I love hearing brides and grooms explain all of their music choices. Hope and Joel definitely had a lot to say about their selection of tunes…and it’s quite the playlist! There’s a range of songs from the 70’s all the way to today’s hits. And with a musician in the family who helped pick the tunes, you can bet there was a happy mix of all sorts of music! I can’t thank Hope and Joel enough for sending me so much great info to go along with the fabulous shots from their big day!

So we broke our music into four parts: Pre-Service, Songs that went with events (processional, etc.), Cocktail Hour, and Dancin’ tunes. The songs that we used for “events” were:

Wedding party processional: Edeilweiss by Andre Rieu
Bride processional: Canon in D by Lumiere String Quartet
Bride and Groom Recessional: You’re My Best Friend by Queen
Wedding party entrance to reception: All You Need is Love- Beatles
First Dance: How Deep is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee
Father/Daughter & Mother/Son dance: Here Comes the Sun by Yo Yo Ma and James Taylor
Money Dance: My Boogie Shoes by Kc and The Sunshine Band, Get Up Offa that Thing by James Brown
Cake Cutting: A Wink and A Smile by Harry Connick Jr.
Garter Toss: I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas
Bouquet Toss: Wannabe by Spice Girls

The story behind our music is that we are both have very eclectic tastes. Love everything from rock to hip-hop, classical, jazz, etc. So, some of that is reflected in our song choices. Joel and I both had one goal when it came to the reception…get people to BOOGIE. We wanted everyone to let loose and dance. We wanted a good variety of music, but lots of classic jams that everyone could enjoy. We actually got the bulk of our reception music from Joel’s cousin, Regan. Regan got married to his wife Julie last summer, and being music buffs as well, they had a great playlist that they generously let us borrow. Regan happens to be a musician himself, he is in the Seattle band, SHIM. So, the tunes were great, and the goal was achieve. People got DOWN at the reception and it was a total blast.

I chose all of the preservice music, and it mostly consisted of chill music by some of my favorite artists – The Bird and The Bee, Sia and Imogen Heap. These artists have been on my iTunes for years and it was really great to share them with everyone (plus anyone who knew me, knew that I had designed that particular playlist haha). Our first dance song was also a Bird and the Bee version of How Deep is Your Love. Sia duets at the end as well. It’s beautiful and it was a perfect first dance song for us.

As for Cocktail music, that was in attempts to put people in a jazzy fun mood that matched our reception space. The reception was held in an Elks Lodge that has some OLD decor. Pretty sweet 70’s lounge vibe. So we wanted people to get into that mindset and relax and enjoy the fun to come. I think it worked.

Pre-service:

Cocktail:

Wedding Dancing
Song For The Asking – Simon & Garfunkel
My Girl – The Temptations
Dance, Dance, Dance – Steve Miller Band
The Golden Road – Grateful Dead
Best Of My Love – The Emotions
ABC – Jackson 5
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder
Suicide Blonde – INXS
Stay – Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
(I Don’t Know Why) But I Do – Clarence “Frogman” Henry
Get Down on It – Kool & The Gang
Another One Bites The Dust – Queen
What’s Love Got to Do With It – Tina Turner
Hold Me – Fleetwood Mac
It Won’t Be Long – The Beatles
Fooled Around And Fell In Love – Elvin Bishop
Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland
Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones
Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
Here for the Party – Gretchen Wilson
Funk – James Gang
Honky Tonk Women – The Rolling Stones
You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac
In The Still Of The Night – The Five Satins
U can’t touch this – MC Hammer
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
Shake Your Rump – Beastie Boys
Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
The Boys are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy
Need You Tonight – INXS
Miss You – The Rolling Stones
Where It’s At – Odelay Beck
California Love (Single Version) – 2Pac
No Sleep Till Brooklyn – The Beastie Boys
Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
Right Place Wrong Time – Dr. John
Mama Told Me (Not To Come) – Three Dog Night
Sister Christian – Night Ranger
Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney
Regulate – Warren G
Livin on a prayer – Bon Jovi
Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
How Do I Get You Alone – Heart
Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Night Fever – Bee Gees
Jungle Boogie – Kool and the Gang
Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Superstition – Stevie Wonder
I Want You Back – Jackson 5
Sabotage – The Beastie Boys
The Distance – Cake
These Are My People – Rodney Atkins
Fight For Your Right – The Beastie Boys
Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith
(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Sin Wagon – Dixie Chicks
Walk This Way – Aerosmith
Almost Paradise – Mike Reno & Ann Wilson
Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses
Peace Frog – The Doors
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Good Vibrations – Mark Wahlberg
Desire – U2
Ghetto Supastar – Pras
Waste – Phish
Communication Breakdown – Led Zeppelin
Footloose – Kenny Loggins
Tusk – Fleetwood Mac
Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
Free Ride – The Edgar Winter Group
Life in the Fast Lane – The Eagles
Break On Through – The Doors
Stickshifts And Safetybelts – Cake
Love You Madly – Cake
More than a Feeling – Boston
Holding Out For A Hero – Bonnie Tyler
Subterranean Homesick Blues – Bob Dylan
Here, There And Everywhere – The Beatles
I Feel Fine – The Beatles
In My Life – The Beatles
Something – The Beatles
Hey Ladies – Beastie Boys

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Photos By: Sarah Rhoades