wedding liner notes
So, Jen and I got married. Some of you were invited, and to others this may come as surprising news. (We were surprised perhaps most of all: eight-odd years into a relationship between two individuals, neither of whom believe in the BS medieval patriarchical property ritual of marriage, after having two kids and long after moving in and starting up the joint chequing account -- what precisely did we have to gain by getting married at this point? Well, it was a chance to let everyone know that we had ended up this way on purpose rather than just having simply allowed inertia to deliver us here, an assertion that we have chosen this.) Left to our druthers, we would have invited twice as many people as we did (heck, why cap it -- just have open mic tribute to our love all day!) but we ran right up against the pesky legal capacity of our dream venue, which took care of many aspects of the function in-house, and upgrading would have made things exponentially more complicated. (Really: the line was drawn at aunts and uncles, no room for cousins! If you're somehow closer to us than that, then you may have legitimate grounds for grumbling.)
The ceremony was private, as close to "signing papers at City Hall" as can be done in this jurisdiction -- an officiant, two witnesses, and our daughters. So you didn't miss much on that front.
Many thanks to the incomparable Caelie Frampton for this photo and the other wedding pics in the slideshow!
I was particularly happy with the playlist we came up with to fill nearly three hours of reception with. I don't know if every couple micro-manages these particular kinds of details for their function themselves, but as we're both certified radio DJs with broad and particular musical tastes, I couldn't imagine leaving such a key element of the event to someone else. (It's a little funny for me, specifically, after playing so many gigs providing music for the weddings of others, to see how I felt about being on the business end of that playlist.) After we both made our short lists of essential tunes to include, I had the auspicious opportunity to basically throw away my list because Jen had already picked all the songs that were on it, proving that, if nothing else, we are highly compatible for long car rides together.
I was so pleased with the playlist that I felt that sharing it only once was a bit of a shame, so *** here it is*** (that's a link, you can actually hear the songs) for the enjoyment of the rest of you. If you find yourself planning a wedding, please avail yourselves of it! I have even spared you the one oversight that troubled me on my special day: the songs have even been volume-normalized now. Many of the songs resonate on a contextual level, not just being great tunes but also heavy with memories of good times with friends.Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
Ray Charles - I Can't Stop Loving You
Nellie McKay - I Wanna Get Married
Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Heartbeats Accelerating
Nick Lowe - I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock 'n' Roll)
Veda Hille - the Williamsburg Bridge
Colin Meloy (after The Smiths) - Ask
John Prine - In Spite Of Ourselves
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Stefanie Roy (after Hawksley Workman) - You And The Candles
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger - What The Poet Called Her
Bruce Cockburn - Lovers In A Dangerous Time
Brother Ali - Fresh Air
John Prine - We're Not The Jet Set
Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - Islands In The Stream
Stevie Wonder - Living For the City
Veda Hille - A Peculiar Value
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key
Be Good Tanyas (after Geoff Berner) - Keep It Light Enough To Travel
Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness (2012)
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Ruth Moody (after Bruce Springsteen) - Dancing In The Dark
Lyle Lovett - If I Had A Boat
Simon & Garfunkel - El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Rufus Wainwright (after Leonard Cohen) - Everybody Knows
Salt-N-Pepa - Shoop
Kim Barlow - Old Woman
Raghu Lokanathan - Ramona
Karan Casey (after Leon Rosselson) - The Diggers Song
Bob Marley (after Peter Tosh) - You Can't Blame The Youth
Talking Heads - Take Me To The River
Cat Stevens - Peace Train
Tracy Chapman - Talkin' Bout A Revolution
The Clash - Know Your Rights
Nick Lowe - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
Nina Simone - I Sing Just To Know I'm Alive
Lou Reed - Perfect Day
Rick Keating - The Only Things Worth Having Are The Things You Cannot Own
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely
Duplex - Dog With A Sweater On
It gives me great pleasure to note that "Once In A Lifetime" was our first dance. This playlist, however, wasn't the entire program -- in addition to some nominal toasting and the like, we ran a slideshow of our respective lives to date, up to and including the papers signed that afternoon. For the benefit of those who weren't able to attend, I've fortified it a bit with some pictures from the wedding reception itself.
And finally, there was the activity book, a collection of fun pages involving our household's denizens, intended to serve as a distraction for the little kids in attendance, and which many of the adult attendees overlooked entirely. Every wedding deserves a zine! (Click on the front cover to download a complete PDF.)
Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it, and again, apologies to everyone who was left out due to space limitations. At least you can enjoy these delightful artefacts!
The ceremony was private, as close to "signing papers at City Hall" as can be done in this jurisdiction -- an officiant, two witnesses, and our daughters. So you didn't miss much on that front.
Many thanks to the incomparable Caelie Frampton for this photo and the other wedding pics in the slideshow!
I was particularly happy with the playlist we came up with to fill nearly three hours of reception with. I don't know if every couple micro-manages these particular kinds of details for their function themselves, but as we're both certified radio DJs with broad and particular musical tastes, I couldn't imagine leaving such a key element of the event to someone else. (It's a little funny for me, specifically, after playing so many gigs providing music for the weddings of others, to see how I felt about being on the business end of that playlist.) After we both made our short lists of essential tunes to include, I had the auspicious opportunity to basically throw away my list because Jen had already picked all the songs that were on it, proving that, if nothing else, we are highly compatible for long car rides together.
I was so pleased with the playlist that I felt that sharing it only once was a bit of a shame, so *** here it is*** (that's a link, you can actually hear the songs) for the enjoyment of the rest of you. If you find yourself planning a wedding, please avail yourselves of it! I have even spared you the one oversight that troubled me on my special day: the songs have even been volume-normalized now. Many of the songs resonate on a contextual level, not just being great tunes but also heavy with memories of good times with friends.Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
Ray Charles - I Can't Stop Loving You
Nellie McKay - I Wanna Get Married
Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Heartbeats Accelerating
Nick Lowe - I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock 'n' Roll)
Veda Hille - the Williamsburg Bridge
Colin Meloy (after The Smiths) - Ask
John Prine - In Spite Of Ourselves
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Stefanie Roy (after Hawksley Workman) - You And The Candles
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger - What The Poet Called Her
Bruce Cockburn - Lovers In A Dangerous Time
Brother Ali - Fresh Air
John Prine - We're Not The Jet Set
Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - Islands In The Stream
Stevie Wonder - Living For the City
Veda Hille - A Peculiar Value
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key
Be Good Tanyas (after Geoff Berner) - Keep It Light Enough To Travel
Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness (2012)
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Ruth Moody (after Bruce Springsteen) - Dancing In The Dark
Lyle Lovett - If I Had A Boat
Simon & Garfunkel - El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Rufus Wainwright (after Leonard Cohen) - Everybody Knows
Salt-N-Pepa - Shoop
Kim Barlow - Old Woman
Raghu Lokanathan - Ramona
Karan Casey (after Leon Rosselson) - The Diggers Song
Bob Marley (after Peter Tosh) - You Can't Blame The Youth
Talking Heads - Take Me To The River
Cat Stevens - Peace Train
Tracy Chapman - Talkin' Bout A Revolution
The Clash - Know Your Rights
Nick Lowe - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
Nina Simone - I Sing Just To Know I'm Alive
Lou Reed - Perfect Day
Rick Keating - The Only Things Worth Having Are The Things You Cannot Own
Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely
Duplex - Dog With A Sweater On
It gives me great pleasure to note that "Once In A Lifetime" was our first dance. This playlist, however, wasn't the entire program -- in addition to some nominal toasting and the like, we ran a slideshow of our respective lives to date, up to and including the papers signed that afternoon. For the benefit of those who weren't able to attend, I've fortified it a bit with some pictures from the wedding reception itself.
Click to viewAnd finally, there was the activity book, a collection of fun pages involving our household's denizens, intended to serve as a distraction for the little kids in attendance, and which many of the adult attendees overlooked entirely. Every wedding deserves a zine! (Click on the front cover to download a complete PDF.)
Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it, and again, apologies to everyone who was left out due to space limitations. At least you can enjoy these delightful artefacts!