Wedding Music

I spent a long time agonizing over the music for my own wedding.  I wanted my choices to be personal but not cheesy, tacky or too predictable. 

So how do you decide what to play?  Do you have a band or a DJ, a quartet or maybe just a single violin?  Your taste, budget and venue will dictate some of the answers to these questions.  Many venues provide their own DJs as part of a package and prohibit you from using an outside one.  You can often find musicians at a local university or college who will perform for a reasonable fee, but if you have to use recorded music and skip the DJ that is perfectly acceptable. In fact it may be more appropriate in smaller spaces.  I used play lists that I put together on my lap top.  If you are more technologically sophisticated you could use your i-pod as long as it works with the venue’s stereo system.

I had three plays lists: a prelude, cocktail hour and dinner music, and more traditional music you would expect at a wedding for after dinner.  Checking CDs out of your local library and copying tracts you like could save you some money, but that would violate copyright laws.

Tragically, when my last laptop died the play lists died to. If you want to keep them forever BACK THEM UP  in more than one place L. My husband listened to every piece of music and gave it a thumbs-up or down and I got help from some friends who are much cooler than I am.  To the best of my recollection these are the lists:

Prelude:

Music Box Dancer (from the O’Neill Brothers)   

Purcell, Rondeau

Presto Violin Patria in G Minor (it was January)

How Beautiful (Twila Paris)

Scarborough Fair, O’Neill Brothers

Moon River, O’Neill

Monteverdiana IV, Sonata, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet

Greensleeves ( It was winter).

Ceremony:  a good friend sang Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. I agonized over this choice the most.  Finally I just had to CHOOSE.  It turned out to be fantastic.

Cocktail Hour and Dinner Music:

Sounds crazy but the sound track from the Triplets of Bellevue has some amazing and happy music.

Lovers Lane, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Louise, Django Reinhard

Wished For You, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Opening Theme Tripletts of Bellevue, Ben Charest

Trust in Me, Etta James

Belleville Jungle, Ben Charest

Fever, Shirley Horn

Jazzy Bach, Ben Charest

Cabaret Opening, Ben Charest

Satin Doll, Duke Ellington

Blues Clair, Django Reinhard

Tornerai, Django Reinhard

I've Found a New Baby, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Someone to Light Up My Life, Shirley Horn

French Mafia Theme, Ben Charest

Peel me a Grape, Shirley Horn

Wash Jones, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Belleville Rendez-Vous, Ben Charest

Danny Diamond, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Saint- Louise Blues, Django Reinhard

Bouncin' Around, Django Reinhard

Sweet Georgia Brown, Django Reinhard

At Last, Etta James

After Diner:

Shining Star, The Manhattans

I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), The Proclaimers

Your Precious Love,  A. Brooks

I’m a Believer, Smashmouth

Your Song, Elton John

One Week, Bare Naked Ladies

Walking in Memphis, Mark Cohn

Suspicious Minds, Dwight Yoakum

Never is Enough, Bare Naked Ladies

True Companion, Marc Cohn

How Deep is Your Love, Bee Gees

Strong Enough, Cheryl Crow

I Don’t Want to Lose You Yet, Steve Earle

Meet Virginia, Train

Drops of Jupiter, Train

Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas

Always a Woman to Me, Billy Joel

Private Idaho, B-52s

Love Shack, B-52s

Here Comes My Girl, Tom Petty

Sara Smile, Hall & Oates

She’s Always a Woman to Me, Billy Joel

Sweetest Thing, U2

Magic Carpet Ride, Steppen Wolf

Transcendental Blues, Steve Earle

Galway Girl, Steve Earle

When She Was My Girl, The Four Tops

Mary Jane’s Last Dance, Tom Petty

Monk at the Disco, Bobby Bare, Jr.

Your Body is a Wonderland, John Mayer

Blister in the Sun, Violent Femmes