Weddingbee Blog

When our DJ asked for out list of “must play” songs, my response was probably a little more than he bargained for. I will openly admit that I was the overbearing bride who attached a multi-page Word document to my reply email, and I’m not sorry I did! I knew that the music selection would play a huge role in establishing the tone of the reception, and I was going to do everything in my power to ensure we ended up with photos like these:

Since those are in fact shots from our wedding, clearly it was a success!

Now, my document started with the specifics that were requested by the DJ: first dance, father-daughter dance, last dance, etc. I already mentioned that our first dance was to Brad Paisley’s “Then” and my father-daughter dance was to Amos Lee’s “Sweet Pea.” For the last dance we went with a song that in my mind completely captured the feel of our wedding. In fact, I liked it so much I had already used its lyrics on our bar.

So when the night ended, I exhaustedly rested my head on Mr. D’s shoulder while Blake Shelton’s “Honeybee” played over the speakers.

But anyway, back to all of the dancing that made me so tired in the first place! The next section of my Word doc was other “must play” reception songs. These included Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” so Bridesmaid M could be her bad MJ-loving self:

Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” a classic at any party, but particularly awesome in my book since the White Sox won the World Series in 2005. An unexpected added bonus with this song was that our youngest guest turned out to be a major fan. Clearly, the baby loves Journey!

Another must-play song was in honor of all the times the females in my family who had cuddled up on the couch to watch Dirty Dancing. While we did not attempt a lift, I did successfully get my grandmother on the dance floor with “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”:

There were a few others that made the cut, but I think you get idea! The next section in my document was the We-Don’t-Care-If-You-Play-These-Specific-Songs-But-Here-Is-A-List-To-Give-You-An-Idea-Of-The-Feel-We-Want-For-Cocktail-Hour. In case you weren’t aware, I am a big country music fan (Nashville will do that to a girl), but I knew that not all of our guests shared my enthusiasm for this genre. I didn’t want fiddles and twang to scare people off the dance floor, so I used the cocktail hour to play some of my country favorites. It was in a barn after all! The above mentioned list included Randy Travis “Forever and Ever, Amen”, Zac Brown Band “Chicken Fried” and Tim McGraw “Green Grass Grows”.

Finally, the last section in my document was We-Don’t-Care-If-You-Play-These-Specific-Songs-But-Here-Is-A-List-To-Give-You-An-Idea-Of-The-Feel-We-Want-For-The-RECEPTION. This list looked a little more like Taio Cruz “Dynamite”, AC/DC “You Shook Me All Night Long” and Pink “Raise Your Glass”. As I noted with this list, basically I wanted the DJ to do whatever he had to do to keep people dancing. All I can say is that he certainly fulfilled that request!

How much control will you have over the music selection?

Do you want people dancing the night away, or are you aiming for a more low-key reception?

*All photos by Lotus Blossom Photography

Girls Get Ready

Arriving at the Venue

The Dalmatians Rehearse

Dress Me Up

An Ode to My Bouquet (and the ’Bee)

The Dalmatian First Look

Solo Shots

The Boys and Girls

Last Photos as Fiances

Prepping the Scene

The Dalmatians Say I Do

Newlywed Pics Take 1

Newlywed Pics Take 2

Cocktail Hour Barn Style

It’s In the Details

Wise Words and Good Eats

And We Danced

The Reception

Let Them Eat Cake

What’s Cake Without Ice Cream?