more noticeable, the dance floor becomes the focus and the atmosphere changes completely from the daytime.
That’s something I take into account when setting up, so the room looks right when your evening guests arrive and continues to work once the party is underway.
Staying at Fanhams Hall
Fanhams Hall also has accommodation available for wedding guests, with 78 bedrooms as part of its exclusive-use wedding offering.
For couples with friends and family travelling from further away, having accommodation at the venue can make things much easier. Guests can stay at the venue rather than having to arrange transport home at the end of the evening.
Why Book Herts Events?
I’ve been a full-time professional wedding DJ for more than 20 years and have personally performed at more than 1,500 weddings and events across the UK.
Over the years, I’ve provided music for all sorts of weddings. Some couples have very specific musical tastes and a long list of songs, while others give me a few favourite artists and leave me to take care of the rest.
There isn’t a set formula that works for every wedding. I listen to what you want and then make the music work for you and your guests.
You Are Booking Me
When you book Herts Events, you’re booking me, Andy.
There isn’t an agency passing your booking on to another DJ, and there are no subcontractors or surprise DJs turning up on the day.
You’ll deal directly with me from your initial enquiry through to your wedding. We’ll talk about the music, your first dance, timings, the room and anything else you want to discuss.
Then I’ll be the person who turns up at Fanhams Hall and DJs your wedding.
Planning Your Fanhams Hall Wedding?
If you’ve already booked Fanhams Hall and you’re now looking for your wedding DJ, send me a few details about your day.
Let me know your wedding date, approximate number of guests and the sort of music you both enjoy.
A Spotify playlist is also really useful. Seeing the actual songs you’ve chosen gives me a much better feel for your tastes than simply knowing which genres you like.
From there, I can talk you through the different DJ and lighting options and answer any questions you have about the evening.
Call or text Andy: 07886 566 844
Email: andy@herts-events.co.uk
