Wedding music...

So my brother-in-law is getting married and he and his fiance have asked me to be in charge of all the music. When my husband and I got married, we set up play-lists on his laptop and rented a PA to play it through. It actually worked pretty good (and we saved $500+ by not hiring a dj). So, that's what they want me to do again. One problem, I deleted most of the "wedding" type music we had so I have to start from scratch.

They want sort of jazzy/mellow swingish stuff for dinner music and all kinds of stuff for dancing. Anyone have any suggestions?

peter gabriel- blood of eden
dave matthews- crush
led zeppelin- thank you
mazzy star- fade into you, she's my baby
red hot chili peppers- give it away now...just kidding
grateful dead- they love each other

We had Melissa Ethridge's <i>Keep it Precious</i> for our wedding song... not jazzy or anything, just figured I'd mention. . .

My favorite Jazz/Swing era artists include Count Basie, Bix Beiderbecke and Charlie Parker - they're who I think of when I think of that type of music. Enough pizazz to keep it from being sleepy, but mellow enough to be called 'Dinner Music'.

If you want some ideas, check out www.accuradio.com, hit the jazz channel and then go to the "Old school" subchannel.

There's album playlists in there somewhere, too, for your perusing pleasure.

:) Thanks guys. I'm going to check out all of this stuff.

My husband and I used IZ' Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World instead of a wedding march. :lovers: It was SO perfect that I can't seem to think of anything for them to use.

8 1/2 Souvenirs! Are they still together and playing the Continental Club happy hour? What fun! Happy Feet! Love the cafe swing with a twist of Django. thats pretty romantical.
towards that vein- there are lots of popped up and newly popular local hot club type bands around. If I could do it from scratch, I'd find a live one.
But anyhoo,
Ella Fitzgerald singing any standard. Her songbook collections are great
Gotta have some Sinatra and Dino.
Nat King Cole Trio- anything from Stardust to Sweet Loraine
Louis Jordon- a hit at my nuptuals.

:idea: the chicken dance!!

staceyv wrote:

:idea: the chicken dance!!

:yelsick: That's precisely why we didn't hire a dj.

chainsaw wrote:

:yelsick: That's precisely why we didn't hire a dj.

Heh... we hired friends of Mrs. Dallas who had a string quartet. But we forbade them to play Pachelbel's Canon or Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, both of which we'd played & heard so often we were sick of them. We even made them leave their music for those pieces at home in case somebody requested them.

When we got married, my wife to be booked up a DJ who I said I knew a guy of the same name at school 20 years before. It was the same bloke and we had a great chat after years apart!

"I've Got a Crush on You" - My fave version is Linda Rondstadt
"Someone to Watch Over Me" - My fave version is also Linda Rondstadt
"Fever" - Peggy Lee
"Crazy Love" - Van Morrison
"Unforgettable" - Nat King Cole
"You're My Home" - Billy Joel (more folksie than jazzy, but great for weddings)
"River Deep, Mountain High" - Ike and Tina Turner
"L-O-V-E" - Various Artists
"Witchcraft" - Sinatra

Whatever else you play, you should definitely make "Why Don't We Do It In the Road" the finale for the night... :eek:

SteveDallas wrote:

Heh... we hired friends of Mrs. Dallas who had a string quartet.

Us too! Banjo, guitars, fiddle... ;) As far as the wedding part goes O'Carolyn on the fiddle is always a good choice. We finished the night with "Will the circle be unbroken" an old Doc Watson tune that bluegrass bands love to finish with.

Whatever you do skip "At Last" by Etta James.
A great tune, but done to death

that was on somebody's cmep disk. hp?

Warch, yep, they still play regularly here in town. Just came out with a live album as well, not even listed on Amazon yet, which includes several great really covers of classic rock songs. Awesome.

i think you should just buy the compilation cd's from An American Idol that will get you started.

I liked A Man And A Woman by Meat Loaf for a wedding song, not for the long walk down the aisle, but for a dance number it's great!

Meat Loaf?.....I dunno. I think a no Meat Loaf rule should be instituted. ;)

How could I forget Stevie Wonder?! Overjoyed...For Once in My Life.... You are the Sunshine of My Life....I Was Made to Love Her... and as it progresses to the funk, the sweat builds and the jackets come off...Boogie On and Higher Ground.

Glad to hear about the souvenirs! That French dude is a great guitarist and that gal can sing. Rock covers, eh? sounds very interesting. You lucky duck!

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me ...

It's beautiful, romantic - perfect for a slow wedding dance in soft candlelight

Jacquelita wrote:

Norah Jones

As long as it's not - "I Don't Know Why I Didn't Come"