The first dance is a moment of sheer celebration and happiness!  After tying the knot, sway back and forth with your new spouse to a meaningful, heartfelt song. If you and your other have a certain song that you’ve often referenced throughout your relationship, it would be a sweet idea to use that song. If there isn’t a song that really stands out to you, try searching through some traditional and nontraditional songs that are often played as first dance songs. ( The beautiful picture above is from green wedding shoes ).

Think about the tempo of your dance. Will you be having a slow, romantic dance, or a more peppy, lighter groove? If you are having trouble selecting a song, consider your favorite genes and artists. If you are more inclined to country, but your spouse is a fan of hard core rock, try settling on a compromising tune that incorporates a little of both genres! Here are a few not-so-common first dance tunes that would be appropriate, yet totally personal!

Country:

These Country songs are very contemporary. There is a large selection of older country tunes perfect for old country lovers!

Crazier by: Taylor Swift

Crazier is a song that has a very young, peppy feel. If you are looking for a song that is all country and expresses true love, this may be your song.

History in the Making by: Darius Rucker

History in the Making is an extremely romantic song. If you and your spouse-to-be are looking for a very emotional, heart-felt tune, this might be the one for you.

Johnny and June by:Heidi Newfield

Ours by: Taylor Swift

Pop:

Better Together by: Jack Johnson

Better together is very lighthearted and simple, yet totally demonstrates what love is truly about.

The laid-back, Reggae tune would be incredible at an outdoor wedding!

I’ll be by: Edwin Mccain

Come Away with Me by: Norah Jones

Come Away with Me is a very romantic, sexy tune. This song would be perfect for a very intimate wedding, or even perhaps a destination wedding.

100 Years by: Five for Fighting

100 Years is a fantastic song for a couple of any age. This song is sweet and romantic, yet light enough.

For You I Will by: Teddy Geiger

I’m Yours by: Jason Mraz

I’m Yours is another tune that would be wonderful at an outdoor reception. It’s easy beat is natural to sway along to, and it’s lyrics are simple and beautiful.Rock:

For all the rock fans who want to tone down the hardcore ratio just a tad, but not lose the drumline, these songs might help  you!

Beautiful Day by: U2

Beautiful Day is a fabulous song for any wedding. The sweet, emotional lyrics have such meaning for any special event. This sound would be particularly deserving of a wedding of two people with an extraordinary story.

Hold My Hand by: Hootie and the Blowfish

Iris by: Goo Goo Dolls

Iris is becoming very popular in the world of wedding songs. This catchy tune is romantic and has a killer rock feel.

Never Going to be Alone by: Nickelback

R & B:

Forever by :Chris Brown

Forever is perfect for the couple who wants to forego the slow dance. 

Dangerously in Love by: Beyonce

We Belong Together by: Mariah Carey

If I Ain’t Got You by: Alicia Keys

Like You by: Bow Wow and Ciara

Oldies:

L-O-V-E- by: Nat King Cole

Love Will Keep Us Alive by: The Eagles

Maybe I’m Amazed by: Paul Mccartney and the Wings

What song will you use for your first dance?! I’m having a hard time deciding between: Better Together and 100 years!

Kathryn Elise

Why, hello! I'm Elise and it's lovely to meet you. I am a southern brunette who enjoys steaming hot cups of tea, long, chilly, bike rides, and writing about almost anything. I am obsessive about anything "wedding". I feel a strong sisterhood-like bond with all brides-to-be, and could literally sit and talk to another engaged stranger for hours! My dear fiancé´ endures my constant wedding chatter, and occasionally even gives me a nod or eyebrow raise :). I am thoroughly looking forward to knowing you better; please feel free to jump into the site and share your ideas! xox Kathryn Elise

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My favorite elements of a wedding: The Music, cocktails and wedding favors. If you think about it, as long as you carry out your theme in these three areas, you’ll have covered the event from start to finish! Of course there are many other fun ways to incorporate your theme into the big day, but today we’re focusing on my top three.

The music:

Music is a great way to set the tone for the event. And there ain’t nothin better for a fun and folksy wedding than with this Keegan Smith song, Smile! Click the arrow below to listen.

15 – Smile

The cocktail:

Folk music is all about tradition and heritage. So I thought the Old Fashioned Cocktail would be a perfect fit.

Ingredients:

2 orange slices
2 maraschino cherries (stems removed)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 tsp. superfine sugar
2 1/2 oz. bourbon

Image and recipe from Saveur.com.

Wedding Favors:

For a wedding steeped in tradition the best wedding favors come from sharing old family recipes. Here is a d-i-y treat from Project Wedding. Follow the link here for instructions on how to make your own bread and jam wedding favors.

sarah

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The Scene:
A casual Memorial Day wedding, early in the day… possibly even a brunch. Guests are enjoying the weather in the outdoor setting while listening to some great music and enjoying a nice cocktail. At the end of this fine day, guests are presented with Memorial Day wedding favors…
The Music
A reminder to cherish every moment with the one you love. This is the Time by Billy Joel.
Listen: This Is The Time (Album Version)
The cocktail
These “fizzy jigglers” are a fun way to add some patriotic color to any drink.

The Wedding Favors
The day has ended and now guests are off to make new memories to be cherished and remembered with their Little Book of Memories photo album wedding favors.

Happy Memorial Day!

sarah

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I’m always on the hunt for fresh new love songs. I started my quest because I just have so many friends who struggle in finding that perfect song for their wedding. We all know those popular wedding songs (Endless Love, Unforgettable, etc.), but so many of them have become cliche for weddings. So how do you find an original song that defines your love as a couple? It can be a difficult task, for sure.

In my effort to help make this process a little easier, today I’ve featured a very sweet and fun-loving song. Perfect for a casual wedding and a light-hearted couple. The artist, Katie Vogel, is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter from the UK.

Take a listen and let me know what you think!

5 – Fly Away With Me

Listen to the podcast version of this post:

sarah

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I’ve had to hold onto this one for awhile now, but I am so eager to share it with you! This toast was performed (yes, performed) by a very theatrical bunch, which makes it all the more entertaining. But talent aside, there is so much love that has gone into this toast, it will likely bring a tear to your eye. I don’t know how the bride, Amy, held it together so well! This is one wedding toast you just have to see!

Best Wedding Toast Ever!!!! (Amy’s Song) – Click here for the most popular videos

sarah

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I know how hard it can be for couples to find that perfect wedding song… and for some it can even be a source of stress leading up to the big day. So I’m always on the lookout for new songs to inspire my soon-to-be married friends. When I heard this song over the weekend, I just knew I had to share it with you all! The song is “Beautiful Life”, written and performed by emerging NY artist Wes Hutchinson. I just adore these little-known love songs because you know it won’t be the choice of every other bride this year, and you can totally pretend it was written just for you! ♥ Click the play button below to have a listen:

sarah

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By now we’ve all seen Jill and Kevin’s wedding intro — some funny stuff. But not everyone would be willing to forgo a traditional wedding ceremony for entertainment value alone. Not to worry though, there are fun and memorable alternatives for the rest of us!

These days, brides and grooms have the option of creating an MTV style music video of their wedding day… how great is that?! Here’s how it works:

First it would be a good idea to find a videographer who has some experience with this type of thing. It can be an amazingly fun memory of your big day, but you really need a professional touch to pull it off.

Next, pick a song. In my opinion, the more upbeat the better. It just makes it more entertaining to watch.

Then (and this is the best part), you can choose which friends and family members will take part. What a great way to involve everyone and make them feel like they’re an important part of your big day.

Finally, your videographer will get busy filming and then editing your wedding video. Not an easy task, I’m sure, but this is where you’ll be glad you found the right person to handle the job!

Check out the videos below for some inspiration.

Keeley & Henry’s Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.

Brian & Eileen’s Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.

sarah

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With Valentine’s Day still fresh in our hearts, I thought it would be a good day for some good love songs. Normally I’m not much of a country fan, but I’ve recently found a song that is likely to make me change my tune. She’s Everything by Brad Paisley — just a great song. I mean really, how can you top lyrics like “She’s the giver I wish I could be and the stealer of the covers”?

If you’re looking for some wedding song inspiration (and also happen to be  ‘a little bit country’), take a listen to my picks of the day.

5 – She’s Everything

1 – Just Got Started Lovin’ You

2 – Bless The Broken Road

sarah

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Finding the song that defines your love as a couple is no easy task, for sure. That’s why we like to highlight some great  love songs every now and again. Maybe we can help shed some light on a great song you’ve never heard before, or maybe we’ll just be sharing a nice tune to brighten your day.

Today’s song is an original by O.V. Wright, that was covered by many, many artists since. The best cover (in my opinion) was by Otis Redding, click below to listen.

1 – That’s How Strong My Love Is

Another great version was recently released by Alicia Keys. This technically is not a cover, but obviously took inspiration from the original.

6 – That’s How Strong My Love Is

We had to limit the audio on this post, but if you’re a fan of the song, you may also want to check out the original by O.V. Wright or The Rolling Stones version (similar to the Otis Redding Version).

sarah

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Image by cordelephotography via Flickr

As usual, my morning started with turning on the computer, opening my e-mail and tuning-in to my favorite Pandora station of the moment (by the way, if you don’t know about Pandora yet, you should definitely check it out). Anyway, as I was reading some good advice in an e-mail from The Knot, a song came on that would make a fantastic wedding song – so I thought it would be fitting to share both the advice and the song with my friends here.

The Knot suggested that you should be careful not to let your first dance song run too long (or your guests may get bored) – which I happen to think is a great tip. Not something you should worry too much about if your song is of average length or shorter… but if you know the song is especially long, definitely get the DJ to help shorten it.

And the song I was listening to, which is both short and sweet, was ‘The Way I Am’ by Ingrid Michaelson. Planning for a first dance or not, its just a really cute song.

“I love you more than I could ever promise, and you take me the way I am”….

Click here to hear the song

sarah

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