Miss Unicycle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 23, Editor for a Web Publishing CompanyFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, MD/PhD StudentEngagement Date: March 26, 2011Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Bridges of Poplar CreekAbout Me: I’m a writer by trade who likes analyzing pop culture, making fun of celebrities, and laughing until I cry. I’m the queen of half-assed crafts, and there’s nothing I won’t try to DIY. You can usually find me reading blogs on my laptop in front of a good Lifetime movie, wine in hand. I’m planning a polka-dotted summertime wedding to my physics geek college sweetheart, and when I’m not making stupid puns I’m freaking out about my wedding timeline.
…and other songs not to play at your wedding reception.
I started a spreadsheet of song ideas a while back (thanks, yet again, Google Docs!), and every time I hear a song I want to use for the wedding, I add it to the spreadsheet, noting whether it’ll be for the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, or other (cake cutting, wedding-party intros, etc.). The spreadsheet has been steadily growing for the past five months or so, and the other day I looked back at some of the songs I’d added at the beginning.
I did a double take when I saw “S&M: Dancing.” Suddenly I was overcome with visions of Mr. Unicycle’s grandma belting out “Sex in the air/I don’t care I love the smell of it” while my great aunt grinds lasciviously with a groomsman. Hmm. Maybe a song about sadomasochism isn’t the best choice for a classy wedding reception celebrating the sacred vows the Unicycles have just made. Here’s what else you might want to reconsider adding to your playlist:
Songs about exes:
Every time I go on the treadmill (my absolute favorite place in the world…) I play Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.” That song is just so dang catchy! It’s the perfect tempo for running (OK fine, jogging [all right fine, walking quickly]) and also dancing. I also love belting out the lyrics in the car. But, um, why would “the one that got away” have any place at our wedding? And for the record, neither I nor the mister even has a “one that got away,” which somehow makes it even more inappropriate.
Miss Turkey, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 29, Brand ManagementFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, ConsultantEngagement Date: February 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Rittenhouse HotelAbout Me: I'm a marketer who loves a good glass of wine, anything pumpkin-flavored, every crime drama on TV and, of course, Mr. Turkey. It's funny to say out loud, but we're former coworkers turned betrothed---now planning a wedding in the city of Brotherly Love. For three years, we've been eating our way through Philadelphia, playing tourist at home, and cheering for every sports team in the 215. Although we've hit some unplanned snags along the way, we're determined to have a rocking party this spring with our loud, fun families and friends.
Now that we had the venue set, we needed to make it a party. And when we thought about all our favorite weddings in the past three years, the consistent element was music. More specifically, a rocking band that kept people on the dance floor all.night.long.
This would be #2 in Mr. Turkey’s limited repertoire of dance moves that Bridesmaid M is trying so desperately to teach him.
And we knew JUST the band that would keep our party rocking. How? From another wedding, of course.
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
The father/daughter dance is something I’m really looking forward to. My father is an amazing man and has always been there for his daughters. He is the smartest, hardest-working man I know, and I am so honored to have him walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.
When “Butterfly Kisses” came out all those years ago, I thought for sure it was what Dad and I would be dancing to.
Mrs. Cinnamon Bun, Calgary, AlbertaAge and Occupation: 26, Stage ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Theatre TechnicianEngagement Date: June 22, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Calgary Opera CentreAbout Me: I'm a life-long crafter and bookworm living in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Some of my loves include Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, knitting, opera, musicals, Etsy, baking, and of course, Mr. Cinnamon Buns. We're keeping our wedding close to home---the venue isn't very far from our house, and we live within walking distance of 6 bridal salons. I'm using the wedding as an excuse to try out every craft project I possibly can, with the endless help and support of my fiance.
A wee piece of advice from the other (OMG) side of the wedding ceremony:
Don’t be afraid to do things last minute. I know you want to get all your DIYs done before the week of the wedding, and I think that is indeed the best way to plan. I’m talking about if, for instance, you are two weeks from your wedding and suddenly decide that you and your fiance should take dance lessons. You might have been thinking about it previously, and wondering if you should. Don’t let the fact that you’re two weeks out stop you from looking into it!
You might have guessed that the above was not an entirely theoretical example…I searched the internet and found a few dance studios that offered dance lessons to help with first dances and things. In the process of looking for reviews, I found a studio that had a note in their WeddingWire profile saying, “last minute bookings OK!”
I stopped looking for reviews at that moment and sent an email. Read more…
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
If you’ve never seen it or want to take a trip down memory lane, it is definitely worth checking out.
If you cry at the end, don’t feel ashamed. I cry every time I watch it. Read more…
Mrs. Lox, BaltimoreAge and Occupation: 33, Government WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 35. IT ConsultantEngagement Date: May 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Vandiver InnAbout Me: I’m an East Coast gal born and bred and a suburban brat turned city rat for the last year. Now Mr. Lox and I enjoy walking all kinds of places, having the coolest things around in our backyard, and especially our garage parking. I love gadgets, toys, Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, monkeys, and our insane cats. I’m a blonde by birth and a redhead by choice. I’m that girl in the cubicle farm with all the cool toys and the file cabinet covered in magnetic poetry. I still use smiley faces in my emails, whether people like it or not. This is not the first rodeo for Mr. Lox nor me. And together, we are planning an intimate afternoon wedding on a budget we can afford by ourselves.
So, now that the planning stage is over, I am totally qualified to tell you about my favorite part of the planning process. And it might surprise you… at least I know it surprised me.
One of the things Mr. Lox and I decided to do a long time ago was to take dance lessons before the wedding. But then, as wedding planning kicked into high gear, neither of us could really find the time to research and find a place to take lessons. I was surprised to learn that it’s not as easy to find good dance lessons as I thought it would be. But then, it was Groupon to the rescue. We found a Groupon for a Ballroom Blitz class. It was four weeks long with a different dance being taught each week. We figured we could decide which one of the four would be right for our song and then we’d be set.
After the third group lesson, we realized that a class like that wouldn’t cut the mustard for what we really wanted. It was fun, and I’m totally glad we did it (would do it again in a heartbeat) but we needed private instruction. So, just a handful of weeks before the wedding, we went for a package of 10 private dance lessons with Beginning Ballroom. And hive, this was the best wedding planning decision we made.
The obvious benefit was a confident and nice looking first dance. You all get that. But it had another, even greater, hidden benefit. Read more…
Mrs. Pain au Chocolat, Wilmington, DEAge and Occupation: 29, RealtorFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, RealtorEngagement Date: November 21, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Greenville Country ClubAbout Me: An ENFJ with an artistic streak who loves backgammon, sailing, graphic design, and sleeping in. Travel (near or far), good wine, and tasty food makes my heart sing. I'm a compulsive list-maker who lives to plan and organize. Mr. P and I have lived together for 4 years, all the while renovating our city townhome bit by bit. We're planning a whimsical, Anthropologie-inspired garden wedding in June 2011.
I haz no dancing skillz. I’m a lefty with two left feet! Dancing is one of the few things that can turn this confident, outgoing bride into a reluctant wallflower. Confession: I’ve never really gone dancing. That whole part of young adulthood… I missed the memo. Merengue? Tried it while studying abroad in the Dominican Republic; never took, my hips don’t move like that.
Do these diagrams confuse anyone else??
This whole “dancing thing” (because it is now a thing for me) was brought to the forefront quite recently as I watched our newly married friends kicking up their well-choreographed heels at their wedding in Mexico. Read more…
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
I *love* to dance. A few years ago, my perfect night was going out and shaking my booty. Now I’m old and I get tired at 9 PM, so my perfect Friday night involves jumping around our living room and playing Just Dance 2 on the Wii.
Mrs. Seal, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 25, Personal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Sales and Support SpecialistEngagement Date: December 12, 2009Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Sts Peter and Paul Church/The Bently ReserveAbout Me: I am a goofy, wannabe crafty, well-intentioned Renaissance Woman (OK, perhaps "aimless wanderer" is a more aptly suited term for me, but hopefully you get the point)—basically I dabble in just about everything and pride myself in such. Without warning, I occasionally breakout into soulful improvised songs and interpretive dances and there's just no stopping me! As so many others before me, planning our wedding has unearthed a deep, intense passion for all things bridal and I secretly fear the day it will come to an end. Mr. Seal and I are quite the pair and life with him by my side is extremely rewarding—I am so thankful to have found him. Together we are planning a black-tie San Francisco affair for 250—light on the stuffiness and with lots of extra Seal-y flair.
Basically, hive…I want our wedding to be a major dance party. And when I say dance party, I want to emphasize the DANCE and the PARTY. (Not sure what that means, but I think you get the gist of it.)
Now, as you may recall, our plans are for a pretty formal event. However, I want to note that simply because we are hosting a “black-tie affair” that’s not to indicate that it will be a “no-fun affair.” I mean, just because people will be showing up in ties and gowns doesn’t dictate stuffiness or that we won’t be lettin’ loose on the dance floor.
Because, oh boy, will we be cuttin’ a rug on that dance floor.
Most of the people in my family are dancers—well, not professional dancers, but normal people who enjoy dancing, nonetheless. Mr. Seal’s family? The same. Oh, and don’t even get me started on our friends—I don’t know if it’s pure coincidence that we all love to boogie or if they’re our friends because they like to shake their tail-feathers like nobody’s business. Either way…we all win.
Mrs. Biscuit, Morgantown, WVAge and Occupation: 24, Dental StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Chemist at a pharmaceutical companyEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Catholic Church, Lakeview Golf Resort and SpaAbout Me: I'm an engineer who decided to trek back to my hometown three years ago to become skilled in the arts of drilling and filling. I'm engaged to a pretty awesome guy who tests your assorted benzodiazepines by day and home brews by night. Together we have two fur children, Tsali and Tobias N. Fünkat. I'm a lazy perfectionist and eternal sorority girl who enjoys running, crafting, string cheese, good beer, and bad reality TV. We are planning a Big Fat Italian/Sicilian/Polish wedding filled with DIY details and are expecting 300 +/- 50 guests. Our whimsical summer affair is themed "Alice attends the Mad Hatter Vintage Garden Tea Party in a Ballroom. She Thinks That The Venue is Odd for a Vintage Garden Party, but is Tripping on LSD, so She Doesn't Really Care." Yes, I am the Dickens of themes.
Since I went to an engineering school for undergrad, I became quite deft in the ways of the engineer shuffle. You know, that super cool dance all the engineers know. What, you haven’t heard of it before? Well, let me illustrate it for you.
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
…but after just a little cajoling from me and a lot of convincing from my friends, Mr. S has finally agreed that we can have a first dance, as long as we don’t have a bouquet and garter toss (which I’ve never wanted in the first place), and as long as he can choose the song.
But Mr. S was having trouble deciding. While I’d been leaning towards some indie first dance songs, Mr. S wanted something classic, an oldie. But beyond that, he was drawing a blank. So I offered to put together a large list of classic love songs for him to choose from, and he went for it.
Mrs. Dolphin, Gainesville, FLAge and Occupation: 24, Graduate Architecture StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Interactive Interface DeveloperEngagement Date: February 14, 2008Wedding Date: May 2010Venue: Plantation Bay Country ClubAbout Me: I’m currently a Graduate Student at the University of Florida studying Architecture. I enjoy playing Scrabble with my Fiance, rooting for the Florida Gators, making any drink that involves a blender, cleaning (yes... I’m crazy), design... GOOD design that is, the new Pepsi with natural sugar, taking pictures, discovering new places in the U.S., and obsessing over doing (and designing) everything myself for our upcoming wedding!
In my last entry, you saw our first dance along with a little bit of our practice footage. I probably showed a total of 20 seconds of practice footage. Y’all… it certainly took longer than 20 seconds to learn how to dance. That’s for sure.
Here we are bustin’ a move.
Mr. Dolphin and I took private lessons at the Imperial Dance Studio here in Gainesville. We signed up for their wedding package, which included two hours of private lessons, along with two hours of private practice (in our own studio, by ourselves) for $140. Not bad in our book.
At our first lesson our instructor listened to our music and danced quietly around the room by herself, figuring out which type of dance style fit best with our music. After a few minutes of humming and moving around, she determined a fox trot would be perfect for our first dance song, I’m Yours by Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Calliet.
The first practice consisted of loud sighs by Mr. Dolphin, lots of stepping on toes, and a few “scenes” by Mr. Dolphin. Read more…
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
Sorry Tina Turner, there will be no dancing for money here. The title is actually in reference to a private last dance at our reception. I first learned about the private last dance at BM Aggie & Groomsman Runner’s wedding. As the guests left to prepare for the grand exit from the reception, the bride and groom stayed behind in the reception room to have one last dance all alone.
The plan is to have all of the guests exit to prepare for our send off, and the DJ will start our song and then leave the room as well. We won’t be completely alone; one of our photographers will remain to take some shots as we enjoy the last minutes of our wedding day. I am so excited for this moment!
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
My friends and I have this phrase. I’m going to share with you, I promise, but first I want to tell you how the phrase came to be.
Do you have a tendency to over-document your life in photos like I do? I actually have an all around problem with over-sharing, but that’s another story entirely. What is it that prompts me to take 100 pictures every time I am with friends? Why do I always feel validated once they are posted on Facebook? I don’t know. I’m confused by it myself.
Mrs. Moonbeam, Los Angeles/San AntonioAge and Occupation: 26, Intern ArchitectFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Studio Analyst, aspiring ScreenwriterEngagement Date: May 20, 2009Wedding Date: November 2009Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (LaCoste, TX) and Mary Gray Events Center (Castroville, TX)About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, but after college I moved to Seattle for a couple of years and loved it. Then I followed my beau out here to LA and we're getting settled in. I've been making things since I can remember. I was raised by crafters. I love to sew, draw, paint, build, cook, bake (anything with a tangible end result is fair game). In that same spirit, I've been hosting since I was old enough to cook and set a fancy table. I kind of take after my grandmother, who believes that your morning OJ always tastes better out of the good crystal.
I would like to start this post out by letting it be known that Mr. Moonbeam did enjoy himself, see proof below. He may “hate” dancing, but that smile on his face makes me think otherwise.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
![Let's [First] Dance (It'll Be Okay Da Da Do Do) : wedding dance music providence Dscn299 DSCN299](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7DeibhmMpOM/TQGXiSYg83I/AAAAAAAAA2U/c4O_MM-1xjg/s1600/DSCN2994.JPG)
