Wedding Music
'If music be the food of love, play on' - so William Shakespeare wrote and nowhere is that sentiment more appropriate than at a wedding. From the moment the first guests take their seat until the last person leaves the dance floor, music fills the day. If chosen well, it can set the rhythm for the event enhancing the emotion during the ceremony and inspiring jubilant celebration at the reception.
You can really indulge your imagination, whether you fancy walking down the aisle to an elegant string quartet or whether you want to swirl around the dance floor to an 18th century orchestra or lively reggae music performed by a steel band, the choice is enormous. You do not have to stick to one particular type of music, as long as it reflects the atmoshpere and your particular style.
If you are not sure where to start think about the songs, music and genres that have been important to you and your partner. Consider what your passions are; maybe there is a particular song from your childhood and a genre of music that was always playing in your house. You don't have to ge with a string quartet if your musical passion is Bruce Springsteen. Do you and your fiance have a 'special' song? If you are really stuck you could always ask your bandleader or deejay for suggestions and then you could make the choice between you.
While you don't have to make a playlist for every minute of the wedding, you may want to choose some songs that punctuate significant parts, from the bride's entrance to the first dance. It may help to break the day down into specific sections.
Most weddings can be divided into five main parts: the prelude - background music that plays as guests begin to assemble - to set the mood. While a lot of people use a solo violinist, a pianist or a flautist to create a serene atmosphere, don't feel you have to use classical music, quietly played jazz would work well too. Plan to have somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes of music before the start of the ceremony.
If your wedding is in church there is usually music playing while the guests are arriving and then a separate piece for the arrival of the bride. If you wedding is held in a civic place such as a large hotel ballroom, the bride's walk may take longer than in a small country church and this will have to be carefully timed with the music. Hopefully you will have done this at the wedding rehearsal. Wagner's Wedding March from Lohengrin (better known as 'Here comes the Bride') is still one of the most popular pieces for the bride to walk up the aisle to, but nowadays some people prefer songs from motion pictures and musicals and also certain pop songs. Once the ceremony is over a joyful piece of music should be played and Mendelson's March is still very popular.
During the reception and the dinner or wedding breakfast the music should be low key and played quietly and guests will want to talk to each other. The song played during the newly married couple's first dance should be romantic and maybe have meaning for the pair of them. You may also wish to select music for the cutting of the cake and the father/bride dance. If you have a live band, talk to your bandleader to make sure that your choices are in their repertoire.
If you are chosing a song pay attention to the lyrics: one of the more popular song over the years has been 'I will always love you' by Whitney Houston - it's a good song, but it's actually about a couple breaking up. And don't make the mistake of one bride in the UK who wanted 'Everything I do...' by Brian Adams to walk up the aisle to, but couldn't remember the title or the artist. She told the vicar that she wanted 'the song from Robin Hood' - she ended up walking up the aisle at a gallop to the song from 'Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen', which is not quite what she had in mind.
For the dancing part of the reception make sure that the music is suited to your guests - if they are of all ages, make sure that you have appropriate music - your 80 year old granny probably has no wish to dance to House Music. It's always a good idea to include classics, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald Glenn Miller and other big band music. If you are both huge country and western fans, include some country and western music. As long as there is something for each age group, you can't go far wrong. If you have hired a professional band leader or deejay discuss the choices with them beforehand and let them run the show on the night.
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