Let there be music!

On Friday we got a registered letter in the mail confirming that we are indeed getting married on September 19th. It had some useful information (seriously that's what it said!) like we should arrive 10 minutes before our ceremony, bring two witnesses and ID and that we could bring a cd of music to play! MUSIC! OF OUR CHOICE!!!


I already know what the first song on the cd is going to be.


A string version of Morrissey's "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"


I love this song with the lyrics but they are a touch too....maudlin for a wedding. Without lyrics and with strings it becomes incredibly beautiful and perfect.


I'll also include "Time After Time" no, not that one from the 80's that we all know and love but the older jazz standard sung here by Chet Baker. We have a version of Dusty Springfield singing it that is phenomenal.


I remember being young and thinking the Beach Boys were a lame band. Of course this had to do with my limited knowledge of them and thinking all the songs were like Kokomo or Barbara Ann. The Mister opened my ears to Pet Sounds and Smile(put out by Brian Wilson.) if you have never heard either of these albums do yourself a favor and give them a whirl. The most heartbreaking of songs though has to be "Our Prayer" to think that this is the same band that later put out the schmaltz that it Kokomo is flabbergasting. (apologies if you happen to like Kokomo.) The Beach Boys also have the song "God Only Knows" how perfect is that for a first dance?


Then some classics from MGM musicals...


"Love Is Here To Stay" sung by Gene Kelly from An American in Paris...

"All Of You" sung by Fred Astaire from Silk Stockings...

"Moon River" sung by Audrey Hepburn(who else?!) oh and "He Loves, She Loves" from Funny Face of course!


Oh and then some Big Star "I'm In Love With a Girl"

I could go on and on and on but I'll save it for another post!

I'm not sure how long to make the cd, I think I'll only need about 30 minutes but just to be safe I'll probably put about an hours worth of music on there, then when we have our reception party next year I'll already have an hours worth of cocktail music!

Let's dance!

Ever since I can remember I have been a music snob. When I was five I had a baby sitter who would let me stay up until I either fell asleep on my own or my parents came home. She also let me watch tv, including a show that had music videos (yes, I remember the time before MTV!) I clearly remember seeing the Sex Pistols video for God Save The Queen and thinking "this is awesome!" I went to school and told everyone my favorite band was the Sex Pistols, ok so some of the love was because I knew saying their name was pretty bad ass!

The Mister has a large vinyl record collection and we have cases of cd's and full libraries on computer and ipods. We are music nerds.

I cannot imagine my wedding without music. It is "us".

I have spent the last several years keeping a mental list of first dance songs. Since I might not get a first dance which saddens me greatly because I imagine that we would somehow take some lessons and magically be able to do this... if that dress was white...swoon!




They make it look so easy!

One of my favorite first dance songs is "Time After Time" (the jazz standard not the Cyndi Lauper one!) so many wonderful singers so it, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra all have versions. Perhaps my favorite though is the Dusty Springfield version the version we have on vinyl is a bit faster and has a wonderful orchestra backing it, she really sings out on the record version. This version is the only one I could find though so it will have to do. I'm not sure why I haven't heard it at any wedding or even seen it on a first dance list in a magazine. I think it is on the same level as "At Last".