My husband Ryan and I have spent our entire working lives in music and entertainment. Between us, we’ve experienced thousands of events and audiences, and that experience is at the heart of Aston. We understand not just music, but how entertainment can completely change the atmosphere, energy and flow of an event. For me, the magic of live entertainment is connection – between the performers themselves and, most importantly, between the performers and the guests. It’s understanding people. It’s knowing when to build the energy, when to hold something back, how to move a room from dinner into a party, and how to recognise the exact moment when something is really connecting with an audience. That knowledge has been built over thousands of live events, and we’ve poured it into Aston and the team around us…”
Suzanne Aston, Founder & Creative Director, Aston
SUZANNE ASTON is the founder and creative director of Aston, a premier live entertainment agency based in the UK that delivers world-class musical experiences across the globe. Specialising in bespoke performances for luxury weddings, high-end private celebrations, and elite corporate events, the company seamlessly blends artistic excellence with high-fashion sophistication. From intimate, curated gatherings to grand international spectacles, Suzanne and her world-renowned team of musicians create immersive, high-energy soundtracks tailored precisely to each client’s unique vision. By bridging the gap between classical mastery and contemporary glamour, Aston continues to redefine the boundaries of luxury event entertainment on a global scale…
C&B: “Suzanne – congratulations on ASTON being voted into the TOP 10 CITY & BEACH MUSIC & PERFORMERS 2026. You’ve travelled the world over the years – which is your favourite destination and why?”
SA: “This question is almost impossible to answer because we’ve been incredibly fortunate to perform in some extraordinary places. The Bahamas was particularly memorable; we created a bespoke James Bond-inspired show at Baha Mar, which involved new musical arrangements, choreography, wardrobe and production, followed by a completely different beach-club experience the following evening. I also love performing around the Mediterranean. There’s something about warm evenings, outdoor venues and music continuing late into the night that lends itself perfectly to what we do…”
C&B: “Outdoor events with live music are always so much fun – how do you tailor your music or performance to match a wedding or events unique style?”
SA: “We start with the event itself rather than a predetermined set list. We look at the venue, the couple, the guests, the country, the atmosphere they want to create and how the celebration will unfold throughout the day. From there, we design the entertainment around each moment. A wedding might begin with beautiful strings for the ceremony, move into relaxed vocals and saxophone during cocktails, become more immersive and interactive over dinner, and finish with a huge live band and DJ party. Because our team works together so regularly, we can also be incredibly fluid. There’s a natural understanding between the musicians and performers that allows us to change direction and react to what’s happening in the room without it ever feeling forced…”
I love the costumes that completely transform the performers and make sense of the environment they’re in. For destination events, some of my favourites are our more fashion-led pieces with beautiful textures, movement and embellishment. Under great lighting they look incredible, particularly when the performers are moving amongst the guests rather than staying on a stage. I also love timeless black-tie styling. Sometimes simplicity is the most powerful look…”
Suzanne Aston, Founder & Creative Director, Aston
C&B: “The outfits the band members wear are fantastic – can you adapt your look or wardrobe to fit the event’s specific dress code?”
SA: “Absolutely. The visual side of Aston is incredibly important to us. We have an extensive wardrobe and can style our performers around the aesthetic of the event, from understated black tie and old-school glamour to colourful destination looks, contemporary fashion or completely bespoke costumes. We work closely with planners and creative teams so our performers feel part of the overall design of the celebration…”
One of the things I’m most proud of is our team. Aston is much more than a band. We create complete entertainment experiences, combining exceptional singers and musicians with DJs, dancers, bespoke arrangements, choreography, styling and production. We have a core team that performs together constantly, travel together and genuinely know each other musically. That creates a chemistry, energy and synergy on stage that you simply can’t manufacture – and I think guests really feel that…”
Suzanne Aston, Founder & Creative Director, Aston
C&B: “There’s a real talent in reading the room and adjusting the music to keep guests dancing. How do you co-ordinate that so seamlessly?”
SA: “At international weddings, you can have guests arriving from many different countries, so the challenge is creating moments everyone connects with while also incorporating music that means something culturally to the couple and their families. We might move between huge international dance records, disco, soul, Latin influences, European classics and culturally specific music within the same celebration. When it’s done naturally, you suddenly see different generations, cultures and nationalities all on the dance floor together. That’s one of my favourite things to watch…”
Every destination changes the way an event feels. The architecture, landscape, culture, weather and even the way people celebrate can influence what we create. We might be performing in the English countryside one week, in the snow in St Moritz the next, on a cliff beside the Mediterranean after that, and then on a beach somewhere completely different. There’s also something very special about travelling and experiencing these places together as a team. We spend a huge amount of time together, both on and off stage, and I genuinely believe those shared experiences contribute to the chemistry people see when we perform…”
Suzanne Aston, Founder & Creative Director, Aston
C&B: “How do you incorporate custom song requests or create special arrangements for the couple/host?”
SA: “We regularly create bespoke arrangements for significant moments such as ceremonies, entrances and first dances. We particularly love taking a song that means something to the couple and reimagining it for the occasion. It might begin as an intimate piano or string arrangement and then build into the full band, allowing a first dance to transition seamlessly into the party. For the wider party, we encourage couples to give us a sense of their tastes rather than choosing every song. We’ve spent years refining our repertoire and learning what works with different crowds. Giving the band the freedom to read the room usually creates a much better party. This is where having a genuine band rather than a collection of musicians really matters. Our core performers work together all the time. We know each other’s cues, instincts and energy, so there’s an almost unspoken communication happening on stage. At the same time, we’re constantly watching the guests. You can tell very quickly what people are responding to – sometimes within the first few bars. We can extend something that’s working, move quickly into another track or bring the singers and musicians out amongst the guests. That chemistry between us creates energy, and that energy transfers to the dance floor…”
C&B: “What types of performances usually get the best reaction from international guests?”
SA: “The immersive ones. There’s something incredibly powerful about performers suddenly appearing amongst the guests rather than everything happening on a distant stage. Roaming singers, saxophonists and percussionists can completely change the atmosphere of a dinner. One minute everyone is seated, and a few minutes later people are singing, waving napkins and dancing around the tables. Our performers genuinely love performing together too, and I think that matters. When the energy and enjoyment between the performers is real, guests respond to it…”
We love creating moments guests don’t expect. It could be live musicians appearing as guests make their way into dinner, performers suddenly emerging from amongst the crowd, or an elegant dinner transforming into a dazzling cabaret show. The best surprises aren’t necessarily the biggest. They’re the moments that completely change the energy of a room in seconds and make guests think, “Where did that come from?” We put an enormous amount of thought into the music, arrangements, wardrobe, production and flow behind the scenes, but when it happens, we want it to feel effortless and spontaneous. After 15 years as a business and thousands of audiences, we know how to create those moments that genuinely excite and delight people…”
Suzanne Aston, Founder & Creative Director, Aston
C&B: “Final question, Suzanne – what would you say are the vital keys to the success of Aston over and above performing?”
SA: “At the level we work at, discretion and service are just as important as what happens on stage. We’re often invited into incredibly personal celebrations and private environments, and our team understands the importance of professionalism, trust and discretion. For us, luxury is as much about what happens behind the scenes as what the guests see – the preparation, the attention to detail and making everything feel effortless for the client. You can put brilliant individual musicians on a stage, but that doesn’t automatically create a brilliant band. Aston has been built around a core team who know one another, trust one another and perform together constantly. There’s a chemistry and spontaneity that comes from that, and it’s something we’re very protective of as we grow. Ultimately, we know how to make an audience come alive. Creating authentic, unforgettable moments of joy is what we do best. When you see our team feeding off each other’s energy – and an entire room different ages, cultures and nationalities – feeding off that energy too, that’s Aston at its best…”
CONTACT: http://www.astonband.co.uk
