Some venues look the part. Some venues actually are the part. Whitekirk Hill near North Berwick sits firmly in the second category — a purpose-built events space perched at the top of a hill with views across East Lothian and the Firth of Forth that stop you mid-setup and make you appreciate the job.
I was booked by Ashleigh and Joe to provide their wedding disco, and what followed was one of those nights that reminds you why a well-read room matters just as much as a well-stocked music library.
The Setup
Whitekirk Hill’s main function room is a great space to work with. High ceilings, a generous concrete dancefloor, and — the feature that makes every photo from this venue look brilliant — an extraordinary collection of mirror balls suspended at varying heights across the entire ceiling. I counted at least fifteen of them. When the lighting hits right, the whole room turns into something special.
I set up with the star-cloth booth centred against the window wall, four speaker stands, blue LED tube uplighters either side, and the moving head rigs positioned to make the most of those mirror balls. The golden hour view through the windows during setup was something else — East Lothian countryside stretching out in the evening sun.
The First Dance — Donna Summer Does the Work
Ashleigh and Joe chose Last Dance by Donna Summer. It’s a track I don’t get requested nearly enough as a first dance, and every time it comes up I’m reminded of what a brilliant choice it is. The slow opening gives the couple their intimate moment on the floor — and then the tempo lifts, the guests read the room, and within seconds the floor is full before the song has even hit its stride.
That’s the ideal first dance scenario: the track does the work of transitioning from romantic moment to party starter without me having to do anything except let it breathe. By the time the chorus kicked in properly, the night was already in full swing.
Reading the Room — Northern Soul and a Hilltop Breeze
Here’s the thing about Whitekirk Hill that you need to know if you’re planning an event there: it sits at the top of a hill, and any breeze in the surrounding area gets amplified significantly at that elevation. On a typical Scottish evening that’s barely relevant. But that night was genuinely, properly hot — the kind of summer evening that doesn’t happen often enough in Scotland — and after the ceilidh dancing that opened the evening, virtually the entire wedding party headed outside to enjoy the sun and the cooling air on the hilltop.
This is where reading the room matters. The wrong move is to drive the floor hard with peak-time tracks that land in an empty room and kill momentum. Instead I dropped into a Northern Soul set — music built for people who love to dance, at a tempo and energy level that kept the indoor atmosphere alive without demanding a crowd that wasn’t there yet.
Northern Soul is perfect for exactly this kind of bridging moment. It’s energetic enough to keep dancers moving, soulful enough to reward listeners at the bar, and it builds rather than peaks — so when guests started drifting back inside after 10pm, the energy was already primed and rising rather than needing to be rebuilt from nothing.
After 10pm — The Floor Didn’t Empty
When the guests came back in from outside, they came back with energy. A warm evening on a hilltop, a few drinks, the sun finally setting over the Firth of Forth — they were in exactly the right mood, and the transition from the Northern Soul bridge into the main disco set felt completely natural.
From that point the dancefloor barely cleared. The mirror ball ceiling was doing its thing, the lighting rig was working well in the space, and the crowd gave back everything they were given. Ashleigh and Joe had a broad guest list with different musical tastes, and the kind of floor that keeps everyone happy is one that moves — tracks that connect across age groups, moments that pull people out of conversations and onto the floor, and enough variety to keep the energy from plateauing.
The Finish
The night ended with Loch Lomond — the only way a Scottish wedding should end — followed by a handful of personal tracks chosen by Ashleigh and Joe. That final stretch is always the part I enjoy most. The room knows the night is drawing to a close, everyone who’s going to be on the floor is on the floor, and there’s a warmth and collective energy in the room that you can’t manufacture. You just have to serve it.
Congratulations to Ashleigh and Joe. It was a brilliant night at a venue I’d happily return to anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you provide wedding discos in East Lothian?
Yes — East Lothian is well within my regular coverage area. I work at venues across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, and further afield. Whitekirk Hill, Archerfield, Prestonfield, Dundas Castle and many more East Lothian and Scottish venues are all places I’ve worked regularly.
What DJ equipment do you use?
I run a professional setup including an Alienware laptop running Virtual DJ, a star-cloth DJ booth, multiple speaker stands, moving head lighting rigs, LED tube uplighters, and a full cable management system. I bring everything needed — there’s no requirement for the venue to provide any equipment beyond power sockets.
Can you adapt the music if guests go outside?
Absolutely — and Whitekirk Hill is a perfect example of why that flexibility matters. When most guests headed outside to enjoy the evening sun, I moved into a Northern Soul set to keep the indoor atmosphere alive. When everyone returned after 10pm, the transition into the main disco set felt natural rather than jarring. Reading the room — including an empty one — is part of the job.
What’s a good first dance song that gets guests on the floor quickly?
Songs that build from slow to fast work brilliantly — they give the couple their romantic moment and then naturally invite guests to join without needing an announcement. Donna Summer’s Last Dance, chosen by Ashleigh and Joe, is a great example. It’s worth discussing your first dance choice during planning so I can time the transition perfectly.
Do you DJ at Whitekirk Hill?
Yes — I know Whitekirk Hill well and it’s a venue I’d recommend. The room has excellent acoustics, a generous dancefloor, and that remarkable mirror ball installation across the ceiling which makes for a spectacular atmosphere once the evening lighting kicks in. The hilltop location is worth bearing in mind for outdoor plans — the elevation amplifies any breeze.
How do I book a wedding DJ with Premier Disco?
The best starting point is the contact page — send me your date and venue and I’ll come back to you quickly to confirm availability. I keep my diary deliberately manageable so every couple gets proper attention in the planning stages, so I’d recommend getting in touch as early as possible.
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