Wennington Hall Wedding Pianist | Craig Smith Music

Wennington Hall is one of the newest and most striking Lancashire wedding venues, set in the Lune Valley between the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Ribble Valley. This Grade II-listed country house, set within 17 acres of grounds, combines historic architecture with contemporary styling, creating a setting that feels both grand and modern.

The venue’s variety of spaces, from light-filled indoor ceremony rooms to terraces and landscaped grounds, makes it especially well suited to live piano's class and flexibilty. Each area has its own atmosphere, allowing music to shift in style and energy as the day progresses.

Wedding pianist Craig Smith performs regularly at Wennington Hall and at other venues within the James' Places Dream Venues collection, providing tailored live music for ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts. His approach is shaped around the layout of the venue, with multiple pianos positioned where needed to reduce equipment movement and keep the music flowing smoothly between each part of the day.

As one of the newest wedding venues in Lancashire, Wennington Hall offers a different style of wedding day compared to more established venues, with a stronger focus on flexible layouts and contemporary presentation.

The flexibility of the venue means live music can be positioned exactly where it works best, both visually and acoustically. There's more on Craig's experience with Wennington Hall and James' Places venues below.

Watch Live Piano at Wennington Hall

Wennington Hall Wedding Ceremony Piano

The grand ceremony room at Wennington Hall provides a breathtaking setting for live piano music as guests take their seats and the bridal entrance approaches. In this short clip, Craig performs Turning Page, a beautiful and increasingly popular choice for modern bridal entrances, as the bride walks down the aisle beneath the venue’s striking light fixtures.

Wennington Hall Drinks Reception Piano

Live piano works beautifully during drinks receptions and guest arrivals at Wennington Hall, creating a relaxed atmosphere as guests mingle and enjoy the surroundings. In this clip Craig performs Ludovico Einaudi’s Nuvole Bianche, a modern piano favourite that suits the venue’s elegant setting perfectly.

Live Music at Wennington Hall Weddings

Craig performs regularly at several of the James’ Places wedding venues, also including Eaves Hall, Mitton Hall and Holmes Mill amongst others, and is a familiar presence at weddings and showcase events across the group.

With over 20 years’ experience at these venues, he understands how a James’ Places wedding day unfolds, allowing the music at Wennington Hall to be shaped around both the spaces and the pace of the celebration.

Because Wennington Hall’s main ceremony and dining room is separate from the lounge used for drinks receptions, Craig often recommends a two-piano setup. One piano remains in the ceremony and dining space, while a second is positioned in the reception lounge, allowing music to continue without interruption as guests move between each part of the day.

At Wennington Hall, music often begins as guests take their seats for the ceremony, before continuing into drinks receptions on the terrace or within the old school building, and on into the wedding breakfast in the main hall. Welcoming guests with some fitting relaxed or classical music sets the scene and reflects the venue brilliantly too.

Craig’s portable baby grand pianos, available in white or gloss black, complement Wennington Hall’s bright interiors and can also be positioned outdoors for ceremonies or when drinks receptions move onto the terrace in good weather.

Your Day at Wennington Hall

Wennington Hall is especially well suited to couples who want a balance between elegance and energy, and Craig's live music reflects that — starting with a more refined feel for the ceremony before building into a more lively and engaging atmosphere as the day develops.

He's renowned for his large repertoire, huge range of styles, "from Debussy to Dr Dre", and his unique request-taking ability, meaning each part of your day can take on a completely different mood with the central theme of expertly crafted piano. Couples choose music for their:

• Guests’ arrivals
• Wedding ceremony
• Drinks reception
• Wedding breakfast
• Room turnaround / early evening

As you can see in the videos above, gentle piano provides a soundtrack befitting of such stunning surroundings as Wennington Hall, whether it's welcoming guests on arrival, the most romantic of bridal entrances or a relaxed drinks reception after. Later in the day, though, when it's time to party, you've more flexibility with piano than any other instrument, and you can choose to entertain your guests with totally unlimited requests using Craig's unique and very popular Electronic Requests System!

Planning a wedding at Wennington Hall or its sister venues Eaves Hall, Mitton Hall, Holmes Mill, Shireburn Arms or Falcon Manor? Get in touch to check availability and discuss music for your day.