Planning your wedding - what our customers told us

How do you plan your wedding? What is useful and what isn't? Maybe you're just embarking on the long journey to your big day and you don't know where to turn for advice.

To save you wasting your time, the experiences of other couples who have been down this road before and come out the other side, married and unscathed, might be useful to you! We surveyed 56 of our happy couples last year and what they told us could prove really helpful to you.

Planning

How long does it take to plan a wedding? Just over half of our customers were planning their big day for between a year and two years. Just over a quarter planned the whole lot in six months to a year, 9% did it under six months (I bet they were exhausted!) and 7% really took their time and gave themselves two to three years.

Where do you turn to for advice? There's always lots of well-meaning friends and relatives around to help you out (whether you want it or not!) and, actually, recommendations were a very popular source of information with nearly half of our customers describing them as 'very useful'. Needless to say, nearly all of our customers (a whopping 53 out of 56) found the good old internet useful, very useful or even 'super dooper useful'.

But even though the internet is such a huge influence these days, there are few brides-to-be who can resist rushing out and buying a wedding magazine or two as soon as they announce their engagement. Yet only a third found them useful and just 16% found them 'super dooper useful'. Nearly one in five of our couples actually found them 'not useful at all'!

Budget

Of course, we want your wedding to go with a bang, and we know just how important entertainment is in making this happen. So how much thought did our couples give to their entertainment budgets? Weddings are an expensive business and 75% of our couples set a budget for their entertainment. One in  five of them said they managed to stick to it, but just over half said they had a budget until Adam Thomas & The Souljers came along!

A wedding should be a once in a lifetime experience. You want to look back on it with fond memories - and you hope your guests will too. You want to plan it carefully, but maybe there are some experiences which are worth blowing the budget for?

Overwhelmingly, our customers tell us about the fantastic experience we provided on their big day. They will remember it for the rest of their lives.

If you would like to talk to us about how Adam Thomas & The Souljers can give you a night to remember at your wedding, please get in touch with us for a quote on 0116 2790 146. The experience of the couples who have gone before you show you won't be disappointed!

Entertainment is critical to your big day!

Two thirds of couples look back on their wedding day and say that entertainment was critical to its success. In fact, they say it was THE most important factor in their big day. Of the remaining couples, nearly all of them said entertainment was very important, with just 2% describing it as important (and none at all describing it as quite important or not important!).

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, because these same couples felt that entertainment was less important than things like the dress and outfits during the planning stage. Before the wedding, just over half described entertainment as of 'critical' importance. 

Entertainment

So what makes them change their mind? Why is entertainment so important looking back and not so important looking ahead? It's all down to memories. A fabulous entertainer can really make your wedding and will be a memory shared not just by you, but by all of your guests. By the end of the day, the wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses will be grubby and a bit crumpled, the groom and his men will have shed their ties and jackets, but the memories of fantastic entertainment will live on.

Venue

Couples considered venues to be very important, both when planning the wedding and looking back on it. We know ourselves just how important a good venue can be in making your 'evening do' a night to remember. Bottom of people's priority lists, both before and after the wedding, were a wedding co-ordinator - which 60% of people described as 'not important at all' and the transport. A fancy car is nice, but it's just for a short time and for many people it's a good place to make a saving.

(PS As you might have guessed as you're looking at this website - wedding entertainment is really our thing, and we pride ourselves on making your special day the best ever. If entertainment is critical to the success of your wedding, get in touch with us and we'll see what we can do for you!)

The results were taken from a survey of 56 couples, carried out on behalf of Adam Thomas & The Souljers. Of those surveyed, 30 described the outfits as 'critical' while in the planning stages, with entertainment described as critical by 29, with 23 describing it as 'very important' and four as 'important'. Looking back on their weddings, entertainment was critical to 37 of the couples and outfits critical to 24. 

Hire The Souljers for weddings, corporate events and more.

The Souljers are well known around the Midlands for our appearances at local wedding fayres, events and shows. Many wedding venues around Leicester, including The City Rooms, recommend Adam Thomas & The Souljers. Although weddings are our speciality, we also cater for a range of other events for corporate clients and charities.

Corporate events

The Souljers have played many corporate events. We are known to be easy to work with and, most importantly, to provide a great night of entertainment! Our band's fully choreographed sets are very popular for any corporate gathering. We were the resident band at Leicester Tigers for six years. The Souljers have also played at awards ceremonies such as the Leicester City FC Player of the Year awards, as well as other local events, national shows and international marketing events.

Our clients for corporate events range from local Leicestershire companies through big names in the car industry like BMW, Mini and Nissan to other well-known brands such as L'Oreal and Adidas.

Charity events

Always happy to support good causes, The Souljers play many charity events every year and are happy to provide entertainment for fundraisers including Rainbows, LOROS, Children in Need and lots more.

Coverage area

Adam Thomas & The Souljers provide a few different options when it comes to your event. We're based in Leicestershire, but generally cover the whole of the UK for events and have played in London, Birmingham and both the North and South of England.  But we're not just limited to the UK! We have played abroad plenty of times, including Cyprus, Spain and the Canary islands.

A history of soul music and its influence

Music can be so much more than just a catchy beat and interesting lyrics. Soul music has shown that music can bring together people from all races and backgrounds. As soul music continues to increase in popularity, it is worth looking back at how it all began. 

The origins of soul

Soul music began in the 1950s as a melting-pot of gospel, blues, funk and even jazz. It provided an outlet for black people and minorities in American inner cities. What started as a personal anecdote about life under racism and class struggles, quickly gained in popularity.

Early pioneers such as James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles helped to bridge the gap between black and white through music. The music had the feelings and power of gospel and blues, yet it provided a catchy and danceable groove that had more in common with funk.  Many soul artists also added elements of jazz into their recordings.

Soon, Aretha Franklin became famous for her powerful voice and heartfelt lyrics. As a strong black woman, Franklin was the antithesis to America's then segregated society. Her songs, while not lyrically political, helped to bring society closer together through universal themes such as love, devotion, and honesty. Most important of all, her songs were well-written and became very popular on the radio.

'Soul'jers, get it? ;)

Motown Records was formed during the height of soul's popularity, and they helped produce such renowned acts as The Jackson Five and Marvin Gaye. The Jackson Five in particular became extremely popular, and lead singer Michael Jackson eventually became the highest grossing pop artist of all time. For a musical genre that started in the ghettos, soul quickly surpassed all expectations by providing world-class music and entertainment.

Soul today

Soul music is remembered as the loving ballads of Marvin Gaye, the chaotic concerts of James Brown, and the soothing lyrics of The Commodores. Its revival has begun with acts like Adele and Joss Stone. Soul music continues to evolve, yet its unique ability to warm hearts while inspiring dance has never changed. 

And we continue to bring a touch of soul to weddings and events today. The Souljers wedding entertainment covers many different musical styles including some of the best soul classics, played at venues locally in Leicester, as well as at venues around the UK.

Choosing your Leicestershire wedding venue

There are several beautiful wedding venues in Leicestershire to choose from. No matter what you’re looking for, there are plenty of options for your special evening. We are pleased to highlight three of our favourite venues around Leicester which The Souljers have played at many times.

Kilworth House

The Kilworth House Hotel is a lovely country house, built at the end of the 19th century. There are three venues to accommodate both small, intimate gatherings and larger parties. The Shakespeare Room holds 20 guests and is the perfect setting for a cosy ceremony and reception. The Library Restaurant has a domed ceiling and chandeliers and can accommodate 40 guests. Finally, The Orangery is an awe-inspiring room with natural light and wonderful views of the countryside. The room holds 130 people and is the perfect place to bring an outdoor wedding inside.

In Kilworth's beautiful orangery

Kilworth House has lists of wedding suppliers for any special needs the couple may have. Each room at Kilworth is unique. Although there is no dedicated bridal suite, the couple can choose from a wide array of luxurious rooms.

Sketchley Grange

The Sketchley Grange Hotel & Spa offers many options for wedding accommodation. They have four rooms that are perfect for civil ceremonies. These range from the intimate garden pagoda, which holds 18 guests inside, to the opulent and open Bradgate Suite, which seats 300 guests.

Asian weddings are a specialty of the Sketchley Grange. Their caterers are experts in preparing Asian cuisine from many cultures, or your caterer is welcome to use the hotel’s facilities.

They also offer complimentary accommodation for the bride and groom. The Sketchley Grange offers a number of different dining packages for both breakfast and evening buffets. The hotel offers different suite options for guests, and the attached spa can provide a welcome treat to both the happy couple and wedding guests.

Hothorpe Hall

Hothorpe Hall’s history dates back to nearly 900 AD. This beautiful and scenic venue offers stunning settings for wedding photos, no matter what time of year.

Hothorpe Hall has wedding packages to suit any couple’s needs. The winter wedding package takes advantage of the splendour of the snow-covered grounds for photos and the cosy interior for the ceremony. The intimate wedding package is designed for couples who don’t need the entire venue to themselves and can accommodate parties of 30 to 60 guests. The platinum package features exclusive use of the venue, and the twilight package is suitable for evening weddings that use the venue after an earlier party has left the hall. Accommodation includes a bridal suite and rooms for guests. The hotel offers both a breakfast wedding menu and an evening buffet menu to keep your guests happy.

All of these choices are wonderful venues in which to hold a wedding and they come highly recommended by us! Each of them has a unique history and charm that will leave long-lasting memories and provide the perfect start to a life of bliss.