My sister will be getting married at an art museum in Chicago this year. It will probably be the event of our family’s lifetime.
She has considered hiring bagpipes to play at the end of the wedding (at a fair distance so they sound faint and light) and was wondering if people associate that with a funeral. What’s the good word on this?
Also, we’re trying to find a nice “first dance” song - she’d like something sweet and loving.
She’s considered Annie’s Song by John Denver and I’ve suggested Never My Love by The Association.
Any other suggestions? What was your wedding’s first dance song?
Bagpipes can be amazing, but I think I associate them with funerals, too.
Our first dance was to “Storybook Love” from the Princess Bride soundtrack, but there are many many many other lovely choices. Some are overplayed, IMHO, like “Always” and “From This Moment On.”
Some of my choices would be:
You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker
I Stand in Wonder - also Joe Cocker
One In A Million You - Larry Graham
I Swear - by either All 4 One or John Michael Montgomery
At The Beginning - Richard Marx & Donna Lewis
You’re All I need To Get By - Marvin Gaye & Tammy Tyrell
With You I’m Born Again - Billy Preston & Syreeta
I’m another bagpipe fan, and funerals are about the only place I haven’t heard them in real life. The church I went to in Hawaii, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, celebrated the Kirkan of the Tartans on the last Sunday of November every year, and a bagpipe player would the procession to the altar every year. Magnificent!
Bagpipes at a wedding can be a real kick. I’ve seen it done a couple of times, notably at my daughter’s wedding. The key to the thing is to hide the piper in the choir loft and unlimber him for the recessional. The look on the congregation’s faces as the piper fills the bag is worth remembering–half the guests thought that the heating system was about to explode.
If you ask the pipers to play something more upbeat, I doubt that anyone would be thinking of a funeral.
There is a beautiful wedding song in West Side Story. It’s called “One Hand, One Heart.”
My daughter’s husband was such a confirmed bachelor I believe they played the theme from “Mission Impossible” for a first dance.
Then there is “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca. These are all oldies but they are special.
I dare her to select “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”!
But I think that my favorite is a very old one from about fifty or sixty years ago. It’s called “The Anniversary Song.” The lyrics begin “Oh how we danced on the night we were wed…” Don’t confuse it with “Anniversary Waltz” though.
[sub]sorry[/sub]
Since we eloped, there was no reception or wedding song. I have no idea what I’d choose. I’m not a big fan of bagpipes, so I’ll pass on making comments about that.
Bagpipes at weddings are great! (not that I’m biased). I understand that some people associate them with funerals, but it’s all in the tunes you play. Not surprisingly, pipers at funerals tend to play the slow and melancholy pieces, to fit the mood. What you want at a wedding are some marches and song tunes.
For the recessional, Bonnie Dundee is a nice stately piece. If the bride and groom have a sense of humour, The Battle’s O’er is another good tune for the recessinal.
And then for the entrance of the bride and groom at the reception, there’s always The Clumsy Lover. Nice lively piece that sets the tone for a party.
There’s a message board dedicated solely to piping that you might want to check out for further suggetions: There was a thread a while ago on the topic of Wedding Tunes. For more threads, search for “wedding” in thread titles in the “music” forum.
All of the above tune links are from Bagpipes at Best. It’s a site with a huge number of tunes in MIDI format so you can listen to them with your computer. (Note: since they’re MIDI, not recordings, they’re not completely accurate representations of what the tune will sound like in real life, but good enough to give you an idea of the tune.)
I had the song “I Do” by Paul Brandt for my first dance, it was a good song.
My friends had “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison, and I still cry every time I hear it because it was such a beautiful song for a first dance. So gentle and sweet. If I were to go back in time and do my wedding over, I’d have that song.
Another vote in the plus column on the bagpipes. We had two pipers. YAY! But then, we’re Scottish Country Dancers, so it also made sense. I was going to recommend much what Northern Piper did… only with less detail and variety.
Our wedding song was a waltz … I think it was “Bonnie at Morn.” epeepunk may have to correct me on that, as I’m not the greatest at remembering music/song titles.
The first dance, at my request, was Frank Sinatra singing “The Way You Look Tonight.” That was a wonderful feeling, twirling around the ballroom while that song played. And she did, indeed, look lovely.
Funny all the Van Morrison mentions. I always thought “Moondance” would be a good first dance song, if a bit uptempo and potentially difficult to dance to.
But I’d probably choose Spinal Tap’s “Lick My Love Pump” – it’s very pretty.
Nice lively piece that sets the tone for a party.