Music Decisions

Making Your Wedding Music Decisions
By Barbara Rothstein and Gloria Sklerov
You've been busy. From the minute you set the date it's been about your gown, the wedding location, flowers, bridesmaids, ushers, honeymoon, registering, shopping and on and on.
But thank goodness…you've hired a great band or a fabulous DJ. At least your music is taken care of.
Or is it?
Don't count on it. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of couples do their entire wedding planning so carefully, only to let the ball drop where the most emotional and critical part of their wedding is concerned…the music.
Until now, not enough information and guidance has been available to brides & grooms hiring bands and DJs, or for the final meeting with them just before the wedding. (That's when you actually plan and 'choreograph' your wedding program). Because you'll be asked so many questions and have to make so many on-the-spot decisions, you'll want to have enough time beforehand to think and imagine how these choices will affect your wedding. When you don't have a good idea of what you want, the band or DJ's choices rule. That's not to say that they won't have good ideas, but remember…it's not their wedding. It's yours. The ideal situation is when you come to the planning sessions with an open mind and a clear vision.
If you're wondering how to avoid last minute problems, and if you'd like to make your wedding a fabulous success…and we measure success by how good a time you and your guests have…we're here to help with some suggestions for what to do first.

Step One
First you dream. Believe it or not, visualizing your dream is one of the most important parts of planning, for behind every successful creation is an idea…a heart's desire. Everything starts with an idea…a dream, whether it's a home you're building, a honeymoon you're planning, or your wedding.
The clearer your vision, the easier you'll find the process of making it a reality.
At the beginning, it's important to allow yourself the time to explore your own personal preferences and consider many different options. Remember--this is a creative process. Let your ideas flow and your natural creativity take flight.
Think of your wedding as a film. Like any successful film, a great wedding has an interesting and meaningful opening with dramatic moments that build in intensity up to an exciting climax and satisfying ending. But a great film, though beautifully directed and produced, only comes alive when the composer adds the musical score. The soundtrack is the greatest single influence on the feeling and pacing of a film.
Pretend that you are the composer and the music you choose is the soundtrack of your wedding. Take an imaginary journey through your wedding, scene by scene. Imagine how beautiful you'll feel at the moment. Now imagine music that expresses all these feelings. Play your favorite music and songs, trying different selections and styles as you imagine the 'scenes' of your wedding. Picture yourself and others in each scene as you play the different selections.
Successful wedding planners, consultants and musicians instinctively conceptualize different parts of the wedding as 'scenes' and they use certain definitions that you may not be familiar with yet. These definitions will be very helpful to you at the beginning when you are gathering information and interviewing caterers, catering halls or hotels, etc., and dealing with musicians or DJs.

Step Two
Keep a small notebook just for planning your wedding music. Start a list of music ideas. Using the definitions we just gave you, keep a separate page for each one and write down several songs you would consider using for the 'scenes' of your wedding. Jot down titles of songs you particularly like as they occur to you and when you hear them in films, on radio and TV, and at other weddings and affairs.
Just as you would want to highlight the emotions of the ceremony, the same is true of the reception, whether it's a small intimate dinner, or a full-blown party. Recognizing and honoring your family and friends and other important people in your lives through special pieces of music during the reception, adds warmth and closeness and can make all the difference in the world to the success of the wedding. As you're visualizing the scenes of your wedding, keep these special people in mind. A great way to do that is to find out the special song some of your friends and family members played at their weddings. They will love hearing 'their' song at your wedding.
Now that you know how important it is to visualize your dream wedding, give yourself permission to spend time doing just that and to luxuriate in your daydreaming. The ideas and pictures forming in your mind will be the foundation of your wedding program. There's much to do, but it's a time to enjoy and remember for the rest of your life. We encourage you to take the time and to give all your dreams the attention they deserve.
We wish you a beautiful wedding, and may music and love fill your lives forever.
With love from,
Barbara & Gloria
© 2000 MusiConcepts®
www.weddingmusiccentral.com