Hello lovelies! You may have noticed that my Real Bride Diaries have been ramping up lately as we get closer to our big day.
Today’s post is all about the funniest part of planning your wedding (at least in our opinion) – The Music!
The morning after your wedding, no matter how much you spend decorating the venue or how well you dress, everyone will talk about a fun night on the dancefloor.
Music is a very important element of every wedding.
June 24th: Five Weeks To Go!
– Current obsession: Try to keep my acne-free skin for the next month!
Marko’s current obsession: Playing our Wedding playlist with a genuine passion!
This week, we are mostly Playing our wedding playlist loudly and getting incredibly excited!
A survey I read once said that couples regret not having a good wedding band or a well-planned playlist.
Marko and I have been planning and talking about our wedding playlist ever since we got engaged. We had even chosen our band before that, so there’s no risk!
Music has played a big role in our relationship, as it does for many couples. We attend a lot of concerts, we always have music playing in our house, and many songs represent the times, journeys, and transitions of our relationship. It was important to include as many pieces as we could throughout the day.
When it comes to wedding music, there are a few different elements…
The Ceremony
In a separate post dedicated to our wedding ceremony, I will go into greater detail about the songs that we have chosen. However, our ceremony music will be performed by our dearest friends, Brendan, Celina, and Sean.
The rehearsal was a few days ago, and everyone got emotional when Brendan began to sing. I hope there will be no dry eyes in the room on the big day!
The Cocktail Hour
If we could afford to, we would have loved to include live music in our cocktail hour.
In my Wedding Budget post, I said that I had my heart set on a Cuban or mariachi group to play during the cocktail hour. We were in Cuba last summer, where there was live music everywhere. Unfortunately, these groups are hard to come by in Ireland, and when we found one, it was very expensive.
One day, we were listening to the Oh Brother Where Art Though soundtrack, a fantastic album! I had an idea: bluegrass.
Marko and I had seen a bluegrass group at an event held in London some years back, which we both liked. We always said that we would book them if we were to get married here.
The music style we chose would be perfect for cocktails and beer in the sunshine (fingers crossed!) We wanted to create a relaxed BBQ atmosphere with the sun.
We found a cool bluegrass band from Dublin, Well Enough Alone. They were within our budget, and I am excited to have them start the party on the big day.
The Dinner
Last week, when I was talking about the decor, we liked the idea that our wedding would have the feel of an active restaurant. So, we created a dinner music playlist, which is pretty much the perfect background music for a restaurant.
There’s a lot of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and James Vincent McMorrow. Also, there’s Yann Tiersen and Fleetwood Mac. David Bowie and Villagers are also featured. ).
The Band
Everyone is excited about our wedding group. We knew Attention Bebe would play at our wedding even before we got engaged.
The band is a nineties-style cover band from Dublin. They have 12 members and a string section as well as a brass section.
Think of music festivals and concert venues, and Boom! Shake the Room, Rhythm is a Dancer, and Boom! are some of their most popular songs. ).
Their gigs are notorious for making the entire room bounce.
We chose the venue because they are a large band (so that there would be room for everyone – and dancing! ).
Although they are not a traditional group, we believe that their 90s tunes will appeal to a wide range of guests.
Bonus: We know Susan, a singer in the band, from our university days. It’s great to see someone we know at the microphone.
I bought glowsticks in advance, and I can’t wait to dance the night away!
The Late Night Bangers
This is the place to really have fun! Attention Bebe is going to blast the 90s tunes between 9-11 p.m., and then we have a special playlist that will keep everyone dancing until the early hours.
We asked our readers to submit their favorite songs for our wedding website. The results are amazing. There are so many great floor-fillers: Beyonce, Love on Top by Tina Turner, Proud, Mary, Blu Cantrell and Breathe.
We sat with a bottle of wine and added some of our favorites.
What are our criteria? Our criteria?
We had 18 hours worth of music (minus Taylor Swift because she isn’t on Spotify). It’ll be over 19 hours of music once we add Swifty.
We have way too many songs. I’m constantly adding more. The mix is great for everyone, from the young (Pharrell’s Happy) to the old (The Beatles’ When I’m 65 for my aunt, who will be 64 on the day of our wedding).
It would be best if you considered your guests when creating your wedding playlist. Especially those who will be dancing. Make sure there is something for everyone.
When we created her wedding playlist a couple of years ago, my sister only had one request: no ABBA. My aunts, who were tearing the dance floor up, requested only ABBA!
While you should avoid putting songs on your playlist that you dislike, you can still appeal to the majority!
It’s not all 18 hours, but I have selected a few songs that I think you will enjoy. It’s not 18 hours long; I have chosen just a few Wedding Essentials that you can use to build your list.
