[playlist] Wedding Music Done Right

A Wedding Playlist

When I created Three Colours over 2 ago, the music was always the focus. Up until now, I've never really shared anything personal about myself; however, due to my long hiatus, I feel like it's only necessary to provide a little explanation for the few readers that follow this site. The month of Rocktober was quite transformative for me, and after all the excitement has settled from two major milestones, I can now be called Dr. Husband.

One of the major elements that can make or break a wedding reception is the music, and when it came to planning the song selection for our wedding, a DJ was never an option. And while I have faith in my musical preferences, creating a playlist that works for a full spectrum of generations is no easy task. This same practice was implemented for our beer selection: we understand not everyone is a hop head, so in addition to an amazing IPA, there were also a domestic light and an amber in the mix. But I digress...

The motivation behind this post is to provide a music playlist that works. I understand that some of these songs have special importance within our groups of friends, but overall, this should provide a good starting point for anyone hoping to forgo the DJ route and attempt a DIY wedding song selection. Of note, all songs were trimmed and crossfaded (6 seconds) using iTunes to ensure smooth transitions and zero lulls in the night.

Our wedding wasn't the most traditional, and the focus was all about us. While I won't go into the details of the ceremony itself, I will say that the venue was a theater/concert hall, allowing the music to be a powerful tool for creating the desired ambiance. The music featured during the ceremony included arrangements from Peter Broderick, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, and The Budos Band. As a side comment, I think more weddings should be held in theaters. Weddings are theatrical, so why not use a venue engineered for an entertainment experience? After the ceremony, we moved onto a different location, which hosted a cocktail hour/dinner and a dance party.

By design, the cocktail hour and dinner playlists showcased more of the music we wanted to hear. Pulling heavily from the new wave covers by Nouvelle Vague and the worldly sounds by Zach Condon's Beirut, the cocktail hour had a very "smooth celebration" feel to it. Once dinner started, the music picked up a little momentum. After our first dances, the dance party portion kicked off with MJ (can't go wrong with the King of Pop!). The early songs of the night were chosen in hopes of pleasing both older and younger generations, which helped to fill the dance floor immediately. As the night proceeded, it slowly evolved to target more of the younger audience. Anyway, these songs worked great for our guests, and the night was a blast. Below are the playlists for each portion of the night - I hope you enjoy.

Cocktail Hour / Dinner Playlist

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Beirut
Taken By Trees
Nouvelle Vague
Feist
Nouvelle Vague
Feist
Nouvelle Vague
Fleet Foxes
Nouvelle Vague
Taken By Trees
Feist
Spoon
Fleet Foxes
Blitzen Trapper
Plants And Animals
The xx
New Order
Dr. Dog
Nouvelle Vague
Fleet Foxes
Edward Sharpe
Nouvelle Vague
Little Joy
The Black Keys
Fleet Foxes
Little Joy
Feist
The Black Keys
New Order
Taken By Trees
Brazos
The xx
Mates of State
Spoon
Taken By Trees
Grizzly Bear
Spoon
Yo La Tengo
Beirut
Dr. Dog
Jason Collett and Zeus
Beach House
Beirut
Plants And Animals
Bon Iver
Beirut

La Llorona
Watch The Waves
A Forest
One Two Three Four
Just Can't Get Enough
I Feel It All
The Killing Moon
White Winter Hymnal
Ever Fallen In Love
Julia
My Moon My Man
The Delicate Place
Ragged Wood
Furr
Good Friend
Islands
Ceremony
The Old Days
Dance With Me
Blue Ridge Mountains
Home
I Melt With You
Brand New Start
Howlin' For You
Mykonos
The Next Time Around
Sea Lion Woman
Tighten Up
Age Of Consent
My Boys
Day Glo
VCR
Long Way Home
The Underdog
Day By Day
Two Weeks
Everything Hits at Once
You Make Me Feel Good
Postcards from Italy
The World May Never Know
Every Night
Used To Be
The Akara
Kon Tiki
Skinny Love
My Wife

Dance Party Playlist

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Michael Jackson
Prince
Tommy Tutone
KC and the Sunshine Band
Sister Sledge
Stevie Wonder
Hall & Oats
Dexy's Midnight Runners
Berlin
Michael Jackson
Journey
Talking Heads
Rick Springfriend
Kenny Loggins
OMC
George Michael
Bon Jovi
Def Leppard
Clash
Rick James
Salt 'N' Pepa
Human League
The Weather Girls
The Hit Crew
A-Ha
Marky Mark
Bobby Brown
Prince
Gap Band
Journey
Ray Parker, Jr.
Michael Jackson
Bon Jovi
Outkast
Neil Diamond
Madness
Foundations
Michael Jackson
Gnarls Barkley
KC and the Sunshine Band
Journey
The Gourds
Max A Million
Sir Mix Alot
Lady GaGa
Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Huey Lewis and the News
Cutting Crew
Madonna
Matthew Wilder
Fine Young Cannibals
Prince
Men At Work
Outkast
Justin Timberlake
Culture Club
INXS
Stevie Wonder
Bananarama
Michael Jackson
Jay-Z
Franz Ferdinand
Europe

Wanna Be Starting Something
1999
Jenny (867-5309)
I'm Your Boogie Man
We Are Family
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
You Make My Dreams
Come On Eileen
Take My Breath Away
Billie Jean
Any Way You Want It
Once in a Lifetime
Jesse's Girl
Footloose
How Bizzare
Wake Me Up Before You Go-go
Shot Through The Heart
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rockin' the Casbah
Superfreak
Push It!
Don't You Want Me
It's Raining Men
The Chicken Dance
Take On Me
Good Vibrations
My Prerogative
Let's Go Crazy
You Dropped A Bomb On Me
Faithfully
Ghostbusters
Thriller
Livin' On A Prayer
Rosa Parks
Sweet Caroline
Our House
Build Me Up Buttercup
Beat It
Crazy
Boogie Shoes
Don't Stop Believin'
Gin and Juice
Sexual Feeling
I Like Big Butts
Poker Face
(I've Had) The Time Of My Life
The Power Of Love
I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight
Like A Prayer
Break My Stride
She Drives Me Crazy
Kiss
Land Down Under
So Fresh , So Clean
Sexy Back
Karma Chameleon
Eleganty Wasted
Isn't She Lovely
Venus
The Way You Make Me Feel
Big Pimpin
Take Me Out
The Final Countdown