Notes from a Welsh Wedding Band | Lewis and James's Country Hoedown at The Barn at Drovers - 10th October 2026
Bringing James and Lewis's entertainment vision to life at Drover's Barn
Photography by Rebecca Randall
TLDR: Two gorgeous grooms, one gorgeous barn, orange and green autunmal everything, all of their guests singing Islands in the Stream during the ceremony, a drag queen performing as Shania Twain, Line Dancing, Cowboy Hats, Disco Balls, A banging live band, and a power cut that turned into an unplugged country singalong. Quite a lot for one wedding, really, but very on brand for this pair.
If you've ever wondered what happens when two people decide that their wedding entertainment is one of their biggest priorities for their big day, allow me to introduce Lewis & James.
Their weddding at The Barn at Drovers on 10th October was a full-on country hoedown, with all the colour, personality and fun you could possibly fit into that little barn.
The Package
Solo Acoustic Guitar and vocals will Laura for the wedding ceremony
The Midnight Fiddle Duo for the drinks reception
Jessica Rarebit performing as Shania Twain after the wedding breakfast
Line Dancing with Ava at the start of the evening reception
The Midnight Fiddle Band for the party
Jessica Rarebit finishing off the night in styyyyyleeee
The Ceremony
Where do I start? I think all couples want the ceremony to feel a bit like them, well this one would have taken an absolute stranger and made them feel like they'd known this couple for their entire journey. I cried. I'd met them twice, spoken to them on the phone a handful of times, and cried during their ceremony. It was special, that's for sure.
A huge amount of the credit here goes to their incredible celebrant Chloe Green
Chloe made everything so joyful and truly had such a beautiful energy. It was a pleasure to work with her. Make sure to check her out if you're looking for a wedding celebrant!
The wedding party walked in to Fancy Hagood - To The Moon, and exited to Dolly Parton - Marry Me. The bit in the middle? Lewis and James had all of their guests join in on a mega singalong to Islands in the Stream, with half of the room taking on the role of Dolly and half of the room taking on the role of Kenny.
I love a traditional ceremony as much as the next person, but there's something particularly lovely about couples feeling confident enough to do things their own way.
Bonus wholesome content: Lewis and James had gone to see the artist who wrote their aisle song in concert two weeks before their wedding, bought a vinyl copy of the album and had it signed to give as a gift to me. For me?! I was again nearly crying (I might have been hormonal). I genuinely don't know what to say about that, other than how incredibly thoughtful it was. It's one thing to be trusted with the music for someone's wedding ceremony, but to have them go out of their way to do something like that for me was so special. I will likely say this in every blog, but our couples really are the best.
The Drinks Reception
After the ceremony, we moved into the drinks reception, and I was joined by Osian on fiddle to create some gorgeous folky country atmosphere in the barn.
I love this part of a wedding day. Everyone's relaxed, people are catching up with friends and family and the music gets to sit nicely in the background rather than being the main event.
Having live music throughout the wedding day also means the entertainment can change as the wedding progresses. Something a little more stripped-back while everyone's enjoying the canapés, before we bring out the party vibes later on.
Shania Twain, Line Dancing and a Proper Country Wedding Party
Now were talking.
After the wedding breakfast, Jessica Rarebit headed into the barn to surprise the guests with her Shania Twain Drag Queen performance, which we arranged asone of James and Lewis's non-negotiables!
I mean, a country-themed wedding with a Shania Twain drag Queen? Duh.
Again planned to perfection, Jessica/ Shania ended her set by ushering the guests into the evening barn, via a conga line of course, for the line dancing to commence.
I think wedding line dancing is one of those things that people think is going to be slightly #awks until they actually do it. It's so much fun, though. Everyone can do it, beginner to pro, and it's such a good way to get everyone up on their feet ready for the evening shenanigans.
Shoutout to this lady who knew all the moves, came kitted out in cowboy boots and tassle dress, had the grooms' names embroidered on her hat and even designed the wedding stationery AND the grooms' embroidered suits. What a country queen!
The Party (and the power cut!)
By the time the full band came out, The Barn at Drover's was looking pretty spectacular, thanks to Jamie and JD Entertainment, who kitted the barn out with lighting and sound system ready for the party!
The first dance: My Wish (Rascal Flatts) played live by yours truly.
The rest: wall to wall packed dance floor, a bedazzled shirt reveal and 10/10 vibes all night.
One mild interruption in the form of a power cut led to one of our favourite moments of the year so far, a live unplugged singalong of Country Roads and Islands in the Stream (a nod to the ceremony). Head to our instagram page to see the memorable moment in video format
The Barn at Drovers - Our Fave Bits
I mean, it's a barn in the country side and we're a country/ folk wedding band, if that's not a match made in heaven I don't know what is.
The layout makes it feel so private and secluded - the perfect setting for your home away from home wedding
Festoon lighting, give it to me in hoards, put it everywhere, no big lights for me ever. They just create the ultimate cosy vibe. 10/10.
The cottages - we were lucky enough to use the master cottage as our green room for the day (because this couple were just the absolute best) and I can safely say I'd like to move into it full time please. Log burner, decked out with comfy chairs and a fully functioning kitchen, a fridge stocked with soft drinks courtesy of the grooms, gorgeous.
And from a south wales wedding band's perspective, a barn full of people singing country songs together is never going to be a bad place to spend a Saturday.
More piccies for anyone considering The Barn at Drovers for their wedding:
The Suppliers
In true James and Lewis style, their suppliers were all fantastic, and a dream to work with.
Venue - The Barn at Drovers
Photography - Sidey Clarke Photography
Content - Espresso Weddings
Drag Artist - Jessica Rarebit
Line Dancing - Line Dancing with Ava
Band - The Midnight Fiddle Band
Solo Acoustic Guitar and Vocalist - Laura Benjamin
About the author
Hi! I'm Laura, the founder of The Midnight Fiddle Band, and you'll usually find me behind a microphone, guitar or violin. I've been working as a professional musician since 2016, and I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of that time being part of people's weddings. It's safe to say I adore my job. I started this blog to share some of the weddings we get to be part of, the people we meet along the way, and a few things I've learned about weddings and entertainment over the years
