The end of Music Mondays - and this is OUR year!

Funny, but I noticed I barely get any comments on my Music Monday posts.  Not sure why that is but decided I am going to do away with that little themed posting day and if I happen to think of or find a song or something musical I want to share with you I will just do so as needed :) 

Anyway, today, I just thought I'd share real quick about how excited I am for it to finally be 2010!  Us 2010 brides know that it's been fun listening to people say that we're getting married 'next year' but now we have begun our wedding year! 

Source

Funny because my first day back at work in 2010 both my boss and a co-worker said to me "Did you have a good New Year's?  Are you looking forward to this year?  This is your year!  You're going to have some amazing things going on." 

I love that not only am I excited about the new year and all that it will bring as far as becoming a wife, family and making some big moves, but others around me are also excited and getting antsy for it.  On the 4th, a girlfriend sent me an instant message asking me what time our wedding was because she was filling in her calendar and wanted to get it on the date.  I ran into another g-friend at the grocery store the next day and she told me that she had our little Save the Date on her 2009 calendar for December and was ready to put our little sticker on our wedding date in her 2010 calendar.  (Yes, I sent them out about 8 to 9 months before the big day in 2009 and they are little stickers that our guests can put on their calendars or day planners to remind them about the wedding.  So they are now finally able to put them on their calendars!) 

So now that 2010 is officially upon us, bring on the calendars to put our stickers in!  Bring on the celebrations of showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties!  (In February and March)  Bring on the final three months of wedding planning and all the stress, anxiety, anticipation and excitement that it brings! 

I am so ready for 2010 and so excited our friends and family are, too!  What about you?  Have you had anyone bring up that your wedding year is finally upon you?

Music Monday # 9

So I've not posted anything since Christmas Eve due to a busy schedule with family and then being sick with a sinus and ear infection on top of that.  I thought I was winning the battle against this illness all last week but unfortunately, come Christmas Eve, it was obvious I had lost.  Thankfully, my doctor is a surfing buddy of Mr. Fix It's so I was able to get some anti-biotics and cough syrup without having to go into a doctor's office.

But alas, though I still have not gotten my voice back and am still not feeling better, I am somewhat functional and wanted to begin up the posts again with today's Music Monday.  This song is called Beautiful Nature and is by Quinley Faye.  I first heard it as part of a demo of wedding photographs that the photographer who my sister hired three years ago showed us when we were interviewing him.  The song is great and I think it is perfect to add to a wedding video or maybe some upbeat cocktail hour music. 

To add a bit of fun to the listening process I included a portion of my sister's wedding video that I created for her where I used the song as a montage for her bridal party photographs.  What do you think?

Music Monday # 8 (Learning to fly)

So for today's musical selection I wanted to share a song with you that I absolutely love by Sara Groves.  It is called Fly and it is about a bride telling her groom how he inspires her to 'fly.'  I am sure it would be a lovely processional song or song to be sung or played during a ceremony while the unity candle is being lit perhaps?  But for me, I think I am going to suggest it to my videographer as a song for our wedding video for a slow mo portion of the romance of the day.

Here is a video of the song set to scenes from the movie, the Princess Bride.  I am also posting the lyrics below because they're just so beautiful!

Speak in a summer tone

Pause in the after glow

Tenderly whisper my name

Tell me once again why I am your bride

So I can fly

So I can fly

Pause in your busy day

Look extra long my way

Wink at me across the room

Kiss me longer

Touch my arm when I am by your side

So I can fly

So I can fly

Oh how the little things

Strengthen my tiny wings

Help me to take on the world

When you love me there's nothing I wouldn't try

I might even fly

I might even fly

I might even fly

Music Monday # 7 (The Christmas Card)

For this week's Music Monday, I wanted to share one of my absolute (if not THE) favorite Christmas songs ever!  My sis and I absolutely loved the Partridge Family Christmas album when we were children...cheesy I know, but oh my, just so fun!  And David Cassidy back then was just the bomb!

So here it is for your listening pleasure (please ignore the kinda silly photos and albums):

Why do I love this song so much?  Because I think it just perfectly sums up what I would want to send as well wishes and blessings in a card.  What about you, ladies?  What's your absolute favorite Christmas song?

Music Monday # 5 (Cake cutting option?)

So I mentioned several weeks ago that I am still struggling to find a song for my own cake cutting (as well as the garter and bouquet toss selections).  If you haven't figured it out from any of my posts or comments, I'm a Christian girl who has been pretty involved in my church for about 10 years now and it is important to me that there is no vulgar or obscene or foul language used in any of the songs we have playing for dancing or what not.  That said, I don't know why I keep finding myself drawn to this catchy dance song for a possible cake cutting option.  Honestly, I think it's a just a bit too risque for me to have playing at my reception, but what do you girls think?

I just love songs with the word 'sugar' in them for cake cutting options...just fits to me for some reason...and I think this is such a fun song...but when you listen to the words, well, hard for me to have that playing at my reception while my impressionable 15 year old daughter will be standing right next to me.  So I am leaning more towards something hard rock and upbeat like this (but probably the original Def Leppard version):

What are your thoughts?  Do you have any songs or genres that you are concerned about?  Or arguing with your honey or family members about to have played during your big day? 

Music Monday # 4 (First Dance options)

I am nervous about the first dance.  No offense to anyone, but I just don't like those first dances where the couple sways slowly (maybe a dip or turn or two) to some slow song that is really special to them.  The guests all ooh and ahh for about the first 30 seconds, if you're lucky, and then they turn to their tables and start drinking, eating and talking.  Argh...I want all eyes on me...not because I'm a diva who thinks I should have attention on me and my man at all times, but because I want to entertain my guests!  I want to get them excited, involved and jumping around with glee so that they can't wait til it's their turn to hit the dance floor!

Thus, I share with you my hope that my fiance will follow through on his original desire to want to take dance lessons and learn a swing routine for our first dance.  I say 'hope' because he has been sounding flaky lately when I mention looking into dance lessons as if he no longer wants to put in the effort.  I am hoping that I convince him otherwise and I am also hoping that I convince him that this is a great song for a first swing dance at our reception:  Crazy Little Thing Caled Love

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a couple who performed their own first dance to the song (I would actually use the Michael Buble version below and not this one):

And for the cutesy little Disney video for your viewing pleasure, here's the Michael Buble version we will actually (hopefully) use for our first dance:

Alright, spill it, girls...what are your thoughts and ideas for your first dance song selection?  Will you be taking dance lessons and go all out rock n roll or hip hop or will you keep it classic and timeless with a waltz?  Maybe jazz it up with a latin salsa or cha cha cha?  Or do you have that one special song that you will play while you simply basque in a single private (sort of) moment with your honey whispering sweet words to each other about how amazing your day has been so far? 

Or if you're already married, what was your first dance like?

I was originally thinking Michael Buble's Sway to a cha cha cha, but now I have a special surprise in store in addition to the song above - again, hoping I can get Mr. Fix It excited about it like me!  :)

Music Monday # 3 (The Recessional)

First off, let me just say:  5 months to go today!  Woo-hoo.  I'm getting a little nervous but it's all coming together and whenever I share my ideas with vendors and others they say I will have a very fun and unique event.  :) 

Anyway, my fiance thinks about music and tells me has thoughts on things, but he won't share his ideas with me!  Supposedly, he has some 'surprises' up his sleeve for the wedding.  So frustrating!  Makes me nervous, too.  But I already have almost every type of song selection and music picked out for what I am hoping to incorporate into our ceremony.

For the recessional, I know I want something fun, upbeat and super duper lively to get the guests cheering, clapping, whooping and hollering and swaying to the music as we bounce with a jump in our step back down the aisle.  I also want to include some type of a throw back to the oldies as I really love the music of the 50's and 60's from Elvis Presley to the Beatles.  That's why I am hoping that this is the song we will have played right as we have our kiss!  The little intro gives enough time for us to kiss and our officiant to announce us just as we head back down for the recessional with our wedding party in tow.

With This Ring (the Platters)

Let's hear it, ladies...any ideas for what you want for your recessional?  Will you have a live song sung (as my sister did when 5 lovely ladies with an acoustical guitar sang All You Need is Love during her recessional) or will you have something played (like me) from a CD or .mp3 version?  Will it be lively and fun?  Or will it be traditional and romantic? 

Music Monday # 2 (the Bouquet Toss and Cake Cutting)

So since I started my first Music Monday with my baby sister's wedding playbook song selection, I figured I should follow up with 2 more songs from her big day 3 years ago.  Last week was the garter toss and so it is only fitting that this week I share her song for the bouquet toss for all the single ladies (which btw, if you use Beyonce's song for your wedding bouquet toss you're not being too original.  Don't get me wrong...I love it and would love to use it to because it is so fitting, but seriously girls, let's try to find things that are a little more original.) 

So, when they were calling the single girls (which was me at that time) onto the floor, this song began to play:

Lonely People (by Jars of Clay)

Again, I tell you that you have to understand my sister's silly sense of humor.  I particularly like the 2nd verse that specifically says "This is for all the single people, thinking that life has left them dry." 

I figured I'd throw in another fun one for you as a double shot on this fine Monday...so for her cake cutting...though not quite as silly, she used this song (start at about 1:00 where the chorus begins):

Lips Like Sugar (Echo and the Bunnymen)

Get it?  Lips, sugar, kisses - cake...cutting the cake, kissing after?  Too cute. 

So, got any great ideas for your own tosses at the reception or your cake cutting?  I still have no idea for my own so I would love to hear other's ideas!

Music Monday # 1 (The Garter Toss)

Ok, so I have seen several blogs where brides share songs they like for potential use in our weddings or whatever.  I thought that was kind of cool as I *love* all things music.  I even have a playlist in my ipod of all the songs I have selected to use in things like the ceremony, grand entrance, first dance, bouquet toss, wedding video, etc.  Yes, I unfortunately listen to it almost every day - and I still have 5 1/2 months to go! 

Since I love just about any type of genre (except for vulgar gangsta rap), you will find all kinds of things from pop, love songs, oldies, soft rock, classic rock, hard rock, techno, disco, hip hop, Christian and the list goes on.  But to start off with my very first music post, I thought I would share something from my sister's wedding playbook.  She is uber creative when it comes to song selections and we had so much fun with all the choices at her wedding three years ago. 

If you've got the funny bone for it, this is the song she played as the DJ called all the 'single' fellas out onto the floor for the garter removal and toss.  You can skip to 1:00 in as that is where the chorus begins and she had her DJ start the song at that point :)

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Even the Losers)

Now once the guys were on the floor and this song had been playing, it was time for the groom to dive under that dress and remove the garter...which he of course did with his teeth (and a little bit of a vulgar movement that I will not go into detail about - but you can see it in this post in the 3rd video down).  But when he finally emerged with the garter in his teeth, my sis instructed him to look hard at the garter.  She surprised him with a San Diego Chargers football garter in the team colors and with a football charm on it - it's his like lifetime favorite team!  To which, at that point, when this little tidbit was noticed, the DJ began to play this funny theme song (I threw in a little funny music video that some kids did to the song for your own viewing enjoyment):

San Diego Super Chargers Theme Song

So what do you think, fellow brides?  Is she funny or what?  What are your plans for your garter removal and toss song?  Anything?  Though I have selected so many songs for the other elements of our big day, the 3 songs I have not yet selected are the garter toss, bouquet toss and cake cutting (sigh).  I will definitely be enlisting the baby sis' help!