Just when I thought I had reached the end of my wedding planning journey I think of something else that I really want to talk about and share. It’s like I really could just talk forever about weddings!
So in todays post I am going to be covering my wedding day play list. Not the playlist I had in my room when I was getting ready, not the playlist I gave the DJ for the evening, but mine & Lukes playlist, the personal songs we chose to use at certain points throughout our day.
Some couples may simply choose not to have songs played apart from the first dance. Other couples may choose a variety of personal songs that are meaningful to them. Every wedding is different, and there is most certainly no rule in how your day should be. So keep that in mind.
Okay back to my my wedding play list
Aisle walk – Lets start this off by saying I had been imagining my aisle walk since way before I met Luke, probably back when I was wondering if I might end up marrying prince Harry, or any member of One Direction, so to say this had been planned out for sometime was an understatement! I always knew that I wanted to make an entrance when it was eventually my time to take the walk. I equally knew I didn’t want to do some big parade down the aisle, which don’t get me wrong I have seen many great routines on YouTube of wedding parties doing some well planned out routine, it just wasn’t for me personally. I had heard loads of different songs over the years and at the time thought “yeah, that’s my song” then just forgotten about them as the years went by. I eventually randomly stumbled across the song This Love by Tyler Brown Williams and instantly fell in love with it. I think I actually heard it in the background of some tv show I was watching, if I’m completely honest I think it was Love Island, it was only playing very faintly in the background, but my Shazam was on it, and in no time I had the full song downloaded. What is so gorgeous about this song is how pure and connected it is. The words are too perfect for a wedding day, and it’s just a really beautiful piece. Then all of a sudden BAM! You have this amazing instrumental segment that I knew I wanted to be my entrance. My sister and I worked so hard getting the times just right so that everyone could walk on cue, which would leave me enough time for my moment. And the end result was just so perfect, it all went so well, considering there was no rehearsal for the bridesmaids and groomsmen!
Introducing our wedding party – Luke and I had an absolutely amazing wedding party, and felt like we wanted to let our guests know how brilliant they all were and how much we loved them and appreciated them standing by our sides. We therefore decided that when all the guests were seated for the meal, I would introduce the wedding party into the room two at a time. I think this is possibly quite an American thing to do, but I am so here for that! As our wedding party were going before us we needed a song to really get everyone revved up – CUE Thunderstruck by AC/DC!!! I mean what a tune!!! It got everyone up on their feet clapping and in my opinion really set the tone.
Our wedding breakfast entry – Its your wedding day, so you HAVE to make an entrance right? Well that’s what I wanted anyway. I wanted a great song so that my sister who acted as Maid of honour could introduce us into the room, and we could enter with style (I’ll use that term loosely) I had a few different songs that I kept listening too and trying to picture my entrance too, but I think once you know the song you want – you JUST know! So we settled on the intro of “Bat out of Hell” by the late great Meatloaf but instead of using his one I opted for the one from the musical instead, purely because the intro was slightly shorter and worked with the timing of the entrance. Don’t worry though we did use Meatloafs recording of the same song for the dance that came directly after our first dance, so we had the best of both worlds.
First dance – Ahhhh the first dance, loved by some couples, dreaded by many! Luke & I were not particularly fazed by the thought of a first dance, however I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the thought of it either. I just knew it was important and we needed to get it done in an elegant and classy manner (I think we managed it, just) Choosing your first dance song is a whole new level of importance! It really needs to be perfect and a song you will love to listen too forever more. When it come to choosing ours, we were super fussy, I really wanted to avoid the cliche songs, like Ed Sheerhan which seems to be immensely popular, and just for the record I completely understand why. I’m an Ed fan, and his slow songs are so romantic and give off first dance vibes, just for me personally I wanted to move away from that and go for something different. I had a few unique songs on my list but only one that really jumped out to me. It was a song that once again I had fallen in love with long before mine and Lukes paths crossed. It was a song that I had never heard at anyones wedding before, and that made me love it even more! Our chosen song was called “Darlin’ pretty” by Mark Knopfler from the band Dire Straits. The song actually features briefly in the background of one of the first scenes in the movie Twister (one of mine and my sisters favourite movies) It’s not even the whole song, it just plays softly in the background. But I managed to pick out the song find it on YouTube and have loved it ever since. It’s so different, it’s not like really painfully slow, but slow enough to do a first dance too, it also has a country vibe to it, with a bit of rock and the most beautiful guitar solo ever.
Last dance – When the night is almost over you want to finish on a high! And finish on a high we did!! I wanted a song that got everyone up singing and dancing, a song that you could just sing at the top of your lungs and get right into it. Well we made our entrance to a Meatloaf song so it felt only right to finish on Meatloafs “I’d do anything for love” Jeez, what a tune!! I make no secret of the fact that I am a Meatloaf fan and have seen “Bat out of hell the musical” 7 times, I literally love it. So of course I HAD to throw some of meatloaf’s tunes in the mix.
As previously mentioned some couples may not have that many required songs and other couples may have more. For example Luke and I weren’t worried about the background music playing whilst we were all seated and eating our 3 course meal We let Holkham run with their own specific play list. But we were certainly more fussy with other songs that would be played throughout the day.
One of my favourite things to do (when I have time) is to search for special unique and unusual songs. Songs that are a little off the grid, or really good covers. As I mentioned I had a few different songs that I thought about using and I am going to share those with you. I think it’s always nice to think outside the box.
Songs for the occasion
Kina Grannis – Can’t help falling in love
Sam Tsui & Casey Breves – Time after Time
Tim Halperin – Forever starts today
Tim Halperin – With you
Brett Young – In case you didn’t know
Kate Thompson – Heaven is a place on earth
Leeann Womack – I hope you dance
Becky Hill – Only You
Alistair Griffin & Leddra Chapman – The one
Chester See – God damn your beautiful
Callum Scott – Heaven
Jack Savoretti – I’m yours
Emily Hackett – Take my hand
Nate Ruess – Nothing without love
I’d love to hear anymore usual off the grid songs that I can share with my sister who gets married next year. Married couples, what was your first dance to?
I absolutely loved that you announced your wedding party in ahead of the breakfast, it was cute!
So American, but so personal. I left it until the week before to tell everyone ? xxx