The Food of Love

Apparently, music is the food of love. And if weddings are all about love, which, well, they kind of should be (except in that bit from Spaceballs, where the priest goes, "I'm trying to perform a wedding here, which has nothing to do with love, so could you all be quiet!" Mwaha, I love that movie) then music should play a big part, right? And I'm okay with that! I love music. Except...I only love the music I love.



Which, basically, is showtunes, oldies (Judy Garland anyone?), big band, classical and maaaaybe some generic pop and fun eighties hits. Which basically means that all the music at our wedding is going to be generic pop and fun eighties hits. :-)

I'm getting around it in a few ways, like having the oldies played during mingling and dinner, and using film scores for the ceremony entrance and exit. However, the showtunes are out. They just don't GO with a wedding, according to Mr Slippers. Sorry Judy, Barbra and Linda. And the cast of Wicked.

At this point we have yet to decide on all the important music. I know, it's cutting it a bit close. This is what we have so far:

General Background Music while guests mingle and seat themselves for the ceremony: I haven't picked these out entirely, but they will mostly be film scores with a bit of Mozart (for sure) and other classical pieces thrown in. No Wagner, please!

Bridal Party Entrance (ceremony): Theme from The Cider House Rules by Rachel Portman, or Benedick the Married Man from Much Ado About Nothing by Patrick Doyle.

Bride's Entrance (ceremony): Theme from Father of the Bride by Alan Silvestri.

Bride & Groom Exit (ceremony): PM's Love Theme from Love Actually by Craig Armstrong.

This is where stuff goes a bit wonky. We have NO Clue what to use for our reception introduction. So onto the next thing, where our inate geekniness is now revealed:

First Dance: Under Your Spell by Amber Benson, from the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer musical episode, Once More With Feeling.

Father/Mother/Daughter Dance: (I'm dancing with both my parents for this one) The Way You Look Tonight by Steve Tyrell. It's the version from Father of the Bride, to keep a running theme going, and it makes my mom cry. Ok, and it makes me cry too.

First Song for Everyone to join in: I'm a Believer by Smashmouth. This song is just fun, kickass, and everyone knows it. I love it!

There then follows a long list of party-fun hits, to be played as the DJ thinks is appropriate. I hope I can trust him.

Sisters are doing it for themselves	Aretha Franklin & Annie Lennox
Love in the First Degree	Bananarama
Manic Monday	Bangles, The
Leave a Light On	Belinda Carlisle
Uptown Girl	Billy Joel
Video Killed the Radio Star	Buggles
Mickey	B*Witched
Tub Thumping	Chumbawamba
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun	Cyndi Lauper
Call Me	Blondie
Come on Eileen	Dexy's Midnight Runners
I Love to Hate You	Erasure
She Drives me Crazy	Fine Young Cannibals
King of Wishful Thinking	Go West
500 Miles	Proclaimers, The
Power of Love	Huey Lewis
Walking on Sunshine	Katrina & the Waves
Footloose	Kenny Loggins
Beds are Burning	Midnight Oil
Spirit in the Sky	Norman Greenbaum
I Touch Myself	Divinyls
Jump for my Love	Pointer Sisters
It's Raining Men	Weather Girls
Wake me up before you go go	Wham
My First the last my Everything	Barry White
Stayin Alive	Bee Gees
I Will Survive	Gloria Gaynor
YMCA	Village People
Brown Eyed Girl	Van Morrison
Dancing Queen	ABBA
Yes	Merry Clayton
Bitch	Meredith Brooks
Teenage Dirtbag	Wheatus
Crazy	Gnarls Barkley
In Your Eyes	Kylie Minogue
Amazed	Lone Star
Don't Call me Baby	Madison Avenue
Nellie the Elephant	Toy Dolls
Like a Prayer	Madonna
Wake up Call	Maroon 5
I'll be there for you (Friends)	Rembrandts
I Don't Feel Like Dancing	Scissor Sisters
Kiss Me	Sixpence None the Richer
Simply the Best	Tina Turner
One Day in your Life	Anastacia
You and Your Hand	Pink (any other Pink)
Come out & Play	Offspring
Pretty Fly	Offspring
Somebody to Love	Queen
Poison	Alice Cooper
All the Small Things	Blink 182
Breakfast at Tiffany's	Deep Blue Something
It's The End of the World as we Know it	REM
I Held her in my Arms	Violent Femmes
Wherever You Will Go	The Calling
Iris	Googoo Dolls
Kryptonite	3 Doors Down
New Age Girl	DeadEye Dick
Johnny B Good	Chuck Berry
All Star	Smashmouth
Rock around the Clock	Bill Haley

It's kind of a weird mix, but I like it! And I told the DJ that he doesn't HAVE to play all of these, especially if they're not working, but if they are, then let loose with the list! And that he could mix in some other current stuff but not to play any rap or R & B. Or doof doof crap.

Last Dance: Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland. I had to bring this in somewhere, since it's my favourite song and artist of all Time.
Does anyone else still cry in The Wizard of Oz when she sings?

So that's our music....sort of. I'm really worried about it, actually, because I love music and singing so much that it's always a big part of why I enjoy parties or not. And my DJ, thinking that people like line-dancing favourites and pumping choons, is not helping. I doubt that 98% of my guests would want that crap. *Sigh* I just hope it works out in the end. I hear so many bad DJ stories.

Hey Mr DJ

So tonight we met our DJ for the first time. He managed to arrive extremely early, which meant that I was still cooking (read as: warming up last night's schnitzel and microwaving two potatoes) and so I was therefore a tad frazzled. However, he seemed nice and at least he wasn't late (I abhor lateness), so we sat down with his massive folder of cds and started chatting about what we wanted.

Well, what we wanted and what HE wanted turned out to be two entirely different things. My idea of great music is show tunes, but I had already promised Mr Slippers that I wouldn't be inflicting that on people. Everything else I like is basically oldies (which will be played during dinner and mingling), alternative, rock, punk, fun 80's choons, and some generic pop. Mr DJ, however, had the idea that no party is complete without dance, house, trance, doof doof, club remixes, R & B and rap. Um, how do I put this?

NO.


N - FREAKING -O.


SNOWBALL IN HELL, ETC.


So then followed the awkward part, where he has clearly decided I'm just a silly little girl, and therefore must be treated with care and condescension. So basically he said of course he will play what I want, but people want to hear some "proper" dance tunes, so if they don't dance, then it's my own fault (ok, he didn't put it like that at all, but it's what he was thinking). And I'm thinking that just because you like one type of music and I like another, doesn't make yours "proper" and mine not. (Actually I think it's the other way around, but I would never say that to a client!) Anyway, I seriously doubt my friends are going to want to listen to doof doof particularly. That's why they're my friends; we have stuff in COMMON.

Anyway, who doesn't want to dance to 500 Miles, Come on Eileen, Nellie the Elephant and Bad Moon Rising?

Image source

I just hope he plays what we want in the end. Ok, so I told him that if the dance floor clears during one of my choices, he can axe it and its kind. But I think I selected some really great, fun songs, with a blend of eras to satisfy everybody there. I just decided that Rihanna, Beyonce, Usher, 50 cent, Jay-Z, hiphop, rap and R & B should not feature. Surely there's enough OTHER music that we won't run out without having to play stuff that usually makes me switch off the radio and wipe the blood from my ears?