JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum Weekly Topic #60--Wedding Songs

Hey all,

Sorry, I haven;t been around much this week. We are at Wedding Central in VA. My sister-in-law is getting married tomorrow and we just got back from the rehearsal dinner. We are all in the wedding and so it's been a little hectic. So in honor of the wedding...here's this week's question...

What was, is or will be your wedding song, first dance song, whatever. Please relate any funny stories if you have them.

Keep posting,
Ashleigh

hey every1,
i'll have to go with "I DO" by paul brandt which i played at my sister's wedding and choked right in the middle of. that will teach me to bring lyrics for that sort of show and practice more alot more.

also same wedding (how i still played i still don't know) i did "you are the love of my life" by sammy kershaw. made it through that one a-ok, and saved myself gracefully.

for first dance at my wife and i's wedding we had "the dance" by garth brooks how original!!!

anyways ash, good luck with the sappy stuff.
jt

When my lovely wife and I were married, Kathy Mattea sang us a beautiful song, "I Know the Difference Now" written by Hugh Moffat.

Years back, I used to sing the Wedding Song by Paul Stookey and Beautiful by Gordon Lightfoot at several weddings.

My only funny story wasn't funny at the time. I was on my way home to change clothes before singing at a wedding when my car broke down. By the time I got help, I had to go immediately to the church. I was wearing old jeans, a t-shirt and a faded denim jacket. I hoped they'd put me up in the choir loft, but the microphone was already set up near the pulpit. The best man told me not to worry, but the bride's mother glared at me the whole time.

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Mike Dunbar Music

[This message has been edited by Mike Dunbar (edited 09-24-2002).]

Ok.....not that i'm a sentimental guy or anything, but I'll bit.

"Me & You" by Kenny Chesney was our first dance song at our wedding. Thought it summed "us" up pretty well so we went with that; and we both really like his music (minus a certain tractor song!).

Hi!
I sure remember which song we danced because we got married a month ago!
We had been thinking about Tracy Lawrence´s "Meant To Be" but eventually danced Vince Gill/Patty Loveless´ "My Kind Of Woman/My Kind Of Man".
We really enjoyed it though she was worried about stepping her dress!

Juan

Always and Forever.......
Good song.......but, oh so untrue....

for us anyways......

Thought Shania had it all Sewn Up with "From This Momemt" for Current Weddin' Songs?

Been awhile since I've BEEN to a Weddin'--so I confess I don't really Know What's Playin'...

Big Hugs,
Stan

At my wedding ceremony they played "Longer" and "Time in a Bottle". Our first dance at the reception was "Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life" (speaking of original)
I've played my share of ceremonies and receptions and 2 of the more unusal requests for cermonies were "Time" by Alan Parsons and "He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother"

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New CD "Penny for My Thoughts now available at
www.kenfranz.com,CD Baby and Amazon.com

Funny this should come up. My wife and I celebrated our 25th anniversary this past August -- and she still likes me! -- and I was actually thinking about such things as wedding songs.

We were married at the synagogue at JFK airport (alas, it, and the other two houses of worship are no longer there). We walked down the aisle to two friends singing a song of mine, "To You", with lyrics adapted for the ocassion. The song we danced to was a "waltzed up" version of "To You" as well.

I still like the melody and harmony of the song, but to be honest the lyrics, even "improved" for my own wedding, were never really "on." Still....

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Steven Rosenhaus
Singer/Songwriter
Composer/Conductor

I did photography for a hand full of weddings a few years ago. One of the most intresting things was there was "nobody" in charge so I had make my own program to make sure I got every photo. I sweated every aspect of the wedding until that last photo was taken. Boy how I wish someone else would have been in charge! So if any of you "ladies" get married please have someone in charge!

Been married 35 years. Still remember I sang You'll Never Walk Alone.

Anyone remember the comical "I went to your wedding, your mother was crying, your father was crying..." song?

Our first song was "Lost Together" by the Canadian Band, Blue Rodeo. The band is still together and so are my wife and I.

BB

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Who says I can't play the banjo?

Been Married 10 years and it feels like 40.

This is not a ploy to get you to listen to my tune. But it's funny this topic came up.
I have a song about marriage (a sarcastic take that is) "It don't get any Better"
Should of sang this at my wedding .
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/daviddouglaswright_music.htm

It's a hoot.
David

Hey all,

These are great. I tried to listen to your song, David, but I couldn't get it to work. I can identify with the emotion of it all. Sometimes I think it's more emotional when your not the one getting married. I laughed threw my own wedding, but was way more emotional through my sister-in-law's wedding this weekend. Maybe it's age. Anyway, this weekend's newlyweds' song was "What a Wonderful World" played by a string quartet.

For my wedding song, we didn't get to have the song I wanted. The whole music thing was really quite comical. This guy fancied him self a great singer and musician and really wanted to rock out. My mother-in-law and I had vision of classy piano music in the background and for some dancing rather than a DJ. Well, he said the piano there was out of tune...I think he just really wanted to use his keyboard. I wanted him to play "I Love the Way You Love Me" sung by John Michael Montgomery. He said he didn't know it. I asked for "Just Look at Us" sung by Vince Gill...He didn't know that either. Well, we finally said, Just do something you do know that's approriate. So he started playing...I'm In the Mood for Love...which was okay, but then he started SINGING! We never mentioned singing. This guy sounded so lounge that it was embarrassing. I spent the whole song whispering to my huband, "He's singing, why is he singing, who told him to sing!" I was mortified because the impression to everyone else is that this is the guy we CHOSE to play at the wedding. So, of course, I spent the rest of the night going around saying, "Can you believe this guy? We had no idea he was going to sing...etc." I will never be able to get his loungy renditions of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Rock This Town" by the Stray Cats out of my head and if you ever meet me in person, I'd be glad to do my impression of him for you.

Keep posting,
Ashleigh

We got married about 3000 miles from my hometown, so many of my old friends simply could not attend. But they all chipped in and hired an Elvis tribute artist to crash the reception. It was a private joke, but he was a hit. He showed up as a 70's Elvis and just rocked the place.

BB

Ash,
Well, this is kinda off your question of "me and mine", but yeah, wedding song stuff is in there.
I played 4 tunes in the service for my producer/recordist's wedding this weekend and was really impressed by one of the tunes I was required to learn. "Grow Old Along With Me". Having never heard it before I'm not quite sure of its' origins, but my buddy sent me a beautiful version of it by Mary Chapin Carpenter, so I had some fine help there! (Lots of real heartfelt rubato passages betwixt phrasings and a very nice interpretation on the theme in the guitar instrumental.)
A kinda scary one of the 4 was "Be Not Afraid" which has some frightening references to death in a lot of forms and standing before "the pow'rs of hell" and whatnot. LOL I got to liking the melody as I forced myself to practice it; it just didn't seem too "appropriate" for a wedding, but, hey, ya do what the happy couple wants, eh? (They had thought long and hard on their choices, so there was something about that one that was very special to them.... it does have a hopeful phrase on the end of the refrain tho': "...come follow me, and I will give you rest.")
I was very fortunate to be sequestered in the choir loft, because that jacket, shirt and tie were discarded in about five minutes of being up there! (Yes, I had a t-shirt on, and I got caught by the photographer in my way-too-casual attire. At least the groom may enjoy those photos; not sure about the other half; it was a very formal "tie and tails" affair. )
Man, it was HOT, but the fans stirred up enough breeze to keep me from dripping all over my guitar.
Shocking commentary/compliment from another recording engineer in the congregation: "Dude, I thought it was a recording!" Hmmmmm, he didn't say whether he thought it was a GOOD recording or not.
I hereby publicly commend the wonderful cue-ing and pleasant company offered so generously by the organist; she made things go smooth and relaxed. Beforehand, I was a wreck, as I didn't know where the tunes were to be inserted in the service; their order; or their length (some had to be truncated, while others needed to be drawn out to accomodate the completion of certain niceties of the service.) Thanks, Melanie, you made it a happy experience, and the bride and groom were well pleased! (Just glad nobody could see me hiding behind the massive bulk of that keyboard console. lol)

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Ozone
http://www.mp3.com/OzonePete

Ashliegh,

You need to be registered at soundclick to play the songs. A simple e-mail similar to
the way Mp3.com works. Give it another try if you like.

David

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/daviddouglaswright_music.htm

My daughter asked Buddy and I to write her wedding song that was played for their first dance. (A true honor, and if you knew my daughter, you would really know why). Here's the link if you would like to hear it. (NO pay to that site or us now).
http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/1925/1925935.html ("This Was Meant to Be")

For my wedding, I played piano (a surprise for my wife) a song I wrote for us, ("Together We Can Find a Way"). She thought I was walking out on her when I said, "I have to go now", right after a reading! I wish it was recorded, because people said I actually sounded good singing! (Nerves and Love are a good combination I guess!)

John

My husband Eric & I didn't have an "our song" so we set out to find one.

A couple of thoughts I had were Queen's Teo Torriate ("let us cling together as the years go by") and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" (impossible to dance to!). Eric waged a tour thru our CD collection, and found "Sunshine on Leith" by the Irish duo, The Proclaimers. It was perfect!

"my heart was broken...
my tears are drying
thank you
while I"m worth my room on this earth
I will be with you
while the chief puts sunshine on Leith
I'll thank him for his work
and your birth and my birth"

When Eric & I met, I had just lost my dad to cancer. So I was crying an awful lot!

Hi Ash,
Rick and I were married on Valentine's Day,
We Chose My Valentine,naturally for our first dance.For the ceremony,it was,The
Wedding Song,when we walked down the aisle.

ClaireJeanne

Mine was..
"you are so beautiful" Joe Cocker...
It's been 20 years and all I can remember is how my family and friends had a table where they placed bets on how long my husband and I would stay together.....we beat them all by 19 yrs so far!!!..*LOL*

what no one chose "goin' through the BIG D" or "D-I-V-O-R-C-E"? that's a shocker.
lol
jt

"Grow Old With Me" is my favorite song to sing for weddings. Ozone Pete, Mary Chapin Carpenter did record the song on a tribute album to John Lennon called Working Class Hero. Lennon wrote the song, but I don't think he ever recorded it for public consumption. It is lovely, in any case.

Hey all, these are great.

I will try that link, David.

Ozone--I meant to reply to this before, but I got side-tracked. "Be Not Afraid" is about death, well, really, it's about eteranl life. It's a church hymn. I can imagine that this would be unsettling if you weren't familiar with the song. Let me see if I can remember the whole chorus...

Be not afraid
I go before you always
Come, follow me,
And I will give you rest

Follow Jesus to heaven, as opposed to "Let's get married and you can follow me into the jaws of death." This has now become my favorite!

Thanks to everyone for sharing. Hears to beating the odds--Cheers! My hubby and I celebrate 9 years of marriage on Wed.

Keep posting,
Ashleigh

Our wedding music included "In This Very Room," "Here We Are Now," and at the end of the service, "Old Irish Blessing."

I sang "Here We Are Now" acompanied by organ and several talented middle school woodwind players (in a arrangement done by my band director husband.) I cried while I sang. "Old Irish Blessing" was sung by a member of the congregation, with my new father-in-law, (the minister who performed the service), saying the blessing over a musical interlude in the song. He was so choked with emotion that I thought he wouldn't get through it.

It was beautiful! 19.5 years laters, those songs still ge me choked up.



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Jill Marshall-Work
ASCAP composer/lyricist
www.musicalmakers.org/jillmarshallwork.html

Wow, I would love to hear your impression of this, sounds hilarious!

<I will never be able to get his loungy renditions of "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Rock This Town" by the Stray Cats out of my head and if you ever meet me in person, I'd be glad to do my impression of him for you>

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Marian Mastrorilli
mastrose@aol.com
http://www.projectmercury.net

I'd pay money to see a picture of you in a suit & tie, Ozone!

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Marian Mastrorilli
mastrose@aol.com
http://www.projectmercury.net

[This message has been edited by mastrose (edited 10-09-2002).]

I sang Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at our wedding reception. I hadn't been performing regularly at the time so getting up in front of an army of family & friends took its toll on my voice, and it was rather wobbly from nervousnous!

I can tell which relatives were drunk, because they thought I sounded great; the others were sure to tell me how lovely I looked...LOL

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Marian Mastrorilli
mastrose@aol.com
http://www.projectmercury.net

[This message has been edited by mastrose (edited 10-09-2002).]

"For My Wedding"... On Don Henley's Inside Job Album! A definite must-hear!