My name is Russell Stafford, and I’m the voice behind Bow Tie Serenades. I started BTS in 2015 for one simple reason; the opportunity to combine my passion for acoustic performance with the best day in a couples lives was too much to resist. Looking back, it was a decision that was 20 years in the making, and there’s a bit of a story to that.. When I was a weeeeeeee lad back in the “90’s”, I had a
dream to be a rock star. So I did what everyone else did, and I started a band. We were the best band in Sydney, just ask us! I think we might still hold onto that delusion a bit to this day. As I grew up, I left Australia to pursue my music career in the United States. Things went pretty well there for me musically, and I ended up playing professionally for almost 10 years with a variety of different bands and solo projects. After nearly 1000 shows and countless national tours, the time came to return to Australia in 2014. Prior to coming home, I had began a small side business in wedding photography. My love for photography started while on a long music tour, as a hobby to keep myself busy in the down times. I was asked by a couple of friends to shoot their weddings, and fell in love with it almost immediately. Wedding photography is such a huge honour when you really think about it. Someone is hiring you to document the most important day of their lives.. just the thought still makes my little heart flip a bit. Cake is nice, too! It was a natural progression to continue wedding photography in Sydney, and I got to work almost immediately with some of the industry’s best photographers. It’s something I continue to this day, and my passion for it is the same now as it was the first time I picked up a camera. After a couple of years away from the music scene, I inevitably started to get that itch to perform again. I didn’t realise at first the obvious combination of music and weddings, though I was standing at the cross roads of. It took a loving slap to the back of the head from those around me to wake up and smell the rose petals. So, in 2015, I combined my passion for music and my love for weddings. The result is Bow Tie Serenades, an acoustic ceremonial. I believe everyones wedding ceremony should be special, I believe it should be one of a kind, and I believe it should have a soundtrack to match the beauty in the details. I tailor my performance at your ceremony to match your day, your taste, and your love. You can even request some specific songs you’d like to hear, or pick from the list of my favourites wedding favourites. The acoustic vibes can continue through your canopy hour while you and your love mingle with your closest friends and family. And after the candles are all melted, the cake eaten, and the honeymoon sand is washed out of your shoes, you’ll come home to a professional quality recording of your wedding soundtrack, captured live and discretely at your magical day. So don’t hesitate to drop me a line and let me know about your magical day. Chances are, I’ll be jumping out of my skin to come and serenade you. (see what I did there?)
