Wedding Blog
THE MUSIC!!!
A big shout out to Rihanna, a fellow (beautiful) Caribbean woman, who is currently battling her own personal issues. I hope things work out…
Anyway, speaking of music, I’ve been putting this aspect of the wedding (particularly, the reception) off because it’s so dang daunting. I’m going to keep doing it some more too, because there’s so much to think about. We’ve got so many different tastes, ages and personalities of people coming to our wedding that it’s going to be a whopper of a task to make sure to include all the types of music that will appeal to as many people as possible. Right now off the top of my head I can think of the following musical styles being played during the reception alone:
Soca - a very fast Caribbean music that’s fun to dance (and jump up) to primarily for me, my Caribbean friends, and family
(the picture above is of Machel Montano, a huge soca star. This man sold out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row… a rare feat, but island folks love their soca)
Motown- for the older crowd
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Who doesn’t love the Four Tops and other Motown artists? With songs like “Reach Out/I’ll Be There” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honeybunch)” you’re bound to want to at least hum some of these songs.
What I like to call old school Italian wedding hits for the New England Italian portion of Mr. Swan’s family
(source)
Maybe some Dean Martin singing “Volare” or “Luna Mezzo Mare”?
’80s hits - for our friends to reminisce
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You have not lived until you’ve screamed “Living on a Prayer” at the top of your lungs… seriously…
Hip Hop and R&B - For me to get down to on the dance floor!!
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Ms. “I’m Sasha Fierce” aka Beyonce Knowles. Mr. Swan likes the “Single Ladies” song, but don’t tell him I told you, or he’ll be a bit embarrassed.
All I can say is that our DJ will have a lot on his hands trying to do all of this, but he has assured us that they can mix a good set of music to keep everyone on the dance floor, even during our daytime wedding. I’ve warned some people already that I will be shaking my groove thing, and I hope they will too. I hope that they’ll hear something new from a different genre of music or realize that they like something they don’t expect. Our wedding is about mixing experiences, personalities and cultures (and that’s just Mr. Swan and me!). I foresee this happening with the music, too.
Will you be playing various styles of music at your wedding, or are you luckier than I am and have guests with similar tastes? How are you planning on handling various musical preferences? Has anyone been to a wedding where the DJ did not play a wide variety of music? Was it more or less fun for you?
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I currently have no voice due to singing “Livin on a Prayer” at the top of my lungs at a wedding Saturday night… 
I feel daunted by this too. I went to a wedding this weekend, and was overwhelmed by all the balancing they did. Brazilian music for her family, 80’s, rock, hip hop. They did a great job, but it made me a little more intimidated for our wedding!
Hi, um, you don’t know me but I’m totally crashing your wedding. I seriously want to spend my entire reception out on the dance floor. Don’t pull me aside for small talk/pictures/shot taking. Just let me shake it with my girls.
Ms. Swan - This is the first time that I have ever made a post on a blog but i just couldn’t hold back any more. You are like my twin and it is a little scary. I can completley relate to your last few post. My family if from the Caribbean and I have had difficulty at times trying to fuse everything together.
I have been putting off the music because it is my passion but it will drive me crazy trying to bring the Soca, Reggae, R&B, Motown, Rock (Living on the Prayer is one of my favorites), Classic Rock, Disco and Pop. I am getting married in two weeks in Manhattan and at this point I feel so overwhelmed.
If you come up with any good stategies please send them my way. My only strategy is to go into my itunes playlist print them out and tell the DJ that this is what we love:)
Yes, yes, yes, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!! We have to play salsa, merengue, bachata, 80’s music, 90’s music, R&B, Hip-hop, Old School (Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye), AND it has to be done bilingually. I feel for you. I just tried to put the FH in charge and he has put some questionable songs on there (i.e. a bachata song about an abortion, I’m like, I’m not sure that’s appropriate for a WEDDING). I have to go over it with a fine tooth comb. I definitely felt daunted by the prospect
Yay Soca!!! I’m always one of the only white women to attend Carnaval in Brooklyn every year
Glad to know someone who also appreciates it
I have an extremely wide variety of musical tastes attending the wedding. I can’t please them all but I tried to please the future in laws-a little. They gave me a cd with 15 songs that they liked in case we needed “ideas”. Yeah right! I put one song in my music list. I even had one of their friends tell me I need to play music that everyone would like, 9 months before the wedding. Needless to say my music lists are a bit of everything with mostly what fiance and I like. It was such a pain at the time!
I claim victory on the daunting task of music for the reception!!!! $30 spent on iTunes, downloading tons of old CD’s for just one song and compiling a list has been done. It includes everything mentioned above except for the Soca (which I love and might add some in now that you’ve enlightened me.) If anyone would like a copy of my playlist just send me a message. I’d love to send it out. I listen to the playlist on my iPod while driving to work to make sure if all flows together. So far so good. Good music is key to a good reception I feel!
I love soca! I’m in the same predicament as you. Afro-Latin, caribbean family and friends, young, old, you name it! Needless to say the DJ is the most important part of the night!
We went to a wedding where there were big blocks of Motown that everyone enjoyed, but then big blocks of painfully loud hard rock that…I think maybe the best man enjoyed? The rest of us sat with our fingers in our ears, shouting conversations at each other in order to at least pretend we were enjoying ourselves.
Really, I think the main lesson there is to have a band, DJ, or iPod wrangler who can read the crowd and adjust as necessary. The side lesson is no matter what you play, don’t deafen the guests.
We were talking about music last night! No matter what we decide, it better be diverse! Greek music, motown, R & B, hip hop (preferably from the 90s), indie pop, classic crooners–you name it, we gotta have it.
Miss Swan, I plan on playing the exact same stuff as you. Can’t wait to hear more about your decisions (and steal your ideas)!
I think any wedding music that strays from the cliche wedding songs (Celebrate, YMCA, etc., which were unfortunately played at my wedding, against my instructions) is fantastic. The music should reflect the bride and groom (and perhaps have a few nods to their parents) and not just be generic hits.
Wonderful ideas. The music should reflect the couple’s personality.
As one lady who loves neo-soul/pop/R&B/hip-hop, marrying a Jamaican who loves “Cool Runnings” jamaican music and jazz…its been trying at times to nail down the music that we will play at the wedding. But we’ve divided it up- we will play classical for the ceremony, have a jazz trio for the cocktail hour, and a DJ for the reception. I can get my “neo-soul” on during dinner, when I will play my favorites (George Michael, Sade, Seal, Maxwell…) and then for the party music- we will open with R&B hits (to get folks dancin), have some old school classics, and then the reggae will come into play (when folks have been drinking a little bit). We have such a mix attending- its hard to please everyone. Just try limit the amount of music that YOU really want to hear- and think about what will really make your guests happy. I bet that if they are happy, you’ll be happy too!
am glad this post is here !! I too am in the same boat. am jumping at any tips posted here. We have to play salsa, merengue, bachata, 50’s, 80’s music, 90’s music, R&B, Hip-hop, Old School, rock, some elvis. Am afraid my future in-laws will not know what to do when the spanish music and the pop and hiphop is playing, especially cause they are not adventurous enough to try and dance and can’t understand it. Am really trying to play some stuff that will appeal to everyone but mostly I want the people who love to dance to get up and dance all night .. so I guess whatever keeps the dance floor packed will work.
My DJ is going to have a similar problem! My friends and family LOVE a variety of music, so I know my DJ will have a big task of keeping us all dancing!
Miss Swan, not sure how to leave you a msg, but check out the classifieds for a cupcake tree like the one you’re looking for:
http://classifieds.weddingbee.com/topic/cupcake-tree-perfect-for-wedding-cupcakes
we’re having a jazz pianist do some evergreens, jazz and contemporary numbers, which we believe will cater to everyone — hey as long as it’s a familiar tune (that’s what we believe)
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Mrs. Swan, New York City
Age and Occupation: 31, Legislative Representative
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Finance Guy
Engagement Date: August 9, 2008
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: Battery Gardens
About Me: I am an un-crafty but resourceful, Caribbean-born but New York-raised woman who's been known to analyze "Dancing with the Stars" and “So You Think You Can Dance”, buy stinky cheese, and use way too many parentheses. I keep lists for fun, am constantly daydreaming of my next international travel adventure (four continents down, three to go), debating sports (let’s Got Mets/Giants!) and dancing around my apartment to stay sane. I am excited to share our wedding planning journey as I hope to plan a streamlined, personal, and fun wedding with the greatest life partner I could ever imagine, Mr. Swan.
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