Choosing the right professionals for your wedding is a personal decision and tends to lean on far more than just their portfolios. You spend a lot of time with your vendors on your wedding day, so having a connection with them makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. We want you to have a chance to get to know your vendors before you make that tough decision on who you’d like to work with, so we’ve reached out to a few of them to help you get better acquainted.

Meet Laura & Nelson, A Georgian Bay Musical Duo.

Laura Conning & Nelson Beattie are the duo that make up Honeymoon Phase. Laura plays the guitar and sings while Nelson plays the saxophone and the clarinet. Together, with a combined 20 years of studying, writing and performing music, they are pros at setting the mood for your wedding. From their broad repertoire of songs covering folk, rock, jazz and blues genres they love working with their clients to curate the perfect set list to match the space and audience of an event. Plus, they’re planning their own wedding for September 2021 — they’re definitely spending a lot of time thinking about how music will perfectly enhance the wedding day!

You can find Honeymoon Phase’s website here: www.honeymoonphasemusic.com
Make friends with them on social media: @honeymoonphasemusic

How did you get started?:

My fiancé Nelson Beattie and I first connected over our passion for music. It’s a huge part of both of our lives, as we’ve both been writing and performing music since we were kids, we both went to school for music/media programs, and we’re avid listeners—we love discovering new music, and working on our craft. So, soon after we started dating (almost 6 years ago), we started playing and performing music together. Wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours are a great fit for our sound and energy.

Tell us a bit more about your background:

Nelson is a saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist, composer, and teacher. He studied jazz at Humber College, and holds his LLCM from the London College of Music. He has toured across Canada with several bands, including the 14 piece brass band which he co-founded, My Son the Hurricane. He has retired from the touring life, but continues to perform and teach music.

I’m a singer/songwriter. I have been songwriting and performing with guitar and piano since high school. I went to the University of Western Ontario for my undergrad and graduate studies, and earned a Master of Arts in Popular Music and Culture, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Popular Music Studies and Film Studies. I’m still very curious about media and popular culture. I run a local music blog called Route 26 which shows off the great music scene around Georgian Bay.

We often bring in one of our friends to play upright bass as well, namely, Joel Dawson or Tyler Wagler, depending on availability. Joel and Tyler are each incredible, pro level jazz musicians, and it really fleshes out the sound to have someone holding down a groove on bass.

Nelson and I make a great team because of our different backgrounds. We songwrite together, and we like to work on cover songs in our style. It’s really nice to perform songs at weddings that mean something to the couple, so we work with the bride and groom to make sure they get their favourite love songs in the set.

How long have you been in business?:

We started performing as Honeymoon Phase about 4 years ago.

What are five words that describe your work?:

Thoughtful, sophisticated, lighthearted, loving, and unique.

What does owning a small business mean to you & why do you love it?:

Performing with my partner in music and partner in life is really a dream come true. We have so much trust and respect for each other as individuals and as musicians, and we put our hearts into every performance.

Do you have a ritual before starting your work day?:

On the wedding day, it’s always a balance between being prepared and staying calm. So I’ll plan a solid amount of time to go through any songs I want to run through again before the event, and then pack up everything and go through my checklist. Then, once everything is ready to go, I like to take my time getting ready and drinking some tea before we hit the road.

Describe a typical work day for you?:

A lot of the work for an event is in the preparation, so we’ll work on the music, coordination details, and everything else well in advance of the show day.

On an event day, we’ll get to the venue about 30-45 minutes early to set everything up, meet the coordinator, and go over any little details as needed. Then the most fun part — performing for the ceremony and/or cocktail hour. Then we can say our thank yous and tear down all our gear, quick and easy. Then maybe we’ll get some ice cream on the way home as we bask in the post-performance glow.

Tell us about a defining moment for your business/career:

It’s the little moments. We’ve played a ton of different venues, stages, and events together, but I think the most special moments come when we’re writing or rehearsing music together at home. I’ll be working on a new song, and Nelson will help bring it to life by building upon the chord progressions, harmonies, and song structure. The same for cover songs. We’ll figure out a new groove for the song, or change up the chords a little bit to make it our own.

What sets your business apart?:

We’re true partners, and it shows in the energy we bring to the stage. Plus, we’re experienced, professional, passionate musicians. We tailor our set list to each unique performance, and we bring our own soundsystem for a really easy set up and tear down.

What's your favourite part about what you do?:

Music is such a huge part of how Nelson and I each engage with our emotions and experiences. We are listening to and talking about music constantly. Performance is natural to us because of this deep rooted passion for music. So being able to perform together and actually make some money with it is wonderful.

We also love the social aspect of performing. Every audience is unique and every venue is unique, and therefore every performance is a new experience. It’s so much fun to perform from our souls and meet new people through our music.

What's your favourite part about weddings specifically?:

I’ve always been a romantic, and I’ve been planning my own wedding for as long as I can remember (Nelson and I are planning our wedding for September, 2021). So what could be better than being asked to be such an integral part of someone’s wedding? Every wedding is beautiful in its own unique way, and being able to enhance that atmosphere through music is so special.

Who/what inspires you?:

What inspires us... where to begin? Sharing thoughtful music and art. The connection that art brings when it resonates with you or makes you see things from a different perspective. I personally see art as an ongoing conversation, with each artist taking what has inspired them and adding their own voice to the mix.

Here are a few of our big musical inspirations (beyond musical family members who helped us each get our starts): Tom Waits, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Amy Winehouse. We’re also very into new music and are constantly being inspired by new work.

If you weren’t musicians what would you be?:

Neither of us are full time musicians (anymore). Nelson is currently studying to become an electrician, and is passionate about home sound systems. I work at Clerkson’s Home Store in Collingwood, and love to work with people on their interior decor. I think that not having music as our full time roles actually allows us to continue to be creative and joyful through our music, rather than depending solely on that work to keep the bills paid.

What do you like to do on your day off?:

We love to explore. We go for hikes with our vizsla, Cleo, who is endlessly chasing tennis balls. Hanging out with family and friends is really important to us too, and we love to have people over for movie and games nights with lots of snacks.

What do you love about Georgian Bay?:

What’s not to love? We actually decided together to settle down here. Neither of us really intended on staying in this area permanently after our post secondary studies, but we fell in love with it here. There are incredible musicians and artists up here (and a lot of creative spirits in general), great shops and restaurants, and the nature around us is just spectacular.

Where is your favourite place to eat/shop (or both) in Georgian Bay?:

Sushi Hon in Collingwood has this ‘salmon aburi oshi sushi’ that is to die for. We also love Press Juice Co., Press Market, and Sol Kitchen for balanced and delicious meals. Espresso Post is my go-to for lattes. The main streets in Collingwood and Thornbury are spoiled with great shops. I work right downtown Collingwood at Clerkson’s (which is my family’s store), so I have fun picking out modern and unique furniture and decor for our own house. But I also love Coriander, Homme Femme, Metra, and so many more spots.

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?:

My dream career would be as a Music Supervisor, choosing and coordinating music for tv and film. I’ve always been obsessed with how music can affect an experience, and I wrote a lot about that in school.

Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you?:

We’re just two friendly people trying to incorporate music into every aspect of our lives. Reach out to us with any questions about your event, and we’ll be more than happy to help.