Thursday, December 5, 2013

Beachside Beats, Tidal tunes and Songs on the Sand



Here’s some tips for designing your wedding day soundtrack…

A long-standing procession song favourite over the years has been the traditional “Canon in D” although a close rival has emerged; Christina Perri’s “Thousand Years” has played many Faraway brides down the aisle in 2013.  Couples who elope to marry on a beach in Thailand are less stuck on tradition, meaning we’ve had everything from Bob Marley to an instrumental piece from the Jurassic Park soundtrack.  A notable favourite Faraway moment was seeing a Bride and her father literally dancing down the aisle to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”!  One Bride’s sister sang her onto the beach with the Corrs’ song, “Runaway”, and our violinist and acoustic duo have had requests to perform the procession live.  We do like to encourage fun and another top musical moment was a Groom riding an elephant to the ceremony to Darth Vader’s theme from Star Wars… you really can have it your way.

Favourites for the recession tune this year have been “Marry You” by Bruno Mars, “Marry Me” by Train, Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and Colby Caillat’s “I do”.  However, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole takes first place with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and has also been played for cake cuttings, fire lantern releases and firework waterfalls.

Couples have cut the cake to songs with “sweet” in the title, entered the reception to songs with “party” in the title and danced the first dance to songs with “love” in the lyrics.

Elsewhere on the playlist:

Guest arrival – Start the proceedings with a calm but upbeat atmosphere to set the scene and sooth any nervous energy.  Many couples choose to have a live Khim musician for this part of the day to add a bit of geography and culture to their Thai wedding.  A “Khim” is a wooden instrument with brass strings laid across it that is played with bamboo sticks tipped with leather.  

Post-ceremony – We recommend punctuating the cerebratory mood after the couple have been pronounced with pacey, sunny and fun music.  The Filipino band are a popular choice for anyone who likes a pop balad and the jukebox can be fun for a mixed group so that all can choose their favourites.

Dinner – Softer, quieter music is what we suggest for the meal time so that conversation can take over.  The acoustic guitar duo serve as a great dinner soundtrack for added atmosphere.  Alternatively, the traditional Thai dancing show offers visual, as well as sonic entertainment and even involves the Bride and Groom busting some Asian moves!

Party – need we say more?  Be shameless with your party anthems – pop, disco and dance classics please.  We’ve just got our mitts on some disco lights and a bubble machine if you want to party like a professional.  Add a spectacular show to the evening with a fire dancer who will show your guests what twizzling in Thailand really means.

Don’t underestimate this task – putting together 8 hours of music is a tough job so leave lots of time to get your playlists sorted.  A nice idea is to ask your guests for their top 3 song requests – this way there’ll be an eclectic mix and something for everyone.  We’ve even had some very generous music-mad guests who have taken care of all the music on behalf of the Bride and Groom to relieve them from the task; perhaps this is where your bridesmaids and groomsmen can put themselves to good use?  Alternatively, a DJ can do all the hard work for you – we have 2 to choose from.  All you need to do is tell them what you like and they do the rest.  

No comments:

Post a Comment