Posts in the 'Our Wedding' Category

A New Fresh Hubby Video to Thank The Amazing Dan Chen!

Dan Chen is the man. Ask anyone in either Dana’s or my extended family and they will not stop singing his praises. Many of you already know of his amazing talent as a wedding photographer, but you may not know that he is just as generous as he is gifted. Since the moment we met Dan he has been nothing but kind and giving. Oh yeah, and Dan is a pretty awesome guy to simply hang out with too. I wrote this song and put this music video together to thank Dan for his generous donation to Dishing For Dana, which has helped Dana destroy her medical debt.

We shot the video during Hurricane Irene in Astoria Queens. All trains and bridges were shut down and we weren’t going anywhere. So when I said, “Lets make a music video.”, my best from from high school Elliot Villar and his (also kinda my) little brother David were ready to play. So a big thanks to My Brothers Villar!

The Music? Ah, the music. K.U. aka Kustoo aka Jacques Slade is my producer (and one of my favorite rappers). I’ll let the awesomeness of Jacques work speak for him, but I will just add this: There is really no way to overstate how lucky I am to have such talented, kind and giving people in my life.

I hope you enjoy this, ’cause I’m happy to say there’s a few more “thank you raps” coming at you soon…

O.K. I’m gonna stop babbling so that you can rock out to this bit of fun:

Hunter

Ask Liz About Guest List Management

Hi Liz,

My wedding is in September, and I’ve been struggling with my guest list for at least 6 months now – I didn’t send out  Save the Dates simply because I couldn’t get it together in time. The main issue is that my venue has a 50 person cap if I want a sit down meal.  I’m happy with having a small wedding, but it means there are old college roommates and friends from my 20s that I simply can’t invite.  We thought of having a separate event the day after the wedding, but that basically means planning two weddings at once. Do you have any solutions for how I can include and celebrate with folks who are emotionally important to me but won’t be invited to the wedding? And once they get here, how do we acknowledge/handle out of town friends? We don’t own a house, or else I’d go the BBQ route!

Signed,
Gobstopped at the Guest List

Dear Gobstopped,

I can’t decide whether to start tackling this from the “good news” standpoint, or the “wedding planner with a stopwatch and a bucket of water” standpoint. Coin toss…bucket of water wins: If you don’t have enough room to invite your college roommates and friends from your 20s, then you can’t invite them.  Sucks, but you can’t do it. The rule, such as it is, is that you don’t have to invite anyone you haven’t seen or talked to in over a year. Start slashing, over a glass of wine if you have to. And try and get those invites out next month, my stopwatch is ticking. Oh, and practice saying this so you’ll have it ready if anyone asks, “It’s small wedding – the venue that we love only accommodates 50 people. And there was his list, too, so that limited mine even more.” Not just short and simple, but true. And they’ll get it – they weren’t invited, but then again, a lot of people weren’t.

Now for the good news, such as it is: Typically, you get about a 15% attrition rate – in other words, 15% of the guests you invite are not going to be able to make it, for whatever reason. That even goes up a little if you have more out-of-towners. So, you can send invitations to say, 60 – 65 people and you should still end up at your limit.

You can also stagger your invites – send half or so out to those whoabsolutelypositively MUST be invited, like family and your best friends and wedding party.  Then depending on how many actually accept within a couple of weeks, send out more. Everyone gets the same RSVP date, but you just need to give yourself a deadline to send out the second set.

As for those who didn’t make the cut, take a cue from my friends who’ve eloped – Send out wedding announcements afterward, either formal or by email. If you want to do formal ones, order them at the same time as your invites, and then send them out at the same time you mail your thank you cards. That’s like, 3 birds with one stone. Love it.

Out of town friends? If they’re not going to the rehearsal dinner or there isn’t going to be a rehearsal dinner, then find a bar you love with a great happy hour and invite them to hang out for a couple of drinks. If you can, buy the first round.

That being said…

Wow, these can get you coming and going, right?

Hi Liz!
I’m wondering what on Earth happens when more people show up than you are allowed to accommodate. I’m not overly worried about it – we only invited about 10 more people than the 150 we’re allotted, and of course some won’t be able to come. But I have this nagging feeling like: wait, what if they
do all come? Most of our guests are local, so we’ll probably have a lower “No” rate than usual. It’s most likely I’m fretting over nothing at all! But have you heard tales of venues that are very strict about capacity, and weddings that are over that capacity?

Signed,

Space Worrier

Dear Space,

Most venues have capacity rules, but odds are that you’ll be fine – it’s that whole 15% attrition thing I was talking about above. But give your venue a call and ask if they would be able to accommodate 10 extra guests,  if it comes down to it. Find out what that would look like logistically and cost-wise. Forewarned is forearmed, and it will make you feel better. I have coordinated weddings where more guests showed up than expected (RSVPs looks like an approximation to some people), and from my experience, venues and caterers generally make more food than is ordered and you can usually squeeze another table in there somewhere. But definitely, definitely ask.

So, are any of you going through these dilemmas, or does anyone have any more advice to give? Let me know in the comments!

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz

{Happy Anniversary} Our Wedding Ceremony

2 years ago today, we walked the aisle, we made the promises, we raised the glasses, we danced the dance, we shed the tears, we joined our lives.

In the 2 years since, life has been beautifully messy and real. It’s held soaring highs and the darkest lows. But every night I go to sleep, and every day I wake up next to my best friend, my partner in life and in business, my husband – the love of my life. We are a family, every day. And that’s the best gift ever.

I couldn’t love anyone more.

For our anniversary, we’ve decided to share the full video of our wedding ceremony, but for one week only.

The ceremony is original, written alongside our officiant, yogi and friend, Billy. There are snippets heavily influenced by, or even borrowed directly from, other bridal bloggers who shared their ceremonies online… but the bulk of it is highly personalized and crafted carefully with just the right balance of heart, soul, hippie granola, and universal community for our particular love story. I still get the chills whenever I hear it.

Billy wrote the song for us that he performed to seal off the ceremony space (learn more here). We included group blessing, ring warming and wine box ceremony. and made vows to the world, as well as each other. We stomped the glass. We laughed, we cried… it was a dream. It was absolute heaven.

(Read more about our wedding here.)

Happy Anniversary, my love. I’d do it all over again. and again. and again.

Thank you for taking such good care of me. Thank you for nurturing me, challenging me, inspiring me and empowering me to be better every day, and to keep growing and evolving and expanding in everything I do… and thank you for pushing yourself to do the same. Thank you for being such a good dad to Paco, a good brother to our siblings, a good son to our respective parents, a good citizen of this earth.

Thank you for forgiving me when I’m not my best, and for continuing to always look for the best in me, even when I’m too tired or broken to look for myself. Thank you for caring for me with such patience and understanding and love, every single day. For making me feel safe. For making me laugh.

Thank you for celebrating me when I succeed, as heartily as you celebrate your own good news. Thank you for sharing in my struggles and showing me I’m never alone in them. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, for that is how I love you.

I know this year has been particularly hard at times, and particularly beautiful at others. Let us learn from both, and move forward into our 3rd year together with the insight of the past and with inspiration for the future. I can’t wait to see where this year takes us!

Thank you for being you. I love you so so very much. My love, my light, my prince, my king, my Cazador, my husband.

Here’s to a lifetime of anniversaries to come.

Our Wedding Ceremony from The Broke-Ass Bride on Vimeo.

Video by Digital Princess Productions ♥ Officiant: Billy Gill ♥ Dress: Deborah Lindquist ♥ Suit: Everything’s Jake Vintage ♥ Bouquet: Emplume ♥ Florals: La Vie en Rose ♥ Coordination: Sharlene Griffith ♥ Processional: Trevor Hall “To Zion” ♥ Bride’s Processional: Jump, Little Children – “Mother’s Eyes” (first 1:25. I entered at 30) ♥ DJ: The Flashdance ♥ Photography: Dan Chen

We’re off to Disneyland this afternoon for some fun love in the sun before I have my surgery tomorrow. I can’t think of a better way to head into an operation than still aglow from the magic of the mouse and the music of our marriage… can you? :)

Dana

When NOT to Hire Friendors

As excited as I am to continue the Broke Ass Guide to Wedding Friendors, I’m hesitant about writing this post. The Broke-Ass Bride isn’t that kind of wedding website, the kind that yucks your yum and seeks to instill fear in the hearts of engaged people so they try to spend the anxiety away. But we DO want you to be as happy as possible with your wedding, and the fact is, using friendors isn’t right for every bride or every situation. Here are some times you might want to think twice about hiring friendors.

When you’re only “Facebook friends.” This is inspired by a comment on the first part in this series: if you wouldn’t invite this person to your wedding if they were not working it, and you feel obligated to invite them if they do work at it, think twice. The cost of inviting the Only-on-Facebook Friendor and a plus one might obliterate any friendor savings you’d have. But remember what I said in part one, you’ve got to formally negotiate, and you can explain to the potential Only-on-Facebook Friendor that you don’t have the space or budget to invite them, but you’d still love to give them the work. If that sounds too awkward to handle, hire a stranger professional.

Caveat: Hiring friends-of-friends who are wedding pros can be a great strategy, you’ll have insider info if the person can be trusted and you might score a discount. In that case there is enough distance that the role of the person is clear: they’re hired to work your wedding, not invited.

Don’t hire Rayanne to work your wedding.
[Source]

You don’t trust them. Some friends are rocks: solidly reliable and trustworthy. Some friends are… not, but we love ‘em anyway. [Or maybe all your friends are totally dependable saints? Good for you!] But if you wouldn’t trust your friend to feed your cat when you go away for the weekend, don’t hire them to work your wedding.

You have exacting needs. We don’t like to use the B-word around here (you know, the one that starts with “bride” and sounds like “chinchilla”), but if there is something in your wedding that you absolutely must have in a particular way, don’t hire a friend to take care of it. If your heart will break if your cake doesn’t taste exactly like a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, don’t hire your friend as your baker. Even if she’s the best baker in town. Because if something goes wrong and you don’t get the wedding cake of your dreams, you don’t want to ALSO lose a friend over it.

Your gut tells you no. I had FOUR different friends offer to DJ my wedding. (Sorry to brag about my embarrassment of friendor riches. If you’re feeling bummed about not having friends with wedding-friendly skill sets, stay tuned for next week’s post). And I ended up turning them all down and hiring a stranger. Why? Hiring a pro just felt right for my situation. I have exacting needs (I really want a crazy dance party at my wedding) but don’t know enough about music to give a friend exacting guidelines. The risk for me being disappointed with the music at my wedding is too high, so I’m putting that risk on a stranger, even though it costs a little more. I’m all about buying peace of mind, which is why I made room in my budget for it.

How to say no: I love honesty (mostly because I’m terrible at lying), so I recommend just explaining why you’re not hiring a friend who has offered wedding services as straightforwardly as possible. But if you feel like you can’t use the direct approach, just shift the blame: you can’t hire them because of the demands of your parents, your in-laws, your fiance, your wedding planner, your venue contract. Pick the fib that works for you.

Sometimes after thinking twice you’ll still choose to hire a friendor. That’s ok! Do what works for your life, your wedding, your budget, and your values.

Have any of you decided to turn down a friend who offered to do a job at your wedding? How’d you handle the tricky decision to hire a stranger professional despite your budget constraints?

-Robin

We’re “Wedding Graduates”!

A Practical Wedding was one of my most beloved daily reads when I was engaged. Meg started her blog just a few months before me, and we were both wed within months of each other… so in many ways I viewed her as a sister during the process. Her down-to-earth authenticity kept me honest and sane when I would get bogged down in the details, or fall prey to equating dollars-out with happiness-in.

Like me, she’s still at it (with a gorgeously redesigned site, no less) and leading the Team Practical cause like the bad-ass fairy godmother of wisdom that she’s always been.

Today, she’s featured us as Wedding Graduates… and my heart palpitates with happiness! Go, check out our story and pics, and make Meg your new best friend. She’s a good’un, she is.

Click over for the full post!

And to those of you who came over from APW today – welcome! There’s cold ones in the fridge, and my sofa is hella cozy. We hope you enjoy your stay, and come back often!

Thanks, Meg! We lurve ya, sister!

Dana

Three Hundred Sixty Five Days Ago Today…

…I got to wear my favorite dress. And was surrounded by my favorite people.

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I said “I do” and gave my heart, my soul, my most intimate and vulnerable self over to my most favoritest person in the whole world, joining our lives together forever.

I laughed and cried, toasted and danced, laughed and cried some more.

One year ago today, I went from bride to wife.

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One year ago today, a family was born.

And together, we began a new life.

The Big Day www.TheBrokeAssBride.com from Digital Princess Productions on Vimeo

In the past year we’ve known joy and pain, struggle and success, more laughter and more tears. Our vows have been tested and reaffirmed. We have learned that marriage is an effort as much as it is a blessing…. an intention we renew each day when we say good morning and each evening when we kiss goodnight.

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Today, at the same time we did one year ago, we will say our vows again…. to remind each other and ourselves of the promises we made and the gift we give each other every day.

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And we will celebrate. For our past, and for our future. Because today, like this day last year, begins another new chapter in our lives, as it is also the first day of life working for ourselves, pursuing new dreams together as a team full-time. The beginning of freedom and fearlessness, of ambition and tenacity, of nurturing and growth, of baby steps and big leaps.


Thank you for being a such a big part of the past year and of our lives. Your support and friendship gives us more joy and satisfaction than you’ll ever know. We are so excited for the future with you, continuing to share our lives and giving you our best to you as we move forward into this new day. So that you all can have a day that is to you as personal and meaningful as ours was one year ago today…. and carry that moment over into a life equally as rich, no matter what your budget.

So here’s to my partner. My best friend. My love. My light. My husband. My Cazador.

Here’s to our family.

And here’s to marriage. To the end of our first year, the beginning of our second, and to countless more May 24ths.

And here’s to you. And to the future.

Cheers!

(photos by Chennergy, video by Digital Princess Productions)

Dana

{Wedding Music Radness Recap} part 2: the reception

(Hey you. Yes, you! Before you read this, go here and read all about our ceremony music so you’re up to speed. Aight? Cool.)

Its grand entrance time, yo! And we always knew we wanted Jump Around play as our reception entrance music. I mean come on. It’s only one of the most legendary party beats ever. But, the Bungalow Club had accidentally miscommunicated the DJ set-up situation and so The Flashdance wasn’t able to play during cocktail hour or dinner as we planned. And you know what? It didn’t even matter one bit! The Bungalow Club put on a great, eclectic music mix, Michael got to relax and enjoy the dinner and toasts… and we brought the hype ourselves!

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It is my pleasure to introduce, Mr. and Mrs. Broke-Ass!

The first dance song was an elusive mistress.  It took us forevah to find the right jam for that moment, but when we did, awww yeah… Brace yourselves, my inner hippie is breaking out, and I’m about to get real with y’all. Bob Marley is my guardian angel. No, I swear, he is. (insert ganja joke here) But he is! There have been too many coincidental moments in which I’m experiencing some emotional distress, and like magic, Bob’s comforting voice finds its way to me. Whether by way of the radio, or mall muzak, in a film, or on my alarm clock… there Bob is: lifting my spirits with his messages of hope and empowerment. And Three Little Birds is one of our favorite all-time songs, so it was poi-fect! We moved upstairs to the dancefloor, and Michael took over the music. When our guests circled around us and all spontaneously sang along while we danced, it was like a moment out of a dream.
Bob Marley – “Three Little Birds”

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It was all somehow to intimate even though we were surrounded.

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we didn't have any set dancemoves, but he made sure to spin me, which he knows I love.

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I love how intimate this picture is.

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Hunter must have said something really sweet, cuz I'm blushin!

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We sang to each other too.

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...and made up some silly and sweet new moves.

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And ended with a glorious dip kiss, just like I always imagined!

I made the final call on our father/daughter dance song the day of the wedding, after hemming and hawing between two I adored for different reasons for months. I kept the song choice from my father so he’d be surprised and experience it all in the moment. My dance with my dad was absolutely and unforgettably magical, and now I can’t see a daddy-daughter dance without getting weepy and verklempt. This was a song my mom turned me onto, and it absolutely feels like my daddy and me.
Loudon Wainwright III – “My Daughter”

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I can barely look at these photos without getting misty

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My daddy has the smiliest eyes

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I periodically just clung to him while we danced, like a baby monkey.

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This one kills me. My heart could burst looking at his expression.

Hunter had a challenge in choosing a tune for the mother-son dance tunes. His mother was a dancer and loved to move, so he wanted a song that would allow them to have fun on the dance floor together… so he chose Shall We Dance from The King & I, which he and his mom used to sing together all the time. Penelope and Hunter tore up the dance floor in a fast-paced and riveting waltz, that ended with her dramatically spinning out and gracefully collapsing in a dramatic curtsey before she handed him off to me. These are some of my favorite photos from the night!
**TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES with audio player**
You can listen to Shall we Dance, here

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She was a speed machine - just look at that hair go!

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You can see where Hunter gets his acting talent here!

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... and Hunter gives a grand bow to her after the collapse!

Aaaaaaand, we didn’t even pick special songs for anything else!  Weaving our diverse and random tastes in tune-age into our big day made it feel like home, and helped usher our guests into just the right mood for the kind of party we had planned. And now, whenever we hear Three Little Birds or Melt with You, its never quite the same… in all the right ways.

Stay tuned for a future post sharing some of the jams that got away – songs we loved, but nixed for one reason or another.

What songs are you picking for your big moments?

all photos by Dan Chen of Chennergy

Dana

{Earth Day} We’re Loving: GREEN goodies

Earth Day is 40 years old today, and we’re so excited. Mother Earth means so much to us, that we even made a vow to protect her during our wedding! So, naturally, on this day in her honor, we’z about to bust out some of our favorite green goodies to help you discover how being green can help you save green, have fun, and give Big Mama Earth a big, heartfelt, broke-ass hippie {HUG}
Earth Day comments

Anyone out there have disposables guilt? You know, that regretful feeling when you buy a pack of disposables for your home, a party or a wedding event? Hang onto your socks, and meet this bevy of bio-goodness. There are tons of disposables out there made from biodegradable materials, such as corn starch, bamboo and sugarcane bagasse, and they’re super affordable, yo! We used some for our day-after party and they were perfect! Biosmart used to offer a $20 party pack that fed 50 people… I wish they’d bring that back! But still you can get 125 plates for $9.99 or 250 bar cups for $24.61 – can I get a what what? That’s my jam!

Ohh Emm Geee.

Yes, please.

Sustainable Party is an adorable site filled with different styles of sustainable disposable – from your basic whites to some really stylish bamboo. They sell most items in bulk batches (ranges from 25 to 3,000) and bulk batches mean bulk discounts, and you know we love that! And I can’t resist those party monsters they put in the product porn :) GreenFeet has a great selection at great prices too – but my favorite has got to be the bamboo spork!

Present your disposables in a cute fabric lined basket, tie some rustic twine around the utensils, cut up recycled fabric with pinking shears to create adorable cloth napkins and some grub…. you’ve got yourself a guilt-less, easy clean up and affordable feast.

Browsing for a wedding dress can be eco-friendly in so many ways these days, its hard to justify not checking this shiz out! Naturally I’ve gotta plug the eco-fashionistas out there, having worn a gown made of sustainable fabrics… so let’s give it up for Deborah Lindquist, Amy Jo Tatum, and Puridee who handmake gorgeous confections of dresses out of organic and recycled fabrics and are just to die for!

Amy Jo's green-chic line has retro flair

I LOVE this color by Puridee!

But there before buying new, make sure to check out the zillions of bridal resale options… from vintage shops in your hometown to awesome online resalers like Recycled Bride, wedding website classifieds, or charity resale events like Brides Against Breast Cancer. You can even rent gowns like the one in yesterday’s gorgeous real wedding feature for just one night! Already married? Unload that lonely gown and send it down the aisle again on another lucky brides back, and list it for resale or donate it today!

Guiltless snacking is my favorite.

Add some sun to your day.

I’m sure you’ve seen that Sunchips has a very sexy new biodegradable bag, but did you know that all those old bags can still be put to good use? Check out this cutie pie chip bowl from Ecoist for your wedding registry or a gift, or snag a purse made from a Lay’s bag for your summer wedding!

California Pink Tourmaline, and vegan!

Something old, made new.

Eco-wedding rings do exist, and what a great way to make a vow, right? Recycling rings from estate sales and vintage boutiques is a great place to start, but you can get even more progressive by seeking alternative styles like the gorgeous wood-laid reclaimed silver bands right there, or those made of reclaimed metals and non-diamond jewels like this gorgeous $298 pink solitaire by McFarland Designs on etsy. Even better, scour your old jewelry box and ask friends or family to donate old metals, send ‘em to a jeweler, and have your own design cast from some meaningful metal.

Oh, there are so many goodies we love that support and protect the lady that feeds us, houses us, nourishes us and on which we’ll marry… I could go on for days. Do your part today and every day.  As the Native American Proverb says:
Treat the earth well… we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

What are your favorite green goodies?

Dana

A Music Manifesto (with a wedding recap on the side), part I.

The right music makes everything better, amIright?  It stirs the senses, attaches itself to and evokes memories, provokes our emotions, and laces itself into the soundtracks of our lives in inextricable and powerful ways. Our taste in music says a lot about who we are, where we’ve been, and reveals layers of our personalities that aren’t always immediately discernible. Or at least, I thinks so. I’m that girl who can’t wait for the ceremony to start because I’m curious to hear what song she picked to enter with. I’m so fascinated by what music people select for different portions of their weddings, and even moreso by the pressure to conform to the ‘wedxpectations’ (booyah, just made that up!) that so many couples experience (including us!).

Pachabel’s Canon in D. The Wedding March. At last. I’ll be. Ave Maria. Butterfly Kisses. Rainbow Connection. Unforgettable. (you get the point). How many times have you heard these at weddings? How many cocktail hours and dinners filled with Sinatra and the rest of the rat pack, Michael Buble, and Earth, Wind and Fire have you attended?

Now, I’m not trying to beef on you if you have some attachment to one of these songs or artists… I’ve got nothin’ but love. They’re beautiful songs performed by some of the greatest artists of our time. If you have a connection with it – use it! But even so, these choices are fairly common (and therefore, somewhat predictable) choices. And far too many couples fall back onto choosing music that doesn’t rock their personal socks, or show off their unique taste, because they feel pressure to stay inside that box. I have friends who regret their processional choice because of the pressure of “tradition”… But, I’m blowing the lid right off that box and hitting shuffle on this mix, yo! BOOOOOM goes the dynamite. People, use music you LOVE. There’s nothing like the sense memory of your wedding jam playing while you’re in the toilet paper aisle at Target. You will dance. You will tear up. You will go home and make out. It’s. Awesome.

Your music also sets a mood. Consider the energy you want your wedding to radiate. Elegant and sophisticated? Fun and funky? Down home country? Big band glam? The music you play can clue your guests in on what kind of event to expect, so use it!

Picking our music was a major challenge for us, for shizzle. We wanted to underscore our day with music that both held meaning to us as a couple, and showed off our diverse and random tastes in tuneage. And remember how Hunter had issues with having a ceremony in a place that many other people had married? He felt the same way about music selections for the wedding. I fell in love with plenty of songs that got quickly vetoed because he was very particular (and in the end, he was right). Plus, the closest thing we’d had to “our song” over the 6.5 years of our relationship that far, was deemed too sad (and worse, morbid)* by our families. We gave it some more thought, and we saw their point. We wanted to feel jolly and happy, not like we were harshing everyone’s (including our own) merry mellow! And so we decided that we wanted cheerful, even upbeat music to celebrate each moment with positive and joyful energy.

And that’s just what we did.

The Ceremony

♥ During the pre-game, while our guests filtered in and procured their fine ceremony cocktails, we had the one and only Michael from The Flashdance spinning beats. We suggested to Michael a very groovy, sunny, raggae sort of vibe to play with, and given his exquisite taste, the party was already started before we even arrived. Then, it was time to get down to business!

Fun in the sun...

♥ For the wedding party processional, we chose a song by one of our very favorite musicians, Trevor Hall. We love how stirring and meditative it feels, and how the lyrics are so appropriate to the business we had come to do. We even printed the lyrics on the back of our programs, so the guests would get the full experience of the song and its message. The timing worked out just right, so the final bridesmaid took her place just as the song ended… and it kicked our wedding with the perfect mood and energy.
Trevor Hall “To Zion

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Lyrics:
To Zion, I’ll fly on…
To Zion, I’ll fly on…

Up with the sunrise
breeze through the wind chimes
open my eyes as the images rush my mind
Shine, oh baby you’re just in time
the water’s in the kettle, the stars have just aligned
Yes within the hour, oh I see the power
never new the street could bloom so many flowers
Yes I water the roots as I lace up my boots
strap on my parachute, and float on back to…

To Zion…I Fly On

...and the fairies danced down the isle.

Swallow the ocean
drink of it’s potion
the wheels are turning and burning, set it in motion
Fire, fire, well baby I’m up in flames
these melodies are telling me to see it all the same
yes, I am I
you are you
you are me
we are we,
family on the road to unity
Plant a seed, watch it sprout
watch it grow, watch it bloom
get in tune, sun and moon
as we finally break through..

To Zion…I Fly On

Polish the mirror
so we can see clearer
push back the clouds
and reflect love superior.
Within the lotus,
it all comes in focus
this love, it ain’t hopeless
its no hocus pocus.

♥ Picking my entrance song was balls hard, people. I really wanted a different song for this part, but I only had like 30-40 seconds of processional and its near impossible to find music that can feel “complete” within that time. I had a few strong contenders, but nothing really sang to me, and I was getting pretty stressed about it. I didn’t want to compromise on this one, you know? It was my big moment! The reveal! The first look! Then I remembered the instrumental intro to one of my very favorite songs of all time, and it timed out perfectly! With its dreamlike tempo and airy strings, it feels like an underwater ballet… like time slows down when it plays. And that’s exactly how I wanted to feel as I glided down the aisle.

Jump, Little Children – “Mother’s Eyes” (the first 1:25 were my processional, and I entered at 0:30) but listen to the rest – its an epic song!)

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DH-1206

In our own underwater ballet.

♥ Our officiant/friend Billy knows us incredibly well. He’s also insanely talented (like mega ultra uber good) singer/songwriter, so we asked if he could write us a special jam, and then perform it after the recessional while circling the guest seating, to set the right mood for the ceremony and seal off the sacred space in which we were about to marry. It was incredibly special and powerful, and Billy was adorable, singing to us and interacting with the guests with the same goofy warmth that makes him one of our very best friends. As we always say: warm and sweet, thoughtful and silly is the way we love our Billy Gilly :)
You Got Love, written and performed by Billy Gill

Billy’s Song from Digital Princess Productions on Vimeo.

♥ The recessional was the one easy pick of the whole shebang. I’ll Melt with You has been one of our favorite, meaningful jams for many years (who can resist Modern English?) and we knew from day uno that we wanted to kick off our marriage with that hot-ass crescendo toward the end. It just feels like the beginning of something sooooo freaking good, don’t it?
Modern English – “Melt with You” (we started it at 3:17)

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Stay tuned for Part II – The Reception Jams!

What songs are you using for your ceremony? I love hearing people’s picks!

*that song was: I Will Follow You (Death Cab for Cutie)

Dana

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