Whether it's a surprise dance down the aisle or a choreographed bridal party number at the reception, there's no doubt that music has become even more of an integral part of weddings over the past couple of years. Chalk it up to the fact that the music-savvy iPod and YouTube generation is now getting married or to the popularity of the television show "Glee" or to the growing celebrity culture of DJs. In our line of work -- we're Scratch Weddings, the leading provider of marquee DJs -- we've been able to see firsthand how wedding music has changed throughout the nation. Here are five changes we've noticed:
Interactive Entertainment
One of our couples met while studying musical theater and wanted to incorporate their love of show tunes into their cocktail hour. Broadway show tune dance remixes were put together, complete with a karaoke machine for guests to participate! The couple's family and friends sang along to hits from "Grease," "Wicked" and "West Side Story." Their theater friends absolutely loved it and it put on a show for the rest of the guests to enjoy.
Personalization
Show tunes not your thing? What about heavy metal complete with a mosh pit at your reception? One of our couples had a very punk-rock style and absolutely loved heavy-metal music, mosh pits and crowd surfing at shows. Most people wouldn't think metal and weddings mesh very well, but it was important for the couple to incorporate the music they loved no matter how disjointed it may have seemed. It ended up being a big hit as their friends were all fellow moshers. The guests will never forget the bride in her white dress crowd surfing atop her wedding guests to Black Sabbath!
Merging Old and New
Worried about using the same old-fashioned songs from the '60s and '70s at your reception, but don't think your parents and their friends will dance to Rihanna or Bruno Mars? One of our couples went back and forth about who to please with their song selection -- their parents or their peers? Our DJ made the decision for them when he put together a mash-up of "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang with "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha. The couple was sold, and on the day of the wedding, guests of all ages were able to enjoy the entertainment.
The Element of Surprise
Couples have long loved throwing in a surprise for their guests on their wedding day (traditional first dance turning into a choreographed hip-hop routine anyone?) and are seeking new ways to put a "spin" on their entertainment. A popular choice among our limelight-loving couples is to have a "ScratchOff" at the wedding. They train at our academies to learn how to mix music and put on a show, then surprise guests at the wedding with their DJ skills. One of our more competitive couples even had their guests split down the middle and cheer for who they wanted to win ... the bride stole the show that night!
Contemporary Ceremony Music
When people think of wedding ceremony music, their thoughts typically jump to Pachelbel's "Cannon in D" or Mendelssohn's "Wedding March," but about half of our couples are forgoing the classic choices and choosing songs they like and that have meaning to them. Our most requested processional song is "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve and recessional is "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles. One of our couples were big fans of hip-hop, which isn't the prettiest music to walk down the aisle to, so we found string quartet covers of the songs and used those. Other popular ceremony tracks are "Home" by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, "Green Eyes" by Coldplay, "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "Beautiful Day" by U2 and just about anything by Joshua Radin.
To follow Scratch Weddings find them at @scratchweddings and on Facebook here.