Fall Fete

Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor

Last week the stars aligned and I had two-count 'em-TWO amazing parties on the books. The first, you've all seen by now, was our 15th anniversary party at the Plaza Hotel. The second was just two days later, at 620 Loft & Garden, on an unseasonably warm evening. The theme of the event was the celebration of the bounty of New York in the Fall. So seasonal and local food and drink was on tap for about 65 assorted members of the events industry. The letterpressed invites by Sloane Maduereira Design/Press New York, set the tone beautifully (as did the menu she designed, shown below).

The venue is a stunningly landscaped terrace several stories above Fifth Avenue, with an indoor room with views to match. Before dinner, we started outside for some delicious cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, all hosted by Marcey Brownstein Catering and Events. My favorite? The chestnut celeriac soup sip with sweet pea foam. We listened to the urban jazz lounge and dance-style music of Hudson Project (one of many talented groups from Elan Artists). They played funky/hipster versions of songs by Lady Gaga, Macy Gray, and Thievery Corporation.

All photos by Roey Yohai & Carlos Varela of ElanDocumentary.

Sing Me A Song

 Posted By Grace Bonney, of Design*Sponge

One of my absolute favorite parts of wedding planning has been choosing the music. Normally, music is totally Aaron’s territory (he’s more of a music buff than I could ever dream of being), but I had a really specific idea of what I wanted for the ceremony music and, thankfully, Aaron was down with the concept.

This being a Southern wedding, there was no way I wanted to have anything other than bluegrass or country playing in the background. We got engaged with the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack playing in the back, so I think bluegrass was destined to be a part of the big day.

That said, I also knew I wanted to walk down the aisle to anything but that “Here Comes the Bride” song. I don’t mind if other people use that song—I know it’s tradition—but for me, it just wasn’t the right tune.

My favorite artists of all time are The Dismemberment Plan, The New Pornographers/AC Newman, and Neil Young. Neil seemed a little to sad to walk down the aisle to (for some reason his music always makes me nostalgic for a time I didn’t actually live in), and the Dismemberment Plan was a little too jumpy for the ceremony (but perfect for the reception). But The New Pornographers? Absolutely perfect. I haven’t decided which track is right yet, but I am definitely walking down the aisle to an instrumental, slightly bluegrass version of one of their songs. I’ve narrowed it down to four and am positively giddy about what it will sound like live.

That said, I’ve gotten quite a few raised eyebrows over my “walking song” choice. I’m not easily swayed by things like that, but it made me extremely curious to hear what other people have used to walk down the aisle.

What was your walking/procession song? Did anyone use something out of the ordinary? A marching band perhaps? Punk? I’d love to hear that someone walked to an acoustic version of a metal band. I can’t wait to hear what everyone’s songs are/were…

And shortly after writing this post, we totally lucked out and booked a band for our wedding. We've been dying to book The Courduroy Road (I can't stop dancing to their music), and we are lucky enough to also have Ian Thomas joining them. So we're now totally psyched about our music!

WeddingMusicCentral.com

Posted by Darcy Miller. Editorial Director

I am always looking for unique new wedding songs for the special moments of your wedding, from ceremony to last dance.

WeddingMusicCentral.com features great original father-daughter, mother-son, mother-daughter dance songs and more. They have contemporary arrangements of classical wedding music favorites, all written and produced especially for weddings.

Gloria Sklerov and Barbara Rothstein are the creators of WeddingMusicCentral.com. Their exclusive line of wedding CDs, downloads, and personalized gift CDs are great. Check them out!

My favorite song from my wedding was Steve Tyrell's "The Way You Look Tonight," the song I danced to with my husband. What songs have you chosen for your wedding day? Father-daughter dance, first dance—I want to hear them all!