I celebrated my Big Day on August 18th this year in Barberstown Castle, Straffan, County Kildare. Coming from a musical family, I was able to rope relatives and friends into performing during our ceremony. Below is a layout of the musical format of our day, with all ceremony songs accompanied on the piano by Owen C. Lynch;
Ceremony Song List
- Opening: She Moved Through the Fair - performed by my brother David O' Carroll
- Lighting of the Candles - instrumental on piano by Owen C, Lynch
- After first reading - The Cloths of Heaven - performed by David O' Carroll
- After second reading - What a Wonderful World - performed by my sister Niamh O' Carroll
- Signing of the Register - Your Song - performed by my friend and bridesmaid Katie O' Flaherty
- Ending - Here Comes the Sun - performed by David O' Carroll
When deciding on our ceremony music, we wanted to pick timeless songs that never go out of style. It was also important to us that the songs be familiar to our guests and cater to all age groups.
Drinks Reception: I love the atmosphere that live music adds to a drinks reception. Musician and singing teacher Owen C. Lynch performed some easy-listening piano music for the duration of our drinks reception.
Dinner Playlist: We created a wedding dinner playlist to play as background music while guests were dining. We chose songs from our favourite artists as well as classic hits that would appeal to our guests. We included music by The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Kings of Leon, Whitney Houston and The National among others. I even performed a little impromptu version of Moon River after our speeches!
Band: Our wedding band, Blue Romantic, were excellent. We had seen them in a showcase before booking and were blown away by their musicianship. They played a variety of music from the 1950s up to the present day, including a few special requests. They had everyone up dancing and were highly entertaining.
DJ: Our DJ, DJ Joey, asked us to send him a 'must play' list in advance of the wedding. He played all the songs we requested along with a wide selection of dance favourites. He was a brilliant addition to our night.
I would highly advise putting careful planning into selecting your suppliers and music for your Big Day. The atmosphere that high-class live music creates is second to none and will be a talking point for you and your guests for years to come.
Suppliers:
Venue: Barberstown Castle: https://barberstowncastle.ie/
Band: Blue Romantics: https://blueromantics.ie/
DJ: DJ Joey: https://www.weddingsonline.ie/suppliers/dj-joey