Choosing the music to our wedding was no easy feat. I'd like to say that I'm sort of musically-inclined — I played the flute when I was younger and can carry a tune (a somewhat shaky tune...let's just say, I'm not tone deaf!). However when thinking of what ceremony music to choose for our wedding, I was left sort of overwhelmed without a clue as to where to start. Mike and I had made a playlist of all our reception music a month or so beforehand, and that was a piece of cake...in fact, we had to trim the list down several times in order to fit in all our chosen songs!
But there was a friend of mine who would soon act as my fairy godmother — helping to guide me in my decisions. That fairy godmother was Melissa Hyman — my very talented musical friend. She'd contacted me when Mike and I got engaged, saying if we needed someone to perform during our ceremony, she'd be happy to do it. What an amazing friend!
Melissa is great — she is just an all-around happy person who exudes a positive, generous vibe. She so effortlessly puts anyone around her in a good mood. Aside from her genuine kindness and easygoing, funny personality, she is an amazing singer, celloist, and guitarist. I said she was talented, didn't I? Over the past few years, Melissa has been touring all over Western North Carolina and beyond, has come out with her own CD, and performs with a slew of other extremely talented individuals and bands in the area. I honestly don't know how she does all of what she does! What energy!
Please please check out her awesomeness at reverbnation.com/melissahyman.There you can hear samples of her funky, feel-good music and get to know more about her as a musician and singer/songwriter.
One late summer afternoon, Melissa and I sat down with each other to discuss the type of music Mike and I wanted in the ceremony. I really wanted a blend of different genres to give our ceremony some personality. Listening to a bunch of options helped tremendously, and since Melissa has played for many weddings in the past, she had a good idea of the kinds of songs I had in mind. We listened to a bunch of options; Melissa even busted out her guitar to showcase some of the tunes she already knew, and we came up with a list I was really happy with. We chose some oldies like Sam Cooke and the Beatles — and classical music as well, like Handel and Pachelbel, but nothing too high church-y. Being kids who were exposed to a good amount of 60s and 70s classics, we really wanted to pay tribute to those tunes that are so nostalgic (in a good way!). Melissa would play her cello and guitar and have a violinist — Ashley — accompany her.
After narrowing down a good handful, I took the list home that night and went over each song with Mike — playing them on YouTube to see if the chosen songs were ones we both liked. Of course there were some differences in opinions. Mike was not a huge fan of Ashokan Farewell or Edelweiss...granted, they are a little on the sad side, and this was a happy occasion!, but we finally pinpointed our favorites and gave plenty of options for Melissa and Ashley.
Here is what we decided for the processional/recessional:
Wedding party processional: Air from Water Music (Handel)
Bridal processional: Canon in D (Pachelbel's Canon)
Recessional: "I Will" (Beatles)
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Melissa (right) and Ashley playing at our wedding!! They were wonderful! |
As I heard Pachelbel's Canon being played and I was about to walk down the aisle — stepping out in front of all my dearest family and friends — it was an indescribably good moment. There were so many emotions going on inside me at once — I was elated, nervous, scared, sad, excited — that all I could do was hang on tightly to my dad's arm and let the beautiful music lead me down the aisle. Thank you Melissa and Ashley for doing such a fabulous job!!