Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Music and Andrew Wrote It!

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Happy Wedding Wednesday!

I have a treat for you today: Andrew wrote the post!
He wanted to share our story about the music for our day.

Alright, Andrew, take it away!
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I’m sure Mary agrees with me when I say that one of the hardest things for me to do is give up control over music selection in any situation. For example, after numerous 12 hour (round trip) drives to Ohio from Chicago I think I’ve given up control once. Needless to say, handing over the music responsibilities to someone else for the wedding was a rough decision. My knee-jerk reaction was to fill out a list of all of the songs I wanted to play, yet when it came time for me to fill out the DJ list I only had two songs listed: The Michigan State University Fight Song and “Take Me Out To A Dancehall” by Pat Green. 

Luckily Mary and I had been collecting songs for a wedding "Do Not Play" list since we had gotten engaged. I’ve shown this list to a couple of friends, and to say it's controversial is putting it lightly. You’ll see some wedding staples on this list:

Andrew & Mary's "Do Not Play" List:

Any Bee Gees

Any Village People

Disco (In general)

“The Electric Slide”

“Friends in Low Places”

“Hang on Sloopy”

The Ohio State Fight Song

Michael Jackson

Whitney Houston

Celine Dion

Michael Bolton

Barbra Streisand

Tony Bennett 

Michael Buble

Any song with dance instructions in it (This covers a lot of songs)

The Backstreet Boys (if you recall, Mary pledges her allegiance to *NSYNC)

New Britney

“Suit and Tie”

“The Chicken Dance”

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

The B-52s

“Boot Scootin Boogie”

“Closing Time”

“Grease Medley”

“Blurred Lines”

“Baby Got Back”

“Bust A Move”

Toby Keith

“Gangnam Style”

“Harlem Shake”

“Neon Moon”

“I'll Make Love to You” (yep, we heard this at a wedding...awkward!)

Now, the point of publishing the list is not to say our musical tastes are better than anyone else. Our DJ told us that it was the most comprehensive "Do Not Play" list he had ever seen (he does 2-3 weddings a week from April to October every year so I’ll take his word for it). Hopefully this is a good starting point for some of you who are still planning your wedding and you can edit/add to it to make it your own. 

I’ve made a Spotify playlist of some of our wedding day songs (embedded below) for anyone looking for some extra inspiration. I wanted our song selection to be a unique blend of music that represented us well and that you don’t hear at every wedding. 

Grandparents & Parents Introduction: “There Will Never Be Another You” by Bud Powell. This tune is an upbeat number and I think everyone can picture his or her parents and grandparents walking in to it. Even better: there are no lyrics, so the DJ doesn’t have to compete with the lyrics of the song to make the introduction. 

 

{Photo by Starling Studio}

Bridal Party Introduction: “What’d I Say Parts I & II UK compilation Version 2” by Ray Charles. I went back and forth on this one for a while and decided to pull the trigger on it a few days before the wedding. I figured our bridal party would enjoy walking into it.  Even better, at over 6 minutes long, it gives everyone some time to enjoy their intros. 

{Photo by Starling Studio} 

Bride and Groom Introduction: “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne. OK fine, this one is a wedding standard. But the horns leading into the song are just too fitting. Plus, I knew we would be going into our first dance right away so admittedly I was fine that this song wasn’t as unique.

First Dance: “When I Grow too Old to Dream” by Nat King Cole. Not sure if Mary has told the story about how this became "our song" yet but one night in DC I came over to her house, made pasta and stuffed meatballs, and we slow danced in her kitchen as we waited for everything to cook. I’m honestly surprised this song isn’t used more at weddings or hasn’t really become more mainstream. The first time I heard it was on the Northern Exposure soundtrack my parents had growing up.

{Photo by Starling Studio}

Father Daughter Dance: “Child of Mine” by Carole King. Mary and her Dad love Classic Rock music and musicians, but finding an appropriate song was difficult. Luckily, Mary's Dad found this song and since Carole King is a legend, it was perfect for them. I'm actually playing this song as I write and Mary's tearing up thinking about the dance with her Dad. (Awww)

{Photo by Starling Studio}

Mother Son Dance: “Nothing Can Change This Love” by Sam Cooke. Mom and I debated a lot on this one and I found this one on a Spotify playlist. A lot of mother/son songs can be...uhh...a little weird...but this one fit the bill for us. 

 {Photo by Starling Studio}

Last Song of the Night: “When I Fall in Love” by Dianne Reeves off the Good Night, and Good Luck soundtrack. This is a jazzy version of the classic song. I thought it was a good note to go out on and would let Mary and I have one last slow dance before we head out. The vocals are played by a saxophone and that just gives the song a smoky feeling. 

One song that I would have worked into the wedding if I knew about it:  “Love You Till I Die” by Bennie Cole & His Soul Brothers. I heard this song on an amateur tourism video for Milwaukee recently. I did some digging and found the embedded digital copy and some description of his work but that’s it. This is just a classic tune that sounds like it would fit in a soundtrack for reminiscing.

I will leave you with two dance floor photos. We had a good time:

{Photo by Starling Studio}

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Nice job, Andrew!
It was fun to give him the reins this week - but OK, fine, I added the pictures. Guilty!
I can't wait to read what all of you are up to this week!

Missed a Wedding Wednesday post? Here are the big ones:

• How Andrew proposed
• Engagement photos
• How I asked my Matron of Honor and Bridesmaids
• Dress Shopping in Chicago 1 and 2
• When I Said Yes to the Dress!
• Wedding Shower
• Bachelorette Party 1 and 2
• Bridal Party gifts
• Wedding Week 1 and 2
• Bridesmaid Luncheon
• Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner
• Getting Ready
• My Version of a First Look
• The Ceremony
• Photos at the church
• Photos around town
• The reception 1 and 2
• The Guest Book
• The Flash Mob 
• The Details
• The Music (Andrew wrote it!)
• The Send Off
• The Honeymoon
• Wedding Wednesday Goodbye (Wedding Video)
• Wedding Withdrawal

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