Hey folks! It's been quite some time since I posted a Freestyle Friday mix (I was a little busy, what with the whole getting married thing), so I thought it was time to share some more music goodness. Also I think I'll retire the previous Freestyle Friday image in favor of the one above.
Check out the playlist below if you're in the mood for some really chill tunes from artists like Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, The Black Keys, Citizen Cope, The Killers, and of course an old fav, Arcade Fire. Enjoy!!!
Being the Type-A person that I am, I of course had to plan in advance a kick ass playlist that me and the girls can listen to as we get our hair and makeup done the morning of the wedding. Mr. M and I booked the penthouse for the day before and the day of the wedding, giving us ladies and the stylists plenty of room to spread out.
We'll be getting our makeup professionally done! / Image via The Knot
With that in mind, how could I not create the perfect getting-ready playlist? Most of you know by now how music-obsessed I am (if you remember my intro post), but I'd categorize my favorite genre as indie rock. But for this, I wanted to make a playlist with some fun pop music that us ladies could sing along to. This includes songs by the "Divas" (Madonna, Whitney, Britney, Gaga, Beyonce) as well as some awesome 80s, 90s and 2000s jams. Feel free to steal this playlist!
Image via Lover.ly / Photo Creidt: Graceology Photgraphy
I thought the title was appropriate since each of our tables will be named after our favorite bands :) Putting together the seat chart surprisingly didn't stress me out nearly as much as I thought it would. For the most part, it was actually not that difficult assigning people to tables. I hate going to a wedding and being seated at a table where I don't know anyone (although I understand that sometimes it's unavoidable, but still), so it was really important to us that we sat people together who mostly knew each other. In putting the tables together, we realized that my family alone makes up six tables, while his whole family only takes up one and a half tables. Our Connecticut friends make up four tables, and the remaining three tables consists mostly of NYC friends, bridemaids and their SOs.
Then there was the vendor seating--at first we were thinking of a separate table but the 15 tables we currently have are the absolute maximum...so that was a no-go. Putting them in another room wasn't an option, especially for our photographers since all the speeches are going to be in-between courses. So ultimately we decided to add a few additional seats to the tables closest to the dance floor.
Here is how I'm visualizing the layout for the reception room--we want to seat our immediate family closest to our sweetheart table and the friends who are most likely to be dancing all night right by the dance floor (I still have to run this by the venue to make sure what I'm seeing in my head is actually possible.)
Further down shows the dance floor and DJ booth and past that is what I'm visualizing for the little lounge area, complete with couch, light up bar, photobooth, etc.
Hey folks! Apologies for slacking on my Friday mixes the past few weeks--I was sick with a pretty bad cold for over a week and have also been up to my ears with wedding stuff. Speaking of weddings, FH and I are starting to put together some ideas on what specific songs will be played at the wedding. Since we have so many indie rock favs, the best time for these songs will be during dinner (since many of them aren't really dancing songs).
This week, I want to focus on some oldies (but goodies) from two favorite bands--Vampire Weekend and MGMT. Enjoy!
Right around the time we got engaged, I started thinking about ceremony music (wayyy too early in the planning process I know, but I couldn't help myself). While I think classical/traditional wedding music is beautiful, I knew FH and I would want to have songs that were more contemporary. Afterall, we are majormusic junkies. While browsing online one day, I came across the various works of the Vitamin String Quartet. Now I know VSQ is old news to anyone with wedding on the brain, however I had never heard of them prior to planning my own wedding...and I remember feeling like I had just struck gold. This was exactly what we had in mind for our wedding--string versions of our favorite contemporary songs.
We asked our wedding planner for string quartet recommendations and we ultimately decided to move forward with Ontario-based Cadenza Strings. They have a TON of contemporary songs in their reportoire and charge a small fee to learn any new ones. Last month, it was time to submit our selections so they could learn any new songs in time for the wedding.
As I browsed online through a number of Vitamin String Quartet songs for inspiration, I remember the one that stood out the most to me was their version of "Fix You" by Coldplay. As soon as the song was over, I just knew I would walk down the aisle to this song. As cheesy as it sounds, the first (dozen) times I listened to the song, I kept tearing up. I thought it was so beautiful and there's even a cue about halfway through the song that sounds like the perfect part for a grand bridal entrance. Check out the song below.
At first, FH was a little iffy about the song (he thought the lyrics weren't exactly wedding-worthy but my argument was that there wouldn't be any lyrics!) but he did agree that the string version was really nice. As a compromise, I promised he could pick the recessional song if I could have this as the processional (marriage is all about compromise after all, right?) He's decided on "Home" by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and I wholeheartedly agreed since the song is one of our favorites.
We also asked our string quartet to learn one more song, "So Here We Are" by Bloc Party. This will be one of five or six prelude songs and is another song that is very special to us--Bloc Party was the first concert FH and I had ever gone to together (7 years ago this summer!) and the band we've seen the most--I think we've seen them 5 times.
The rest of the prelude songs are already on the quartet's repertoire, so here they are for your listening pleasure.
Will you be choosing non-traditional music for your ceremony?
Happy Friday and 1st of February folks! There's no particular theme for this week's edition of Freestyle Fridays--I've just recently started listening to Lana Del Rey again and even though the girl can't quite cut it in a live setting (remember that SNL performance? Yikes), the album version of her songs are actually pretty good. Some of my favorites include "Blue Jeans", "National Anthem", "Ride", "Radio" and of course "Video Games". Enjoy!
It's been an awfully cold week here on the East Coast--unfortunately all the sunshine and warmth that my skin absorbed in Mexico last week is now gone (boooo!!) So as a consolation, this week's Freestyle Friday playlist is all about summer, that glorious time of year where you can wear short shorts, sandals and tank tops.
This past summer was unbearably hot and I actually couldn't wait for it to be over--being in an NYC subway station in 100 degree weather is something no human being should have to experience. EVER. But now I'm kicking myself this week for even thinking such blasphemous thoughts. Stinky, hot subway or frozen hands & ears? You decide. In the meantime, hopefully these songs will make you feel warm inside (and out). Enjoy!
Today's Freestyle Friday mix is all about vacation/traveling, inspired by the fact that tomorrow I will be sipping tropical drinks, eating fish tacos and sunning myself in paradise (otherwise known as Cancun). It also doesn't hurt that we've just been upgraded to first class (holllla!!) on the way down, hence the addition of Fergie's "Glamorous". If you're going on vacation soon or just want to feel like you're going away, this playlist is for you. Enjoy!
Happy New Year to you all! In this edition of Freestyle Fridays, I wanted to include some songs having to do with change, making things happen and new beginnings. I have some BIG changes and goals lined up in 2013 (including getting married in a few months--whoohoo!!) so I wanted to create a playlist with inspirational messages.
The songs range from totally cheesy (Celine Dion "A New Day" and Hoku "Perfect Day") to truly uplifting (Bob Marley "Three Little Birds" and Glora Estefan "Reach"). So sit back, enjoy and let the good vibes flow from the universe through you...okay now I sound like a hippie--you get my point though ;). Wishing you nothing but amazing things in 2013!
Hope you all had a happy and safe holiday! Today's freestyle selection is one that is near and dear to my heart. Fair warning though--if you HATE musicals, then exit out of this post now and don't look back.
As for you non-haters out there, Les Miserables, one of the best musicals ever created has just been turned into a major motion picture (which I am seeing next week with my musical-loving friend Angela). The first time I saw the Broadway play was when I was 12--it was the first Broadway show I had been to and it always stayed with me. Some of the most beautiful songs ever written come from this show ("I Dreamed a Dream", "On My Own", "A Little Fall of Rain") and while I know the movie isn't a sing-a-long, my friend and I will totally make it one. So apologies in advance if you happen to be in the same theater as us.
Below is a playlist of London's West End cast of Les Miz. If this version of "I Dreamed a Dream" doesn't break your heart, you are dead inside. Enjoy!
So, I'm not sure what time zone the apocalypse follows but so far Australia still exists so, yea. But just in case the world explodes in the next few hours, here are some songs to guide you through the end of the world. Oh and when if we wake up tomorrow? We'll just have to save this playlist for the next Doomsday date that will inevitably be "predicted". Enjoy!
For today's mix, I thought I'd bring it back, wayyyy back...to the 90's. Remember "The Boy is Mine" by Monica & Brandy? "Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe? "Get Your Freak On" by Missy Elliot? Okay that last one is from 2001 but whatevs, it's close enough. If you answered an enthusiastic YES to all these questions, then this playlist below is for you. Enjoy!
Today's songs are a collection of new(ish) indie rock songs that I'm currently digging. I particularly love The Lumineers and the new album by Mumford & Sons. Enjoy!
Today's music choice includes a few booty-shaking jams from some of my favorite artists including M.I.A, Santigold (both artists whose music WILL be played at my wedding), Frank Ocean and Sleigh Bells. I've seen all of these artists live except for Frank Ocean, who has quickly become one of my favorite new artists. Enjoy and try to keep the booty-shaking to a minimum if you are in an office ;)
FH and I are obsessed with music. For me, nearly every waking hour is spent listening to music. I have a crazy long commute to work (2 hours each way, FML) so my headphones are ALWAYS connected to either my smartphone or MP3 player. I listen to music when I walk down the street. I listen to music when I work. I listen to music when I cook/drive/workout. And I love all types of music--indie rock, 80s, 90s, musicals and Disney soundtracks (don’t judge, you know you love “A Whole New World” from Aladdin!), reggae, Spanish, alternative, hip hop and the list goes on and on. Anyone who knows us knows that music will be a HUGE part of our wedding (more on that in later posts).
That being said, I will feature a playlist each Friday with songs that inspired me that week or that I just love to rock out to. Grooveshark is my preferred streaming music site (and not just because I work there!) So without further adieu, here are today’s jams;
