Mark & Paula’s Joint 60th at Wingrave Community Centre
On Saturday night we were in the village between Aylesbury and Tring for Mark and Paula’s joint 60th at Wingrave Community Centre, the hall opposite the church in the middle of the village. It was a whole day for them: family gathered in the hall in the afternoon, and as the evening came round it flowed straight into the party, with around 100 guests from 7 until 11.30.
It’s a really nice venue for a party this size. The centre is three halls that open into one, and Mark and Paula used all of it: the bar area to one side for standing and chatting, tables and chairs in the other wing for anyone who wanted to sit, and the middle hall — with its raised stage and woodblock floor — for dancing.
There’s a proper kitchen, a licensed bar and an off-road car park, and from our side it’s an easy room to work in: just two steps from the car park straight into the main hall, power right where you need it, and — because the two wings sit either side of the main hall — sound that fills the dancing space from the stage without overpowering the areas where people are talking.
The Gold Package for a joint 60th at Wingrave Community Centre
Mark and Paula booked our Gold Package, which is the one most of our milestone birthdays go for. The disco went up on the stage in our white setup, and the 4ft light-up 60 numbers went halfway along the side of the main hall, so guests could get their photos with the 60 without having to get through everyone dancing. The magic mirror photo booth lived in the bar area with a table full of props — hats and glasses through to word boards, including the special 60th birthday ones we designed ourselves — and the guests loved it.
Two songs that were theirs
Mark had been in touch well before the night with a request. After their first dance, could we play ‘Soulmates Forever’ for Paula? And they wanted to finish the night with Enrique Iglesias — Hero. It was clear both songs meant something to the two of them, and both times they danced on their own while their guests stood round the floor watching, taking photos and filming. Moments like that are the reason we ask for the songs that matter in advance — they only work when they land exactly where they should.
The rest of the night was built around what Mark and Paula had asked for, and they both love a dance. Classic disco from Candi Staton — Young Hearts Run Free through to Katrina and the Waves — Walking On Sunshine, a bit of reggae with UB40 — Red Red Wine, The Jam — Town Called Malice for the singalong, and the party classics that get everyone up: Los del Río — Macarena, Lou Bega — Mambo No. 5, PSY — Gangnam Style and Village People — YMCA. With a room of family and friends of all ages there were people on the dance floor from the first song right through to Hero.
Mark and Paula were lovely to work with from the first message to the last song, and it was a pleasure to be part of a joint 60th at Wingrave Community Centre that will stay with them. Happy 60th to you both.
“Excellent experience from start to finish, we had the best time with our friends. Danced our legs off. Thoroughly recommend FTFD. Thanks to all the team.”
Photos from Mark & Paula’s joint 60th at Wingrave Community Centre
Planning a 60th near Aylesbury or Tring?
If you’re planning a milestone birthday in a village hall, our 60th birthday DJ hire page covers what we bring and how the night usually runs, and the Gold Package is the combination Mark and Paula had — disco, light-up numbers and the magic mirror in one booking. We DJ parties across Aylesbury, Tring, Leighton Buzzard and the villages between, and if you’re looking at Wingrave Community Centre we’ve put together a page on the venue with everything we learnt on the night.
