Wedding Tunes for the Off-Beat Bride

cello quartet
Sometimes I think that by the time couples pick the music for their wedding ceremony they are exhausted.  It seems like one of the final bits of the to-do list.  I sense that they don’t realize this is just another moment to express their unique style.    “Wed,” if you will, to traditional classic options and music performing configurations—a string quartet or organ for instance—many couples seem timid to step outside the box.  Three recent examples suggest that some folks let their creativity fly on this small, but important, part of the ceremony planning.

A month or so ago, I did a beautiful wedding for an English-American couple at the Midtown Loft in Manhattan.  Everything (except the weather) was perfect about the day…..a drop dead gorgeous bride and bridesmaid, beautiful decorations, and happy guests.  Every detail shined.  As I was wrapping up my obligations for the ceremony, with the license and so forth, I took a peak into the reception area.  And the couple had organized a quartet—of cellos!—to play music during the first part of the post-wedding celebration.  Having suffered a serious crush on cellists, over the years (some I’ve known and others, like Yo-Yo Ma, who I do not) I thought the decision was brilliant!  The music was delightful.

A couple of weeks later, I was preparing for another lovely ceremony at The Foundry, in Long Island City, when speaking with the Harpists Kristi Shade, with whom I’d worked before.  During the down time as we waited for all of the pre-ceremony organizing, she was practicing on her harp, and suddenly she broke out on a decidedly classical rendition of Florence and the Machines’s “The Dog Days are Over!”  Wow!  An upcoming bride had selected this song for her recessional.  Unless listening carefully to the piece, one might not notice it was a classical take on a pop tune.  But there it was.  Undoubtedly, this song had some special meaning for the couple.  This performance would must have surely brought a smile to attentive guests’ lips.

The point was brought home, yet again, when my couple this weekend selected two favorites of their bride for their big day, in their garden ceremony at Brooklyn’s Ici Restaurant…..a tune from the John Hughes teen classic “Sixteen Candles” for the processional and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)’s “I’m Alive” for their departure.   As you might imagine, everyone cheered in delight.  Congratulations to all and Bravo!

Welcome

Whether your wedding is an impromptu affair or has been months, or even years, in the making, I want to help you fashion a ceremony that reflects your history, philosophy, creativity, personality, and style – as individuals and as a couple.

Let’s craft a wonderful, meaning-filled ceremony that expresses the most significant aspect of your lives…one that recognizes the profound commitment you are making, as well as the sheer joy of the occasion.