We caught up with Kate and Tom, the gorgeous Husband and Wife team behind White Clover Music to talk all things music for your wedding! Kate and Tom have been performing together for seven years, so they definitely know a thing or two about choosing the right entertainment for your special day.
Thank you for joining us! Tell us about the moment you decided to become full-time wedding musicians.
Tom: We had the great fortune of meeting while we were studying our music degrees. We were both performing weddings, independent of each other and it just seemed a natural progression to partner up.
Kate: Yes, it was just the right thing at the right time. I think the most pivotal moment was when we had a short period where we were unwell in our first year of performing and we still had incredibly positive feedback, so we thought ‘If we can do this on our worst day and still perform really well, we should do this full time’. It was a ‘nothing can stop us’ moment.
What do you enjoy the most about performing at weddings?
Kate: We love our work. Everyone is so happy. It is the most satisfying thing to actualise the visions our couples have for their wedding day. It gives us such a sense of purpose to be included in celebrations of love.
Tom: We like to encourage happy tears. Maybe that sounds strange, but we just like making moments. It’s a powerful thing.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Kate: There have been so many. It’s flattering when we get to perform celebrity weddings, or when we get to host big bridal expos & events on TV, but the sweetest moments are usually things you don’t prepare for and they catch you off guard. One groom’s mother had been in a wheelchair for some time and she learned to stand and walk again just to share a mother/son dance. I think I cried for days.
Tom: The highlights are our couples. They make us love every day in this industry. We are grateful to meet new people in love, and help them demonstrate their commitment. Everyone should be able to officially declare his or her love with the partner of their choosing; we know equal marriage will be legal in Australia, it’s just a matter of when and we are so excited to welcome it.
Many couples struggle to choose their wedding songs. Do you have any advice?
Tom: You don’t always have to choose the most popular music- think of songs you both enjoy, whether you consider them appropriate or not, you can have your live musicians do a gentle arrangement of them to make them just right. We often find ourselves slowing songs down to dancing pace and changing words, or removing verses. If you’re not having live music, you can find some beautiful covers online.
Tell us what the most memorable song choice has been from one of your couples?
Kate: “We had a lovely couple choose a Sum 41 song and it was so different and still really perfect. While many people were unfamiliar with the song, it still moved everyone in the room.”
You two have recently been married, Congratulations by the way! What did you two choose for your own wedding songs?
Kate: I actually surprised Tom. I asked the amazing talented Kay Proudlove to record my aisle song and then she surprised me, in turn, by generously gifting it to us. It was very special. We opted not to have a first dance but we had so many beautiful songs played throughout both our ceremony & reception that we didn’t need to.
Which wedding song do you think has been overdone?
Tom: Nothing is really ‘overdone’. It doesn’t matter what your song choice is, as long as it’s right for you.
Kate: I think it’s the one moment you can consider only each other and no-one else. Just focus on making the moment feel special for the both of you, don’t even worry if the song has been popular at other weddings or not, it’s your special moment.
Check out Kate and Tom’s Her Bride His Groom profile here for more info and booking details.
Photography by Lavan Photography, Janzen Photography and Nick McKinlay.