Thursday, April 23, 2009

Another view on wedding music

I've spoken about wedding music previously, albeit briefly (solely in the context of one of my favorite hymns, "Now the Green Blade Riseth"). However, if you're planning the music for a wedding, there are a number of factors that need to be considered. To get guidance on this, you can refer to one of the experts on the topic - Richard Blade. And yes, I realize that half of you (the older half) are going, "RICHARD BLADE?!?" Meanwhile, the other half of you (the younger half) are going, "Who's Richard Blade?"

Blade is most famous for his 18 years of work as a disc jockey on Los Angeles radio station KROQ, and since he started there in the 1980s and was connected to a number of bands that gained prominence in the 1980s (he appears in the Depeche Mode movie "101" and was interviewed at the time of the Wherehouse Records signing), Blade is at this time generally regarded as an oldies deejay. (And again the older people are shaking their head at the idea that Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and U2 are now considered oldies bands.)

But Blade, in common with many people who are or were involved in radio, has a number of projects going on at any one moment. His website mentions many of the things he's done, and the things he still does today. And one of the things that he will do is arrange music for your wedding ceremony.

The following is a list of some of the most popular wedding songs that I play at ceremonies and receptions. I’ve broken down each section of a traditional wedding, in order, from the ceremony to the reception. And please remember, these are past requests - it's what you want played that's important. After all, it's your
wedding day!


And, for the record, I did not find a single song by Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, or U2 in that entire list. Here's a sample from just one of the categories:

Processional & Bridal music: Played during the time the family, wedding party, and the bride walk down the aisle.

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride) from "Lohengrin" (Wagner)
Trumpet Voluntary in D (The Prince of Denmark's March) (Clarke or Purcell)
Canon in D (Pachelbel)
The Four Seasons (Handel)
Water Music (Handel)
What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)
I Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley)
When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge)
In My Life (The Beatles)
March From Lohengrin (Wagner)


Well, we didn't have a deejay at our wedding, but if you're so inclined to have one, and if the Poorman doesn't meet your needs, there's always Richard Blade.
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