When Love Happens....: Wedding songs

Pardon me, as I am still not over our wedding just yet that infact, I'm still drooling over all the teeny weeny details of it. Expect me to bombard you with some more in the days and weeks and even months to come. Bwahahaha!

Anyway, I've been telling my friends who are set to get married this year on how choosing the "right" music is so crucial to a wedding. Music in weddings can either make or break the "feel" and "mood" that you would want to extend to your guests. It is a great way to reflect your personality and set the tone for the party, whether you like a romantic, elegant feel, or a modern, clubby vibe.

One does not need to be OC to details (ahem, like me!) to execute this. Let's just say, carefully choosing the right songs should be part of your preps falling under the "Personal" category. With "personal", I meant to say that this particular assignment should not be delegated to anyone else but you and your partner. You could ask for suggestions from your sister, or your parents (for classic songs, if you wish), your best friend, your barkada, your coordinator, and yes, even from your musicians by all means, provided that each of these song suggestions should be meticulously filtered by you and in accordance to a lot of considerations- the couple's personality, the nature of the event, your guests, and the time of your wedding (some people find it a bit odd for a full band set up to actually perform on luncheon receptions) to name a few.

Jake and I opted to get both A Cappella Manila and Serenata Strings to perform at the church ceremony for our wedding. We were both members of our local church's chorale group named Burning Bush Choir (BBC) in Manila and it is through that organisation that we met each other 10 years ago. We feel that songs, may it be liturgical or love songs, are most sincerely felt when sang by a choir. ACM sang the majority of songs for our ceremony. They aced my bridal march song, "The First Time I Loved Forever" and many of our guests were moved into tears, thanks to their perfect rendition. Liturgical songs were delivered so grand that Jake and I wanted to clap our hands each time. They are that good, no wonder how they are always invited to perform abroad.

Serenata Strings played at the ceremony too for the entourage walk and for half of the photo sessions. Everyone was praising them on how good they delivered "A Thousand Years" which initially set the mood for everyone as to signal that the ceremony was about to start. I did hear a part of it and I was in awe at how good they really are considering the fact that I never got to be present during any of their rehearsals for the wedding and that I only booked them online. They also did a magnificent job serenading our guests to lovely music during the reception. It was also a plus for me that they requested for a one run rehearsal with three of our guests who they'd be accompanying.

We also got Rejectkrew for our sounds. They were at par with all of the sound effects right on the dot when needed. I gave them the freedom to decide on the songs for the games and after party and yeah, they gave us some awesome purtyyyyyy music!

Kudos to the entire ACM, Serenata and Rejectkrew team and thank you sooooooo much from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our most special day!

I've been thinking through some of the best weddings I've attended, and often, the music was a big part of what made them so special. So now, allow me to share with you some of the easy tips on choosing music that will help guarantee a memorable wedding for you and your guests.

1.) Define the mood of your event and decide on what kind of music you would like to be played at your wedding

Are you having a religious ceremony, perhaps a church wedding? Make sure to ask of the church's restrictions when it comes to choosing songs. Some churches do not allow love songs to be played during ceremony. This is one of the "must-ask" questions when looking for a church to begin with. As for the reception, will it it be a formal sit-down dinner, or an informal, relaxed celebration?

Would you like to have a string ensemble-- from a soloist to a full orchestra, or a chorale and/or a ready CD to be played during ceremony? Would you rather prefer a quartet for your reception or a full band for a more modern ambiance? Talk this over with your husband-to-be and from there, it would be much easier for you to shortlist and/or narrow down your choices for your musicians.

2.) Know the parts of your wedding where you need music

For the ceremony, you can be guided by your misalette. Most videographers don't want any music played during the exchange of vows. This is for them to document that special moment without interference. You will also be needing music for your recessional and the photo ops. Allocate a playlist as well for the Cocktail Hour as to not bore the guests while waiting. Most importantly, make sure to provide an entertaining set during dinner time.

3.) Consider your guests

Most weddings include guests from all age groups and walks of life, and your music choices should be sensitive to their needs. If you or your partner happen to be a fan of rock music, consider that not all of your guests will appreciate rock music in a such a formal gathering as a wedding. Likewise, chatting with your father-in-law with Madonna's "Like a Virgin" on the background is no fun.

4.) Do a thorough research on the lyrics

Most people think, "Oh choosing songs for a wedding should be easy!" It is actually not. Not all of your all-time and current faves can be included to your wedding playlist. Remember to listen carefully to each song, look it up in the internet if possible, and you'll be surprised on how many of them you can cross off from your list. Most, if not all, love songs nowadays depict heartbreak so bride-to-bes should really take a lot of precaution on this. Please please please take time to choose your song selections wisely and prioritise the lyrics more than the melody as this is what truly matters. For example, not many people realise that the song, "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross is actually a song for those whose dads had passed away. I've been to a few weddings before wherein brides used this song for their Father-Daughter dance and I cringed! I wanted to tell the bride, "You are actually having this dancing moment with your dad who is in front of you right now and is very much alive." It is quite a confusing a song, I believe. And for this reason, couples should spend a considerable amount of time to do GOOD research for their wedding music.

5.) If you are hiring a DJ or a band, personally choose the songs, if you can. Otherwise let them know of your dislikes.

Be sure to be clear on what your musical preferences/ genres are and most especially, your dislikes. Let them know that you do not like "Gangnam Style" or "Gwiyomi" to be played at your reception. Make it known to them- and in writing.

6.) Finalise and copy furnish your playlist to the necessary persons at least a week before your wedding

Be sure to email your final playlist included in your wedding program (both for ceremony and reception) at least 1 week before your wedding day to give your musicians or band enough time to practice. Don't forget to copy furnish this list to your coordinator, host and sound suppliers for everyone's organisation and continuity of work flow on the big day.

I've come up with some great playlist from a variety of genre which I will be sharing within the week, but for now, check out on some of our selected songs that we used for our own wedding. Enjoy!