When I found Holley’s playlist, I knew it had to be featured. In fact, it needs to be praised. I love the fact they didn’t really pay attention to lyrics and chose songs that they liked, no matter what the lyrics. After all, there are some great singing and dance tunes that might not be saying lovey-dovey words, but will pack out a dance floor!

After our officiant announced us as husband and wife for the first time, our guitarist played us back down the aisle with this song.

(love love love love)

We’d planned on doing the first dance before dinner to get it out of the way. So, after a couple minutes of mingling, the Dude and I stepped out into the center of the room as our iPod played this song.

I’d like to take a moment to share with you one of my favorite aspects of our wedding: the dinner music. The Dude and I had a very strong vision for what we wanted our guests to hear as they munched down on the yummy organic food, and it wasn’t your typical wedding music. No Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, or Motown in sight (not that we don’t chill to some Marvin Gaye or Al Green when the time is right). Instead, we wanted music that set a dreamy mood. For us, that meant fuzzy guitars, minor keys, shoegaze, local artists, indie bands, and a few unexpected classics. We didn’t pay attention to lyrics—at all.

“House of Cards” by Radiohead (In Rainbows)
“Starrsha” by Ringo Deathstarr (Ringo Deathstarr)
“All You Ever Wanted” by The Black Keys (Attack & Release)
“Dead Sound” by The Raveonettes (Lust, Lust, Lust)
“Working Part Time” by The Henry Clay People (For Cheap or for Free)
“Not Fade Away” by the Rolling Stones (Big Hits: High Tide and Green Grass)
“Run” by Air (Talkie Walkie)
“1979″ by Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
“I Guess I’m Floating” by M83 (Before the Dawn Heals Us)
“Stars” by Hum (You’d Prefer an Astronaut)
“Oh Yoko!” by John Lennon (Rushmore soundtrack)
“Glad Girls” by Guided by Voices (Isolation Drills)
“Dead Flowers” by Townes Van Zandt (The Big Lebowski soundtrack)
“Fight Test” by The Flaming Lips (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots)
“Night at the Danceclub” by For Those Who Know (For Those Who Know)
“Bell Bottom Blues” by Derek & the Dominoes (Layla)
“He Doesn’t Know Why” by Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes)
“Idioteque” by Radiohead (Kid A)
“Knot Comes Loose” by My Morning Jacket (Z)
“Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Fever to Tell)
“The First Song” by Band of Horses (Everything All the Time)
“Sweetness” by Yes (Buffalo ’66 soundtrack)
“Inside on a Day Like Today? I’m Outraged!” by Meryll (You’ve Got Cousins)
“Come in Alone” by My Bloody Valentine (Loveless)
“Hotel California” by Gipsy Kings (The Big Lebowski soundtrack)
“Sweet Darlin’” by She & Him (Volume One)
“Tangerine” by Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin III)
“Hoppipolla” by Sigur Ros (Takk . . . )

I think more than anything else at our wedding, the dinner music really reflected who we are as a couple. We got so many compliments on it, too! Even though it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I think most of our guests appreciated the change of pace from “typical” wedding music. I know our photographers did—they told us it was the best music they’d ever heard at a wedding. That might have been my favorite compliment from the whole day.

You can read even more about Holley’s wedding at her page on weddingbee. All photos by The Nichols.