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Wedding Guitar Music at Ripley Castle: Jonathan and Emma
Posted on: 2 November 2007
On 2 November 2007, I played for Jonathan and Emma’s wedding at Ripley Castle, near Harrogate in North Yorkshire. Looking back from 2026, it’s nearly twenty years ago—a wedding from my earlier days of playing for ceremonies and receptions.
At the time, I didn’t have a website dedicated to weddings. My website focused on my concert playing and original music, and Jonathan and Emma found me through a recommendation from my fellow guitarist, Mike Georgiades. They liked what they heard, but had a perfectly reasonable question: could I also play traditional wedding music?
Meeting Before the Wedding
A few months before their wedding, I was working with a producer in Leeds and staying near Wetherby. As I was already in the area, we arranged to meet in Harrogate to talk through the wedding and their musical choices.
They were a lovely couple, and it was good to meet in person before the day. I had sent them recordings to help with choosing the music, including a guitar arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Although the traditional repertoire wasn’t represented on my website at the time, it was something I could happily provide.
Their final choices brought together familiar classical wedding music, Spanish guitar repertoire and one of my own compositions.
Music for the Ceremony
For the aisle walk, I played Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Its gently unfolding melody works beautifully on solo guitar, and it remains a favourite for wedding entrances.
During the signing of the register, I played my own composition, “Chiemsee,” alongside “Lágrima” by Francisco Tárrega. Tárrega is one of the best-known composers for classical guitar, and this short, expressive piece offered a quieter moment within the ceremony. It was also a pleasure to include some of my own music in their day.
For Jonathan and Emma’s exit, I played Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, bringing a lively, celebratory finish to the ceremony.
Guitar Throughout the Celebrations
I continued playing for the drinks reception and then the wedding breakfast, accompanying the celebrations through the afternoon and into the meal.
Playing across these different parts of a wedding calls for a change of approach. During the ceremony, the chosen pieces mark particular moments and receive everyone’s attention. Afterwards, the guitar becomes part of the atmosphere, accompanying conversations as guests relax, catch up and enjoy the food.
A Beautiful Yorkshire Setting
I drove to Ripley Castle from Scoreby Farmhouse where I had performed the previous evening. Scoreby Farmhouse is located just outside York City, near the historic town of Stamford Bridge. The drive across the Yorkshire countryside was lovely and put me in just the right mood for a day of playing classical guitar. This is the route I took:
Jonathan and Emma’s wedding remains a lovely memory from those early years. A colleague’s recommendation brought us together, and their music choices allowed me to share several sides of my playing—traditional classical pieces, Spanish guitar and my own compositions—all within one celebration.
Explore more venues where I’ve performed in Yorkshire, or browse venues and locations across the UK and abroad.
