Music and Rituals : Throwing the Beat and the Bouquet

     In American, especially traditional, weddings there are many pieces of music that are tied together to create an entire celebration of two joining in credit debt and “holy matrimony”. In the weddings that I have experienced there are several parts: the opening and closing of ceremony, bridal party entrance to reception, the first dance, guardian dances with bride and groom, and the newly wed send off. As wholesomely beautiful the ceremonies I have been to, I believe the reception rituals of the wedding are the pieces that are specifically personalized for the bride and groom’s celebration.  My favorite pieces of the reception are bridal party entrance, guardian dances, first dances of the newlyweds. 

    As we have come into a social media era, anyone and everyone wants to be creative (more so funny) when it comes to introducing their bridal party to the reception. Traditionally, the entrance of the bridal party is slow paced with soft beats of piano. The idea was to elegantly bring in those close to the bride and groom in a showcase. Now the showcase still stands but it is more socially acceptable for songs can be mixed into personalized songs of the stories of their relationship to the bride and groom. 

    The dance held for the bride and groom with their guardians is an inclusive way of describing the dance the bride and groom have with their family that raised them whether it be a mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother, etc. These dances are to celebrate the time that the bond had together of growth and love, so typically they choose songs that represent that for them. Personally, I am grateful to have both of my parents present so if I were to ever get married and have a wedding I would love to have a dance with the both of them to celebrate our bonds and how we have grown together. For my mother, there is so many options like "Drive" Alan Jackson, "I'm Real" by JLo, "Made to Love" by Toby Mac and more. I believe the best fit would be "Free To Be Me" by Francesca Battistelli because my one of my earliest memories is singing this song in the back of her sports Mercedes with her to the best of our abilities. For my father, we have had a rocky relationship but it has brought us to the strongest we've ever been, so our song would have to be "There Goes My Life" by Kenny Chesney. When we weren't listening to hard 2000s rap, he was playing this song for me and my confused young mind, but I knew he was meaning he loved me. 

Free To Be Me By Francesca Battistelli: 

There Goes My Life By: Kenny Chesney 

 

    My favorite piece of the wedding reception is the first dance of the bride and groom, it is such a sentimental experience for them as well as their supporters. Usually, the bride and groom choose this song which can be sentimentally slow or jumping with joy. One wedding that I had almost zero relationship of knowing the bride or groom had a song that warmed my heart and brought clarity that a wedding should be the celebration of the relationship rather than the peak of it. The song “Another” by Adam Doleac is a remembrance of a love story from one to the one they love. Both versions the original as well as the wedding version are slow tempo with a consistent beat that slowly guide the story it seems. The original version sounds like instruments like a tambourine, electric guitar, a modern American drum set with a stronger beat. The wedding version is the same lyrics but there is a different consonance, there is not dissonance, but this melody and beat are slower which seem calmer rather than the upbeat excited original version. While I am far from being a romantic, I will always remember the excitement and hope I felt for the couple and their future. Here are the two versions of the song:

Another - Original Version by Adam Doleac 

 

Another - Wedding Version by Adam Doleac 

Side Note: Please forgive me for the romantics, I promise it will not happen again, thank you for reading. I hope this gave you a different perspectives on weddings and the importance of music in them.