One thing I love about Brides magazine (thank u Shana for the subscription), is that in every issue they have a page dedicated to the timeline. Of course this is a suggested timeline, no need to add unneeded stress, however I’m one who could use some structure. I’m approx 10 months away from my big day. I have accomplished 3 of the most daunting tasks, gloriously: The dress? CHECK! The venue? CHECK! My bridal party? CHECK! So, I opened my monthly issue to get some ideas about where I should be in my planning process, and of course, what to blog about :)

• select your officiant (future post about this coming soon)
• choose your attendants
• compile the guest list
• hire a wedding planner (if needed)
• Scout for a caterer, florist, DJ or band, and photographer

Since I’ve already done a post about photography and the guest list (thank you to you lovely ladies who read those and commented. I adore you), it looks like this week’s post will be about music. Allison, the fabulous bloggolista, and creator/editor of E&I, did a post recently about wedding songs, and it totally inspired me to write. BTW the title of my blog post is dedicated to an amazing wedding song “Bust a Move,” by Young MC. And YES, I know every single word by heart. These folks below seem to be feeling the tunes.

photo credit (top) ericgraf.com

For those of you who know me personally, you know I LOVE music!!!! I have been infatuated with memorizing the words to songs since I was a little girl simply because I love the story a song can tell. Great songs take you on a journey of what the composer was feeling when they wrote it. Great songs bring back memories of wonderful time spent with the ones you love. And great songs can be a true escape into another world that’s happy and carefree. For me, that’s what music does.

So…… when it comes to my big day, you best believe that the music is gonna rock. Now you might be asking yourself, “how can she tell that the music totally rocked?” Well, my answer is: when people dance, and smile, and laugh, and make memories at the reception.

The challenge for me is not what song to play, but who should play it! Nothing gets a crowd going like a live band that’s playing covers of your favorite hits, and nothing can KILL a crowd faster than a cheesey DJ (in my opinion). Please note: I am more fearful of the cheesey annoying DJ, than a band butchering a classic hit. If the band sucks, then my iPod is plugging in. If the DJ sucks, that’s awkward. Vinnie only wants to hire a DJ if he or she refuses to talk! (LOL!) I have to agree with him on this one. In an ideal world I will hire a band, and incorporate our list of favorite songs to play in between sets and after the band leaves. But if we have to hire a DJ because of our tight budget, then I am going to want to have someone who talks only when necessary, i.e. introducing the bridal party, “hey everyone, it’s time for cake,” and “hit the dancefloor because it’s the last song of the night.” Other than that, Vinnie and I would like them to play our list of favorite songs (in no particular order), have the DJ  feel out the crowd and know when to play them. Is that too much to ask?

photo credits: Brides Magazine, Paper Hearts & Cranes Blogspot, Hechler Photographers

TIP FROM TAYA: start making a list of your favorite songs now! Even if you’re not that into music, start making a casual list of your favorites.Maybe keep a notepad in your car so when a good one comes on the radio you can jot it down. Vinnie and I started a shared google doc and add songs/artists to it every time we are inspired. I even added a column for when I think the song would be appropriate, like “first dance, cake cutting, get the crowd jump’n”…. you get the idea ;-) And to make sure your guests have some input too, you could add a song suggestion box to your website or on the RSVP. It’s a great way to make your guests feel included in the planning process.

Oh, and if you live in LA and know of an affordable band please leave a comment!!!!!!! thanks in advance :)

photo credit: weddingbycolor.com, Jared Wilson Photography

 

If I could have put any more attention on one aspect, it would have been the music. It wasn’t THAT bad, but it wasn’t the best, only because I didn’t do the proper research and planning on that aspect. But what I did have, I LOVED.

I found it incredibly hard to find appropriate songs, and the lack of resources were a little baffling to me. It was definitely an aspect that I literally had to dig deep down into the depths of Google searches to find suggestions and ideas. I didn’t get too into the music, but we did have some fun songs that I thought were a little different than the usual wedding playlist out there.

I would definitely suggest creating a playlist as early as possible. Simply add songs as you discover or remember them. When you then go to create the actual playlist, you will have a group of songs to choose from rather than racking your brains trying to remember as many songs as you can.

Here is a short playlist:

Bridesmaids walking down: “Forever” Ben Harper
Bride walking down the aisle: “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver
After Ceremony: “I Feel it All” by Feist
Couple entrance song: “What I Wouldn’t Do” by A fine frenzy
First Dance: “Islands in the Stream” Feist and Constantine’s
Father Daughter Dance: “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele

Other songs that I contemplated but didn’t quite make the cut

“First Day Of My Life” by Bright Eyes
“Marry Me” by Train
“Wagon Wheel” by Against Me!
“Question” by Old 97′s
“You and I” Ingrid Michaelson
“My Favorite Chords” by The Weakerthans

Though Islands In The Stream was our first dance, I still consider Skinny Love to be our actual song. He loved that song and had no idea that I was going to be using it. I think it was a particularly emotional point when he heard it come on and it made me burst into tears far before I even got up to the alter. When I think of our wedding day, that song is always that one that goes along with it.

I’ll leave you with a few of the dancing shots from the wedding. At least these people had a good time…

The wedding day can be FULL of mistakes, surprises, and potential disasters. I don’t know what to say, it just is. Years later you can look back and laugh about some of the imperfections, but at the time, they are definitely trying. For me, that was an understatement.

I had so many things happening the day of, it was definitely exhausting. Luckily for me I had literally the best planner of all time, Shannon Leahy. I couldn’t believe how professional and on top of things she was. With every disaster from rain and hail to wine all over my dress, she was there and was literally my rock through the whole thing. Not only was she my saving grace, but I actually had members of the family, wedding party and even guests comment on how calm and together she was.

When I walked into Holman Ranch for the first time on the day of the wedding, I was totally blown away. We had mocked things up. drawn photos and talked about it all, so I was pretty sure I had a really clear vision of exactly how it was going to end up on the day of. She took all my ideas, DIY projects and props and created something that made my original plan look blah-zay compared to the magic she created. Everything literally beat my exceptions by a long shot. I couldn’t believe how good she was.

She was one of the most fun people to talk to during the planning process. Not only did she totally understand my ideas and what I wanted, she really helped me hone in on what I needed and didn’t need to create something awesome. I trusted her completely and knew that she was totally getting me the entire time. And on the day of, she really did exceed every exception ever, and how she stayed calm through it all was just beyond me.

I fell in love with her in the beginning because her body of work is all so magical. I loved every single one of her weddings and styled shoots so so much. I knew her and I had a similar style, and I was quite right. Of course I would totally recommend her in a second to anyone planning their wedding. She is just so talented. Check out Shannon Leahy’s website!

All photos are of weddings and styled shoots she has done in the past and can al be found on her website.