Getting married in a Catholic ceremony without a mass, meeting with the music director soon- However I’m looking for dramatic music that will fit with our evening ceremony. What songs have you used or heard in Catholic weddings?

Wedding songs are the life and soul of your wedding celebrations. They set the mood of the celebrations from the beginning to the end. Choosing the best songs for your wedding day celebrations can enhance the joyous mood of the day and make it a memorable event.

The weddings of the past featured traditional wedding songs. Today, couples can choose from a wide range of music. Choosing the best songs for their wedding celebrations is the most exciting aspect of the wedding day celebrations.

Couples usually select songs that are deeply significant to them in a special way. Playing such songs on the wedding day makes it a unique and personal experience for them. For example, a couple could select a song that they heard during their first date or a few songs of their favorite singer.

Consider the following points when you select your wedding day songs:

1. Venue

Select songs that suit the venue you have chosen for your wedding day celebrations. Wedding ceremonies are usually conducted in a church, and couples must first ascertain whether the church authorities allow their favorite music to be played within the church premises. Some churches are particular about the type of songs that should played during the services.

Other venues might not have placed any constraint on the type of songs that can be played. In any case, choose sober songs for your wedding ceremony, not the type of songs that might be in sharp contrast to the solemnity of the occassion. You can play all the amusing and entertaining music you like at your reception.

2. Music Band

Select a good DJ or music band that will create great wedding music for you. If you have decided to have a traditional wedding, you might hire a classical ensemble to play at your reception. If you are having a quiet wedding at home in the company of your friends and family members, you could get a flute trio, a solo pianist, or a string quartet to play your classical wedding music.

3. Planning Wedding Songs

Couples have to select several songs for their wedding. In fact, you have to select different types of songs for six different aspects of the wedding.

Prelude music is joyous and festive and is played chiefly to welcome family members and friends to your wedding ceremony.

The wedding procession marks the beginning of the ceremony, and the songs played at this time are to welcome the gathering and to alert the guests that the bride is about to enter.

A bridal procession is the most important part of the ceremony. Many prefer the conventional bridal march. However, the practise of playing different type of music during it can make it a unique and memorable event. Besides, it is quite acceptable in the modern days.

During the interludes, you can use a variety of songs to enhance the emotional charging of the environment.

Festive wedding songs should played during the recessional because the music is to celebrate the fact that the couple are now officially united.

The music of the postlude is more grateful, full of thanks to the guests who have made it to the wedding ceremony.

Your Monterey wedding will be one of the most important aspects of our life; it needs to be a memorable event. It needs to be fun and jovial.  Here are few tips that can help you.

Make the music a cocktail:

Every age group has different tastes and what appeals to the people of your age group may not be the same for the people of another age group. So be sure that your music has the flavor of all music right from rock to soft music, on which people could groove after they are tired.

Consider the choices of your guests:

On a card ask your guests which would be the song that they would like to groove on. This technique will add an excitement in to the guest and you can easily drive them up to the stage. Playing the music on the choice of your audience will ensure a jovial environment in the wedding.

Do not forget the older generation

The old age groups are among the first people to leave the parties so do not forget them and cater to their needs. What you can do is to play a few 40’s and the 50’s songs and then the rest of the songs you can keep it reserved for the younger crowd. Ensure that songs need to be high beat in the initial stage then go in for the light track songs. Avoid playing very soft music songs as they do not drive the people to dance.

Get the dancing started earlier

Initially the floor use to rock only after the cake has been cut but these days people start the dance as early as possible. The entire function has dance and there would be a break only for eating. So in your function start the dance as early as possible so that there are positive vibes in the party throughout. I have seen instances were even before the bride and groom are announced the dancing starts. I would suggest you to go for the announcement of the bride and groom first and then just rock the floor.

There was a time when couples had ‘their song’ and the decision of which track to use for the first dance at a wedding was a simple one. However, in the new millennium, this choice is not as easy as you might think for some couples. Whether this is due to a glut in good quality modern love songs and ballads is debatable, but with the growing popularity of hip hop, dance and house music, the likelihood of the newly-weds favourite song being at the right tempo and having appropriate lyrics, becomes more remote.

A quick search of U-tube will show you that this doesn’t pose a problem for everybody, with plenty of comedy clips of elaborate ‘first dances’ to tracks like ‘I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie’. However, such a theatrical approach is not to everyone’s taste and a return to the more traditional ballads of the twentieth century is still very common. Indeed, out of the top ten songs rated by users of www.occasionsongs.com only one was written within the last ten years.

It may seem obvious, but having selected a track, a quick check of the lyrics and some research into the premiss of the song is well worth doing. For example, at first listen, Lou Reeds ‘Perfect Day’ might be regarded as particularly suitable, with a great tune, tempo and seemingly appropriate lyrics. However, if you dig a little deeper, you will find that many people suggest that this song was written about Lou Reeds heroine addiction. Even if it wasn’t, the final line “you’re going to reap just what you sow” isn’t exactly the most romantic line ever.

Another classic song to be regularly misinterpreted is ‘Every Breath You Take’ by the Police. A quick google search will show you that this song is widely regarded as being about Stings break-up with his first wife (hardly a fitting sentiment for the first dance of a newly wed couple).

So how do you navigate your way through the pitfalls of choosing a song for the ‘first dance’ at your wedding, if you don’t already have a suitable favourite? Well, if you can’t face reading through the sleeve notes of your record collection, you can try some of the many internet sites offering suitable suggestions, such as www.occasionsongs.com , which as well as providing popular lists and song lyrics, also gives useful additional information about each song, allowing you to assess how appropriate it really is. If all else fails, you could just play safe and plump for an instrumental track instead (occasionsongs.com recommend Santana’s Samba Pa Ti).