A Real Hi-Fi Wedding: Rachel & Michael’s Westside Wedding

February 26, 2010
Posted by Ashley

This will be a long (but beautiful) post.

A – Because I love-beyond-words the magical imagery of Jose Villa. Constant inspiration.
B – This couple is stunning. And amazing. And have wonderful taste in music.
C – Ryan, of Beats&Bells, made the music happen. And I’m lucky to get to meet him in May at a wedding we will both we covering. This is more of that “holy cow it’s a tiny world” situation because I emailed him asking to feature this wedding, and he told me about the wedding we have in common coming up…so yeah, how neat!

So, music & wedding lovers of the world, I introduce you to the lovely Rachel and Michael. I don’t know about you guys, but oh-to-be a fly on the wall or – even better – a friend on the dance floor celebrating this sweet marriage!

You can way more photos, and read a bit about the Mr. and Mrs. on their adorable blog. And now I’d like to share their incredible play list and the awesome words their DJ, Ryan, had to say about the couple.

*click on each image of the set list to enlarge.

In late June of this year, I had the great fortune of collaborating with the highly-creative and tasteful Rachel Cardina and Michael Adkins (now R + M Lasserre). Michael immediately endeared me to the opportunity when he shared their musical vision early in our planning process; artists like M.I.A., Radiohead and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were to be mandatory. I mashed-up random combinations of these songs throughout the night and, though not every single track got played, I pulled these tracks specifically for Rachel and Michael based on the vibe they envisioned. That’s part of what distinguishes Beats&Bells from the typical wedding DJ: broad musical knowledge (deepest recesses of ‘indie’ to top 40), ability to play off the crowd and creating a customized experience for the client.

Stunning images: Jose Villa
Sweet spins: Beats&Bells