Music Moderation

DJ and I have eclectic music tastes. Somewhere right now my sister is reading this and saying “No Courtney, you guys have weird music tastes.”

My sister, you see, is very pop-country. Britney Spears? Went to the concert last spring. Drove 5 hours for it either way.

Gretchen. She owns every Backstreet Boys CD.

Jason Aldean? Totally there at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Indian Casio. (I know, how the heck did he end up playing there?)

My mom LOVES Bon Jovi. LOVES. Like we have a pact that Gretchen and I will humor her and go to a Bon Jovi concert with her someday. Bought her the CD for her birthday.

My dad? Weeeellll… he runs the full gamut from Tool to CCR to Jethro Tull. He loves music. One of his favorite roadtrip games is “namethatsong”, where he flicks through the radio stations until someone can name the song. First person to blurt out the artist’s name gets to flick everyone in the car.

Dad rockin'  out to the speakers on the boat. Probably with Big And Rich on... and his half body wetsuit...

Me? Well… I’ve got a thing for Frank Sinatra. Van Morrison. Righteous Brothers. The Beatles. Okay… some Garth Brooks and 3 Doors Down too. Hello, I do work out! I need something with a BEAT.

DJ’s taste in music is all over the place too. Sinatra. Ella Fitzgerald. Bobby Darin. Trippy 1970’s stuff that Gretchen laughs at him for.

So suffice to say, we’ve had a number of discussions about wedding music. We’re planning to use the boat speakers for audio during the ceremony (Mastercraft + iPod ad anyone?), and the reception restaurant has a setup too. During the cocktail hour we’ll just turn the surround sound speakers in the lake house out towards the lawn to provide background music.

Wait… that’ll work, right? You’re totally thinking this is going to end in disaster aren’t you?

You’ve never heard of someone using boat speakers for wedding music? This boat has pretty muscular speakers...

We have pumped some serious Bon Jovi out of those speakers for Sandi.

The boat's speakers have played a pretty important role in some awesome dock parties.

Sometimes it gets pretty flippy around there...

Like country music flip you over my back flippy.

Naysayers shush.

Since DJ is such a music snob, he’s in charge of wedding music. He’s suggested, and I’ve agreed, that the wedding music should be jazzy and oldies and soft rocky (Coldplay?) through the cocktail hour and the dinner part of the reception (yep, I skipped ceremony music. We haven’t even begun to think about that yet. The Beatles “Here Comes The Sun” will be in there). After dinner, we’ll build up to more dancing music, and finally roll it all together at the end with some good 80’s butt rock/ fraternity party music for my mom.

We’re hoping that my cousin Blair will DJ with the help of an iPod for us, and be the impromptu MC.

We’re all about using family that way.

Here’s the catch though… I just lined out the kind of music my family listens to, compared to what DJ and I like. I’m afraid that the really awesome 1940’s French songs DJ just found are going to make our farmer-logger guests wonder what kind of hoity-toity people we aspire to be. French music? I love the song. DJ loves the song. Gretchen and her farmer boyfriend? Might wonder exactly how weird we are.

It’s tricky, to create a wedding that is a mix of about the bride and groom, while still being all about making the guests comfortable. And music sets the stage so much, you know?

So, with that said, what music makes for a fun time for you? Help me out here, or we’ll end up with Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places…”