Yes, Sarah is very happy to have found a new love in her life.  It happens to be a beautiful violin bow made by the maker Ludwig Bausch, a German bow maker who became known as the "German Tourte", named after Francois Tourte who was considered to be the most important figure in the development of the modern bow.  Francois Tourte has been called the Stradivari of the bow and so to be known as the "German Tourte" is a great thing, it means that his bows are exceptional and indeed this one certainly is. She was drawn to this bow by its resonance.  Yes bows do really alter and effect the tone quality of the violin!  They are really more important than the violin itself!  It is made of  pernambuco, silver mounted with a shiny tortoiseshell frog which has an extra band of silver on the inside.  It is also fairly light and does everything asked of it including up-bow staccato and ricochet. It is a delight to use as it feels like an extension to Sarah's right arm.  She says, "I will very much look forward to using it for years to come." 

More about our instruments in forthcoming blogs... We will keep you posted!

Here we are playing in the beautiful and famous Hall of Pillars in Crewe Hall, Cheshire.  Crewe Hall was built by Sir Ranulph Crewe between 1616 and 1636 and it was the first brick building to be built in the North of England.  Built during the reign of James I it boasts opulence and wealth.  The great Hall of Pillars is surrounded by increadble oak carvings and a beautiful marble floor with a Jacobean staircase going up two floors.  The acoustics are perfect for a string quartet and our dulcet tones wafted among the wedding guests who were enjoying canape's and champagne by the open fire.

It was a real pleasure to play in the Hall of Pillars and an honour to have been invited.  We hope we will get the chance to play there again soon.

Our lovely Tessa who plays 2nd violin in our quartet has now achieved a high merit for her diploma on the violin. Well done Tessa! We knew you could do it as you are so talented and work really hard.

Its so wonderful to hear from our happy couples once they're married and here is a fabulous card from Mr and Mrs Swindell.  Thank you for your thank you card and we wish you all the very best.

We just LOVE playing at weddings and I took this sneaky photo at Pendrell Hall which is one of the stunning venues we are privileged to perform at.  Pendrell Hall has beautiful views and countryside with great staff looking after every aspect of your day.  We played outside in the gorgeous grounds and the music was all chosen by the bride and groom.  We played  How Long Will I Love You for the bride's entrance and it was magical as the bridesmaids entered one by one finally followed by the bride.  

The main reception room @Pendrell Hall has great acoustics and the walls amplify the instruments resulting in an amazing sound.  It was fun to mosh through Sweet Child of Mine and it sounded great.  One of the guests commented,  "We could listen to you guys all day, brilliant!" Thank you Lewis, we felt very pleased to have entertained you and your comment was most appreciated.

With all this wonderful hot weather we've been having it makes perfect sense to hold your ceremony outside. Here we are at the stunning Heaton House Farm taking in the breathtaking views of Cheshire and Staffordshire and the beautiful sycamore tree.

Here's a picture of the sand mixed by the two families of Emma and Phil at their beautiful wedding at Comberemere Abbey. It was lovely to see the little ones taking their turn pouring their coloured sand into the jar. A beautiful way to symbolise the two families joining together as one. And I couldn't resist a photo of the beautiful doves that were released that afternoon as well. The doves came from Shropshire White Doves. They didn't seem to mind the music. I think they quite liked it. If you would like a dove release at your wedding get in touch with Shropshire White Doves at www.shropshirewhitedoves.co.uk.

The ceremony took place in the Glass House at Combermere Abbey and the acoustics were perfect for the quartet.  We played beautiful classical music as the guests arrived including The Wedding Song by Stookey and Anne's Theme by Hagood Hardy.  These are two of our favourites and they really set the tone for a very special occasion.  The beautiful bride and all her bridesmaids walked up the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon and we all timed the finish as she came to the front ready to take her vow.

We managed to capture a beautiful shot of the gorgeous bride cutting the cake and what an amazing cake it was! Twelve tiers high!

We're the other side of the cold weather now, well we hope so at least.  However, the snow was heavy leading up to the wedding of James and Channel on Saturday and it was touch and go if any of us were going to make it, let alone the guests.  We were watching the news reports and looking at the motorway webcams continuously leading up to the big day.  Thankfully for two days it stopped snowing and the motorways were clear, only a chance of freezing rain.  We braved the icy conditions and drove to Worcestershire.  All arrived safely and 90% of the wedding guests too.  It was a beautiful day and we played a newly commissioned piece written especially for the entrance of the bride.  It was Warmness on the Soul by Avenged Sevenfold.  She walked in to the music playing the words "I Give My heart to You". A very special moment indeed.  The happy couple walked out to the music I'm Yours by Jason Mraz as their guests through confetti and lavender.  Here we are just after the wedding party left for their reception.

Thank you so much Michelle and Stefan.  It was a beautiful wedding on a beautiful sunny day and we wish you a happy life together full of laughter.