hello, dear readers!! thank you for your patience with my lack of posting. 😉 i have been very busy with a few secret projects that i will be sure to share with you all soon. for now, let’s jump right back into the swing of things…
we are sooo overdue for another installment of fab finds. 😉 recently i’ve been chatting with a lot of my clients about personalizing their ceremonies by using unique, somewhat unexpected and completely custom-tailored music. although there is something very elegant about using the traditional tunes à la Wagner and Pachelbel, i love hearing something fresh as a bride walks down the aisle. it’s a fantastic way to infuse your wedding day with your personalities and tastes!
for my own wedding back in 2005, i used a fun mix of songs i love. the parents + bridal party walked in to “one hand, one heart” from west side story. i chose the ultra-romantic “all i ask of you” by andrew lloyd-webber (from phantom of the opera — my favorite musical of all-time) for my own teary entrance. we sang a beloved hymn during the ceremony: “be thou my vision.” after we had sealed the deal with a kiss, i fulfilled a childhood fantasy by recessing to “wouldn’t it be nice” by the beach boys. amazing and so much fun! although we had a string quartet play the show tunes + hymn, i opted to play the beach boys tune off of a CD. the lyrics are so sweet!
i have had the incredible delight of hearing many unique ceremony music selections throughout the years. i recall one couple that chose all beatles tunes for their ceremony. think “here comes the sun” and “all you need is love.” another bride walked down the aisle to the moody, “all i want is you” by u2. still another used coldplay tunes, including “clocks” for an upbeat recessional.
to get your wheels turning about some potential unconventional ceremony music choices, i enlisted the help of a dear friend in the biz — the fabulous ian gotler of red shoe l.a.
ian is hands-down my fave DJ: personable, eclectic and so much fun! anytime he is working with me, i know the guests are going to be packed on the dance floor all night. 😉 below ian offers a few of his favorites for various moments during your ceremony.
bridal party processional
- “love and some verses” by iron and wine
- “catch the wind” by donovan
- “knuddlemaus” by ulrich schnauss
bride’s processional
- “heartbeats” by jose gonzalez
- “songbird” by eva cassidy
- “the way i am” by ingrid michaelson
recessional
- “if there’s love” by citizen cope
- “i believe (when i fall in love it will be forever)” by stevie wonder
- “ain’t that love” by ray charles
and just for fun, here are some of *my* personal faves for ceremony music. these are the tunes i’d use if i was going to do it all over again. 😉
- “concerning the ufo sighting near highland illinois” by sufjan stevens
- “the scientist” by coldplay (super sad, i know, but perfect for a love that has withstood the test of time & various trials. this is actually my favorite song of all-time and never fails to make me cry…)
- “somebody loved” by the weepies
- “childhood dreams” by nelly furtado
what do you think? did we mention any of your faves, or do you have some of your own? share your ideas in the comments section… i’d love to get a glimpse at your personality via your musical choices! xoxo, angel
I walked down the aisle to The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” It’s still the one song that gives both Mr. Monkey and me chills and reminds us of our wedding.
=) I actually do stalk your blog but I figure, if I comment, I’m not a real stalker (stealth is important)
are just two halves of the same coin? i was totally thinking of phantom of the opera music for my day too!
Oh, Angel I love this post! Being a music lover myself, I was just thinking about posting a blog like this! We recessed to “When I’m 64” by the Beatles. It was soo fun! I love it when brides do something fun.
And I love the Red Shoe guys. They are the best.
Anyway you can mix some Sufjan into a wedding earns major high-5s from me. One of my friends walked down the aisle to “That dress looks nice on you” played on a banjo. It was incredible.
I’m with you – I love the conventional choices, but I also love something with more individuality. I actually have my song picked out for when the time comes, but I haven’t shared it with anyone – for some reason it feels too private still! So I’m a hold out.
I looove the beginning strains of Spoon’s “The Underdog” for an entrance of Bride and Groom into a reception… It’s so fun with that drum roll! It makes me want to dance!
oooh, I adore when people rock it out to different music! Bitter Sweet Symphony is one of my faves for a ceremony. J and I recessed down the aisle to Natalie Cole “This Will Be”.
I was recently at an industry function and they had a kid playing “Canon in D” on the electric guitar total rocker style. I am dying to find a client to do that! 🙂
The Scientist is my favorite Coldplay song especially after hearing it in that movie ‘Wicker Park.’ Even though it’s on the melancholy side, I find it so romantic and I’ve been considering it for my walking down the aisle song. I’ve been trying to imagine how a string quartet version of it would sound. I also want to have a string quartet version of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ playing. Just not sure when. I loved the string quartet version of it after watching ‘The Wedding Singer.’ Yes I am a big movie buff.
I bawl every time I hear The Scientist! I think it’s one of the most beautiful songs ever written, in terms of both the music and lyrics. You can imagine my excitement when my bf told me in an early conversation (without any input from me) how he thought it was the best song of all time 🙂 Loved reading this post – thanks for sharing!
Oh my. Somebody Loved by The Weepies has been on my music list since I first heard it a few years ago. The sweetest song.
Fabulous music picks 🙂
hi angel!
my husband walked down the aisle to karen anne “lay your head down”
i walked to “everybody’s free” from baz lurhman’s romeo and juliet
me and my husband recessed to the verve’s “bittersweet symphony”
our first dance was to citizen cope “if there’s love”
father/daughter dance song was patty griffin, “heavenly day”
i am a FIRM believer in finding songs that reflect the couple and thinking outside the box! music is everything so the couple should play around with new ideas for sure!
loved this post!
xoxo
c
I really, really, want to walk down the aisle to “Love and Some Versus” by Iron and Wine, but I don’t know quite how that will work. Has anyone used that song for the bride before? Did you play a CD or use a string quartet? Did you play the lyrics, or go intramental? Thanks!!
hi owldeedoo! i love that song! i would personally recommend using the original (CD) for that particular song, and keep the lyrics. i feel like it would get lost with a string quartet, as the original is simply played on a guitar. best of luck to you!