Eaves Hall Wedding Pianist | Craig Smith Music

Eaves Hall in Lancashire is one of the Ribble Valley’s most highly-regarded wedding venues, known for its grand country house setting, sweeping grounds and elegant ceremony and reception spaces.

Wedding pianist Craig Smith has performed regularly at Eaves Hall for more than twenty years and is frequently recommended by the James' Places team. He's also a regular performer at the venue's Wedding Wednesday open events.

Providing live music for ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts, his experience allows him to shape each part of the wedding day with live music, adapting every performance in real time around each couple's preferences and the changing feel of the celebration.

For couples booking Eaves Hall's Two Day Takeover package, Craig also offers relaxed live piano entertainment for the evening before the wedding. More details can be found below.

How Live Music Works at Eaves Hall

Eaves Hall's piano in the foyer is central to many couples' musical plans. It's an old instrument and not the easiest to play, with many unusual quirks, so a pianist with vast experience on that instrument is highly recommended. Knowing how it responds means your chosen music can be adapted to suit the instrument rather than fighting against it — an advantage that becomes obvious as soon as you hear the difference.

Craig's portable baby grand pianos, available in white or gloss black, allow live music to be enjoyed throughout Eaves Hall rather than being limited to the venue's foyer piano. Whether you're planning your ceremony in the Ballroom or the outdoor Wedding Pavilion, drinks on the veranda or a wedding breakfast in the Dining Room, the music can be exactly where it adds most to each part of the day.

Even when couples plan to use only the venue's piano, Craig still brings a portable baby grand. More than at many venues, guests at Eaves Hall naturally head outside during the drinks reception when the weather is good. Having a second piano means nobody has to choose between enjoying the sunshine and enjoying the live music.

Piano Music for an Eaves Hall Wedding Day

Live piano can accompany every stage of an Eaves Hall wedding, from welcoming guests into the house through to a lively wedding breakfast with unlimited live requests. Couples can choose music for as much or as little of the day as they wish:

• Guests’ arrival hour before the ceremony
• Wedding ceremony including guests' seating
• Drinks reception
• Wedding breakfast
• Room turnaround / early evening

Because of its age, Eaves Hall's foyer piano doesn't always hold its tuning as well as a modern instrument. If you're planning to use it, it's worth asking the venue to have it tuned beforehand. Craig also carries tuning equipment and is happy to make minor adjustments on the day to help it sound its best — something very few wedding pianists are able to offer.

The Night Before at Eaves Hall

Many couples are now turning their Eaves Hall wedding into more of a relaxed, two-day celebration, with the venue’s mid-week Two-Day Takeover option. With close friends and family arriving the night before, Craig offers a ‘Night Before’ piano add-on alongside any wedding package — a low-key, informal set that helps set the tone for the celebrations to come, while also meaning everything is already set up and ready for the wedding day itself.

Prices

• 90-minute dinner or drinks set: £149
• 2-hour dinner & coffee set: £199
• 3-hour dinner & evening set: £269

This option works particularly well at Eaves Hall, where guests are staying on site and gathering informally the evening before. It gives everyone a chance to enjoy the music in a relaxed setting, often making requests and suggesting songs they’d love to hear the next day. It also gives Craig the opportunity to meet guests and get a feel for the atmosphere, helping shape the music on the wedding day so it feels completely tailored from the very first song.

Planning a wedding at Eaves Hall or another James' Places venue? Whether you're marrying at Eaves Hall, Mitton Hall, Holmes Mill or Wennington Hall, or celebrating at Shireburn Arms or Falcon Manor, get in touch to check availability and discuss music for your day.

You can also see more real Eaves Hall weddings in these blogs by Ally M Photography and Andy Griffiths Photography.