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The Best First Dance Songs

Posted February 3rd, 2012 | 5:18 pm | By Bailey Spagat | No Comments

Photography courtesy iStockphoto

Still looking for your perfect first dance or entrance song? We asked our Facebook and Twitter followers which songs they picked to help inspire your choice and here’s what they had to say.

“Only You Can Love Me This Way” by Keith Urban
– Jess Collins via Facebook

“Everything” by Lifehouse
– Natalie Clark Amies via Facebook

“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen
– Liz Gruening via Facebook

“Thousand Mile Wish” by Finger Eleven
– Shannon McShane via Facebook

“Thank You For Loving Me” by Bon Jovi
– Jennifer Southern via Facebook

“Easy To Love You” by Theory Of A Deadman
– Sara Mowat via Facebook

“I Do” by Paul Brant
– Linda Harrington via Facebook

“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel
– Janice Head-Bowman via Facebook

“Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac
– @LoveDefeatsHate via Twitter

“I Love You This Big” by Scottie McCreery
– Melissa Bez via Facebook

“Amazed” by Lonestar
– Marie-Josee Gagnon via Facebook

“Bless The Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts
– Tara Drolet via Facebook

“Never Quit Loving You” by Jill Barber
– Alison Baker via Facebook

“All About Us” by He Is We Featuring Owl City
– Desiree Erlam via Facebook

“Through The Years” by Kenny Rogers
– Chandra Lavergne via Facebook

“Crazy Love” by Van Morrison
– Cathy Vernon via Facebook

“Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones
- Michelle Clayton via Facebook

“Then” by Brad Paisley
- Sylvia Davie via Facebook

“When I’m With You” by Sherriff
- David and Shari Anderson via Facebook

“When You Say Nothing At All” by Allison Krauss and Keith Whitley
- Michelle Richard via Facebook

“I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain
- Kathy Sebo via Facebook

To join in this discussion and others follow us at facebook.com/weddingbellsmag or twitter.com/weddingbellsmag.

real weddings

A Modern Music-Inspired Wedding In Moncton, New Brunswick

Posted January 23rd, 2012 | 9:00 am | By Bailey Spagat | No Comments

Erin Couch-Sampson and Josh Maillet, September 10, 2011, Moncton, New Brunswick.

Photography courtesy Julie Whitlock Photography, (julieawhitlock.com).

Vendors
Ceremony and reception location: Ramada Crystal Palace
Hair: Amanda Sampson Hair Studio
Makeup: Debby Clements
Dress: Felicity Bridal
Groom’s tux: Gucci
Favours: Donation to the local SPCA
Bridal party attire: Any dress of their choosing
Cake: Cake Box
Flowers: Silver Rose, bridal party bouquets made by the bridal party
Stationery: Big Bad Marty Band and DJ Dan Arsenault

fun

YouTube’s 10 Best Wedding Dance Videos

Posted December 22nd, 2011 | 11:00 am | By Bailey Spagat | 1 Comment

The biggest wedding trend these days seems to be coming up with something inventive that sets your celebration apart from others. We scoured YouTube and found the 10 best wedding dance videos, from dapper walks down the aisle to first dance fake-outs. Sit back, relax and gather inspiration from these hilarious videos.

Easily one of the most successful viral videos on YouTube, with over 71 million views (and counting!) JK Wedding entrance dance is the one that started it all. Set to Chris Brown’s “Forever”, the couple and their bridal party have made appearances on Good Morning America and The Today Show, and have been parodied on The Office, United States of Tara, and Australia’s Dancing With The Stars, to name a few. After their video went viral the couple started a website to raise money for the Sheila Wellstone Institute, an organization whose efforts are to end domestic violence, in wake of Chris Brown’s domestic violence charges in 2008.

How about a wedding performance surprise for the bride by her father and new husband? That’s the stage for this rendition of Fiddler on the Roof‘s “To Life”. If you listen closely to the lyrics, it’s a fitting song for a groom and his new father-in-law to sing together, with some help from the bridal party.

A classic fake-out music malfunction is what starts this fun loving couple’s hip hop first dance. After accumulating almost 12 million views on YouTube, this video was featured on Good Morning America.

While the coordination and dance skills of this group can be questioned, there’s nothing we love more than to see people bust a move to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and evidently we’re not alone. With over 12 million hits on YouTube, MJ himself added the video as one of his Youtube favourites in 2006.

Who doesn’t love a false start wedding dance interrupted by a number choreographed by the couple to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel”? This high energy couple gets the crowd going at their reception and this video has accumulated almost 15.5 million hits on YouTube. If you’re thinking about choreographing your own first dance, take some cues from this dancing duo.

Listen carefully among the cheers and you’ll hear a medley from Grease. This couple and their bridal party broke into dance for their reception guests and over 12 million viewers on YouTube. We especially love the bride’s red hot dancing shoes.

People love “Thriller”, as evidenced by this bridal party reception dance that has garnered the attention of over 15.5 million viewers on YouTube. We’re impressed with the accurate choreography and dance coordination of these groomsmen.

Another first dance fake-out, with over 15.5 million views. This couple broke out in a choreographed dance to Sir Mix A Lot’s “Baby Got Back”. This hilarious rendition of the R-rated song inspires us to break out into song and dance every time we watch it.

Who hasn’t dreamed of starring in Dirty Dancing alongside Patrick Swayze? This bride and groom almost put the 1987 movie to shame with their choreographed rendition of “Time of My Life”. We love the groom’s ode to Patrick’s outfit, and of course the iconic lift (with a little help from the bridal party).

If swing is your thing, take note of this couple, whose fast-paced moves and killer lifts won our vote.

planning

The 50 Best Wedding Songs You May Have Never Heard Before

Posted December 2nd, 2011 | 12:00 pm | By Jen O'Brien | 14 Comments

Music can make or break a party so when it comes to your wedding — the biggest party you’ll probably ever throw — you want to get it right. To create the ultimate playlist we enlisted the help of Toronto-based DJ Jennifer Shute. Shute gave us her must-plays and we added to that some staff favourites — the result is a truly amazing list of tunes so catchy and meaningful your guests will likely be requesting the soundtrack to your big day.

For Your Walk Down the Aisle
• “Hoppipolla” – Sigur Ros
• “First Day Of My Life” – Bright Eyes
• “Marry Me” – Train
• “Feels Likes Home” – Chantal Kreviazuk
• “White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes
• “Marry You” – Bruno Mars
• “1, 2, 3, 4” – Plain White Ts

For Signing the Papers and Your Recessional
• “Home” – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
• “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” – Stevie Wonder
• “Mushaboom” – Feist
• “Together Forever” – Rick Astley
• “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – Beach Boys
• “Happy Together” – The Turtles
• “Beautiful Day” – U2
• “Power of Love” – Huey Lewis & The News
• “This Will Be Our Year” – The Zombies

For Your First Dance With Your New Hubby
• “If I Ain’t Got You” – Alicia Keys
• “You Are So Beautiful” – Joe Cocker
• “No One’s Gonna Love You” – Band of Horses
• “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” – Death Cab for Cutie
• “Making Memories of Us” – Keith Urban
• “Crazy Love” – Michael Buble
• “At Last” – Etta James
• “Crazy” – Patsy Cline
• “Somebody” – Depeche Mode
• “A Groovy Kind of Love” – Phil Collins
• “Only You” – The Platters
• “More Than Words” – Extreme
• “Your Song” – Elton John

For Your Father/Daughter Dance
• “In My Life” – The Beatles
• “Unforgettable” – Nat King Cole
• “The Way You Look Tonight” – Tony Bennett
• “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” – Elton John
• “Butterfly Kisses” – Bob Carlisle
• “Daughters” – John Mayer
• “How You’ve Grown” – 10,000 Maniacs
• “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King

To Get The Dance Party Started
• “Age of Consent” – New Order
• “Hungry Like a Wolf” – Duran Duran
• “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
• “In Between Days” – The Cure
• “Dancing in the Dark” – Bruce Springsteen
• “Modern Love” – David Bowie
• “Lets Go Crazy” – Prince
• “Crazy in Love” – Beyonce
• “Pump Up the Jam” – Technotronic
• “Twist and Shout” – The Beatles
• “Vogue” – Madonna
• “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” – Wang Chung
• September – Earth Wind & Fire

planning

Advice From Fellow Brides On Choosing a Wedding Song

Posted September 23rd, 2011 | 3:37 pm | By Bailey Spagat | No Comments

Still searching for that special tune that perfectly sums up your relationship? Narrowing the field can be a daunting task so we appealed to our Facebook and Twitter followers to see how they found their wedding songs. Here’s what they had to say:

“Turned the iPod to A and let it play…. for about 3 weeks.”
- Aimee King via Facebook

“By listening to Sirius satellite radio! Heard a lovely Paul McCartney song and we both agreed. “Every Night“!”
- @Melissajphoto via Twitter

“My fiance is a trumpet player and we both love Louis Armstrong and our wedding theme is a vintage mix of the swing/jazz/bigband era….”La Vie en Rose” is just a given.”
- Alexandra via Facebook

“Easy. We both love Rural Alberta Advantage, and we met “In The Summertime” and that’s our favorite song.”
- Sandy Francis via Facebook

“I heard it on the radio and it gave me goosebumps- I just knew it was the one. I’ve go to say the music has been one of the easiest choices; Besides the groom.”
- Raegan Burrage-Fulham via Facebook

“Ours was “Through The Years” by Kenny Rogers. I love the words to this song because my husband and I have been together for 11 years and I love how this song says we’ve been through a lot and we made it because of each other. It’s a great song.”
- Chandra Lavergne via Facebook

“Searched Google for the best one.”
- Andreew Claudio Janis via Facebook

“We didn’t have a wedding song or a first dance or a dance at all. We mingled with our 24 guests over cocktails and appetizers for two hours to say thank you. I put together a playlist that played quietly in the private dining room we were in.”
- Christina Hiebert via Facebook

“My fiancée told me he loved me for the first time while he played “Chasing Cars” on his computer (before it was on Grey’s Anatomy). It may not be traditional but it brings up a lot of feelings and emotions inside of us when we hear it!”
- Genevieve Frigault via Facebook

“We’re doing two. The first one we heard on the radio and laughed out loud because it was ‘us’, the second has meaning!”
- @Gravimusprime via Twitter

To join in this discussion and others follow us at facebook.com/weddingbellsmag or twitter.com/weddingbellsmag.

planning

A New Classic Wedding Song

Posted August 18th, 2011 | 10:00 am | By Jen O'Brien | 1 Comment

Looking for a unique first dance song that hasn’t been played to death (yet)? You’re in luck. Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy is set to release a new solo album and the first single “Everyone Watched The Wedding,” has just been released.

“I’ve never been much of a royalist but this song is about the royal wedding,” says Cuddy. “Something about this last wedding got me. When I started reading more about it I realized that there was something about it that is very inspiring. And this was truly a gift. This song just came out. I had come in to the studio to do something completely different and within half an hour I had this song completely sketched out and that doesn’t happen, usually there’s more work involved.”

If you’re looking to add a little extra Canadiana into your event we think this song is a great choice. “Everyone Watched The Wedding” is a sweet, melodic tune that’s sure to have all your guests tearing up a bit. Have a listen:

Cuddy’s full album, Skyscraper Soul, scheduled for release on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

planning » rosie's ideas

UPDATE: Contest is CLOSED **WIN: A Pair of Concert Tickets to Watch Train in Toronto

Posted July 4th, 2011 | 1:00 am | By Roseanne Dela Rosa | 100 Comments

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who participated. Yesterday we drew five lucky winners for both the Album and the Tickets (the winners have all been notified via e-mail), here are the following random winners:

TICKETS: Anna Lafoyiannis, Phelan Snow, Heather Swanson, Heather Rosen and Apryl Dawn
ALBUM: Francine, Stacy, Lynda, Kymberly and Dave.

We’ve got some EXCITING news to share. Music band, Train, known particularly in the wedding world for their hit song ‘Marry Me‘ (watch the heartwarming video below), is coming to Toronto (alongside Maroon 5) to perform on August 22nd and we’ve scored 5 pairs of tickets to give away*! Read the rest of this entry »

royal wedding

Day 79: William and Kate Say No to 3D

Posted February 9th, 2011 | 12:17 pm | By Nicole Keen | No Comments

There’s no need to bust out your 3D glasses for the Royal Wedding on April 29th. William and Kate have decided not to have the wedding broadcast in 3D because of the additional cameras that would be required in Westminster Abbey. Due to the limited audience for 3D broadcasts, the couple would rather focus on accommodating 2D, radio and online coverage of the event, according to Patrick Harrison, Press Secretary for the Prince of Wales. In other news, Wills and Kate have also nixed celebrity singers—including Elton John—at the ceremony. Instead, they will play traditional church music. The decision to have a choir and organ is in keeping with the couple’s desire to have a more intimate and traditional celebration. Sir Elton John, however, is still expected to attend.