bowie, not mendelssohn...

i picked up a copy of this in the bookstore (mostly because it was the least "bridal" of all the wedding magazines and my lovely friend ABC got me a gift card specifically so i wouldn' feel guilty buying wedding mags) and found some really fun ideas. the best one came in their article Bowie, Not Mendelssohn where they give suggestions for less traditional wedding playlists. here's what they thought about ceremony music:

Processional:

ENOUGH ALREADY: Bridal Chorus

NOW THIS IS A PARTY!
"I Want to Make it Alright" by Paul Weller.
Christopher O’Riley’s terrific instrumental interpretations of songs by Radiohead, Nick Drake, and Elliott Smith.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" byRoberta Flack.

Recessional:

ENOUGH ALREADY: Wedding March

NOW THIS IS A PARTY!
"First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.
"Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
Is there anything more joyous-sounding than a straight-up New Orleans second line?
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they give reception music ideas, too, but boone and i just aren't there yet. we did think about the ceremony recently though..mostly because over thanksgiving we had some planning anxiety and did a little New Year's Eve elopement research (apparently even an elopement needs ceremony music.)

anyway, we decided to stick with the May date for now and here's what we came up with for our outdoor, laid back ceremony:

mothers' processional: "By the River"Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mike Marshall
bridal processional: "Dona Nobis Pacem (grant us peace)" Yo-Yo Ma
recessional: "Emily's Reel" Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor, Yo-Yo Ma
or "Kite Flying Society" by Mark Mothersbaugh (from the Rushmore Soundtrack)

we liked them because they sound kind of traditional, but are played with banjos and stuff.
also, a recording is WAY cheaper than a quartet, (and where do you find a classical string quartet with banjos and mandolins instead of a cello and guitar?)

thoughts please*... also, what music did you use? did you go with the standards or did you do something different?

*you can listen to the songs if you click on their names and scroll down to find it on the list.