Heron Hill in Gilbert, South Carolina, was the venue for Alyssa and Steven Paley’s wedding on November 15, 2025. Their Soulution music plan moved from jazz on the patio to a full-band reception indoors, with a mix of live music and recordings for the formal dances. Mikayla Heinen Photography photographed the wedding.
Patio jazz, then music inside
Their schedule placed the ceremony outside, followed by jazz for cocktail hour on the patio at 5:00 PM. The reception was in the building next to that patio, so the music plan needed to account for both spaces. Ceremony coverage called for sound and microphones; live ceremony music was not part of the band’s assignment.
The move indoors was scheduled for 5:45, with recorded music while guests found their seats and introductions at 6:00. That fifteen-minute window gave the reception a clear starting point. For a Heron Hill wedding using separate ceremony, cocktail and reception areas, tell your band where each part will happen and when guests are expected to move.
Alyssa and Steven also had a specific entrance idea: the drum beat from “Sweater Weather.” That detail belongs beside the introduction order. It tells us which part of a song you want to use and what should sit underneath the announcements.
A recorded first dance and short live parent dances
They chose an edited recording of Leon Bridges’s “Beyond” for their first dance. The parent dances were planned live: “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts for the father-daughter dance and “Wonder Woman” by John Legend for the mother-son dance. Both were requested at about sixty seconds.
That combination makes room for a favorite recording and live arrangements in the same reception. It also gives the band clear endings to prepare. If you’d like a shorter dance, send the version you love and the section you want to keep. We can talk through the arrangement before the wedding.
Upbeat requests and a private last dance
Their reception preferences combined upbeat soul, older singalongs and current pop. Alyssa listed Beyoncé favorites, while Steven asked for a little early-2000s punk rock. “Pink Pony Club” was another request. Those references gave us a useful picture of their tastes without requiring them to put every song in order.
The timeline put cake cutting at 7:30, with Maroon 5’s “Sugar” as the recorded selection, followed by band sets beginning at 7:35 and 8:45. Recorded music was planned for the break between sets. Our planning resources can help you organize song choices and the announcements that go with them.
For the ending, they requested an upbeat last song with guests, then a private dance to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Guests were scheduled to leave for their shuttles first, with the private dance at 9:55 and the reception ending at 10:00. Giving those two moments separate places in the timeline protects time for both.
Planning your own Heron Hill reception? Send us your date and the spaces you’ll be using, and we’ll talk through the music coverage.
Photography: Mikayla Heinen Photography. View the photographer’s original wedding post.
Venue: Heron Hill, Gilbert, South Carolina.
Live music: Soulution.