Archive for February, 2012

17 Greatest Women Wedding Artists

Feb

In February 2012, VH1 released their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. We decided to create our list of the 10 Greatest Women Wedding Artists. Our list of 17 is formulated from VH1′s list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. Women music artists have produced some of the most memorable wedding songs of all time.

#17 Taylor Swift – With her broad popularity, we are surprised she is not higher on the lists. However, many of her songs are a medium tempo which creates havoc for many grooms. Although the song Love Story is on the top of many wedding song lists.

#16 Carrie Underwood – Many of this Country superstar’s songs are wedding appropriate. Our favorite is Mama’s Song for mother dedications.

#15 Colbie Caillat – With her very unique pop voice, she is on wedding song charts as a soloist Bubbly,I Do and as a duo with Jason Mraz – Lucky.

#14 Faith Hill – One of the Queens of modern country. She has a list of her own of wedding appropriate songs like There You’ll Be, The Way You Love Me and Like We Never Loved At All.

#13 Madonna – Number one on VH1, we have to include dance hits like Holiday and Vogue and the love theme song from Vision Quest - Crazy For You.

#12 Shania Twain – Not only does Shania have a great wedding anniversary song, You’re Still The One, but she has a great first dance song, From This Moment On.

#11 Mariah Carey – Arguably the best artist of the 90s, she produced mere hit love songs galore such as Hero, I’ll Be There, One Sweet Day, Thank God I Found You and so on!

#10 Mary J. Blige – Mary sings with so much emotion. However, our favorite wedding song of hers is Family Affair. Beautiful is also a great wedding love song.

#9 Beyoncé – One of the leading women in the music industry. She tops wedding song lists with Crazy In Love and Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It).

#8 Rihanna – Rihanna has produced a collection of songs to fill dance floors at wedding receptions like Don’t Stop The Music and We Found Love.

#7 Whitney Houston – Not only did Whitney produce a wedding mega- hit I Will Always Love You but she also produced Greatest Love Of All, I Have Nothing and Count On Me.

#6 Norah Jones – Known for two great Jazz songs that make great first dance songs and slow songs to fill wedding reception dance floors – Come Away With Me and Don’t Know Why.

#5 Alicia Keys – A Soulful R&B powerhouse, Alicia will be played at weddings for years to come with hits like No One, Fallin’ and If I Ain’t Got You.

#4 Sarah McLachlan – If your are looking for an offbeat first dance, think about the song Ice Cream. If you are looking for a great in memory of song at a wedding, consider I Will Remember You.

#3 Adele - It is amazing how fast Adele has risen to the top. She already has wedding songs like Lovesong, and One And Only.

#2 Sade – One of our favorite first dance songs is By Your Side. However, Sade can fill dance floors with her unique voice as a Smooth Operator.

#1 Celine Dion – The queen of love songs, Celine will be played at weddings for years to come with pop mega hits such as Because You Loved Me, The Power Of Love and A Mother’s Prayer.

For a complete list of VH1′s 100 Greatest Women in Music, please see below.

100. Pussycat Dolls
99. Demi Lovato
98. Ashanti
97. Grace Potter
96. Mandy Moore
95. Wilson Phillips
94. Colbie Caillat
93. Feist
92. Jordin Sparks
91. Monica
90. Regina Spektor
89. Hillary Scott (Lady Antebellum)
88. SWV
87. Robyn
86. Ingrid Michaelson
85. Faith Evans
84. Avril Lavigne
83. Meg White (The White Stripes)
82. Miley Cyrus
81. Spice Girls
80. Sara Bareilles
79. PJ Harvey
78. Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)
77. Hayley Williams (Paramore)
76. Leona Lewis
75. Kim Deal (The Breeders, The Pixies)
74. Paula Abdul
73. Dido
72. Brandy
71. Natalie Merchant
70. Macy Gray
69. Courtney Love
68. Indigo Girls
67. M.I.A.
66. Natasha Bedingfield
65. Liz Phair
64. Eve
63. Jill Scott
62. Leann Rimes
61. Shirley Manson (Garbage)
60. Florence + The Machine
59. Destiny’s Child
58. Miranda Lambert
57. Ke$ha
56. Gloria Estefan
55. Fiona Apple
54. Tori Amos
53. Sarah McLachlan
52. En Vogue
51. Nelly Furtado
50. Lauryn Hill
49. Amy Lee (Evanescence)
48. Aaliyah
47. Kylie Minogue
46. Toni Braxton
45. Lil’ Kim
44. Erykah Badu
43. Taylor Swift
42. Melissa Etheridge
41. Jewel
40. Nicki Minaj
39. Dixie Chicks
38. Salt N Pepa
37. Faith Hill
36. Shakira
35. Shania Twain
34. Queen Latifah
33. Norah Jones
32. Fantasia
31. Cher
30. Sade
29. Bjork
28. k.d. Lang
27. Fergie
26. Amy Winehouse
25. Sheryl Crow
24. Jennifer Hudson
23. Carrie Underwood
22. Annie Lennox
21. Celine Dion
20. Rihanna
19. Kelly Clarkson
18. Missy Elliott
17. Katy Perry
16. Jennifer Lopez
15. Alanis Morissette
14. Alicia Keys
13. Gwen Stefani
12. TLC
11. Britney Spears
10. P!nk
09. Mary J. Blige
08. Christina Aguilera
07. Janet Jackson
06. Whitney Houston
05. Adele
04. Lady Gaga
03. Beyoncé
02. Mariah Carey
01. Madonna

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Wedding Ceremony Readings

Feb

Wedding ceremony readings are verbiage read by a family member or friend during a wedding ceremony. We wanted to provide a showing of our favorite examples of our favorite readings. However, while researching such readings, we realized that we would need to have permission by the authors to post their words on our site. You see, authors own the copyrights to their published words. Therefore, we were forced to change our thinking a bit to be legal.

As a result, we decided to give you, our readers, the best sources for finding the perfect wedding ceremony reading.

Recite the lyrics of your favorite song. This could include a song about the bridal couple (motorcycle riders – Song: Born To Be Wild, ice cream lovers – Song: Ice Cream). In addition, the song read during the ceremony can be played as the bride and groom’s first dance song. Love songs may include John Lennon’s Grow Old With Me and Dance Me To The End Of Love written by Leonard Cohen.
Recite your favorite Bible scripture. One of our favorites is 1 Corinthians 13 – Love Is The Greatest.
Recite your favorite poem. It doesn’t have to be a love poem. Just select a poem that describes the bride and groom or describes their feelings for each other.
Wedding ceremony readings from movies. There are an unlimited number of movies that contain a wedding ceremony. Such movies include a quote from The Prophet and a famous quote from the movie When Harry Met Sally.
Popular literary excerpts from the likes of Plato and any other great literary writers. It could even be an excerpt from your favorite book! Check out Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Take an exempt from an opera. Verdels’s opera La Traviatta is a great example.
Also review your favorite love story plays.Review Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Not only excerpts from movies common, so are love meaning excerpts from your favorite TV shows.
Last and probably the most important is to write your readings from the bride and groom’s own hearts. Nothing will be more powerful than from the bridal couple themselves.

I hope this gives you some ideas on the verbiage for your wedding ceremony. There is plenty of examples on the web for each category.

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Best Love Songs of the 1950′s – Top 18

Feb

Love songs are what fill dance floors. They bring back memories and invoke a true feeling of love from within. Typically, couples will always dance to slow songs at wedding receptions. This post is focused on the most popular love songs of the 1950s. We have selected songs that also make fantastic first dance songs for brides and grooms.

The fifties were the dawn of Rock and Roll. However, the mainstream included Doo-Wop, Rhythm and Blues, Rockabilly, Country and many vocalists or Jazz artists. Billboard nominated Elvis Presley as the artist of the decade of the Fifties. If you are looking for a complete list of the best wedding songs from the 50s, please visit our Top 100 Songs of the 50s.

#18 Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) - The Penguins – Released in 1954, Doo-Wop

#17 In The Still of The Night – Five Satins – Released in 1956, Doo-Wop

#16 To Know Him is To Love Him – The Teddy Bears – Released in 1958, Pop

#15 That’s Amore – Dean Martin – Released in 1953, Pop

#14 I Only Have Eyes For You – The Flamingos – Released in 1959, R&B

#13 Memories Are Made Of This – Dean Martin – Released in 1956, Pop

#12 You Send Me – Sam Cooke – Released in 1957, R&B

#11 Pledging My Love – Johnny Ace – Released in 1955, R&B

#10 For Your Precious Love – Jerry Butler & the Impressions – Released in 1958, R&B

#9 Chances Are – Johnny Mathis – Released in 1957, Country

#8 Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley – Released in 1956, Rock

#7 This I Swear – The Skyliners – Released in 1959, Doo-Wop

#6 Only You – The Platters – Released in 1955, R&B

#5 The Twelfth of Never – Johnny Mathis - Released in 1957, Country

#4 When I Fall In Love – Nat King Cole – Released in 1956, R&B

#3 A Kiss To Build A Dream On – Louis Armstrong – Released in 1951, Jazz

#2 All The Way – Frank Sinatra – Released in 1951, Jazz

#1 One in a Million – The Platters – Released in 1956, R&B

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Custom Wedding Music CD

Feb

Have you ever considered a music entertainer such as a band, DJ or friend, not having the music you requested for your wedding ceremony or reception? Brides always expect their music providers to have their special music requests for their wedding day. Let me state that professional music entertainers WILL have the music their clients request. In the Internet age it should not be an issue. However, we have heard time and time again of brides being irate at their music entertainers for not having a song they requested for the wedding ceremony or reception.

We would like to offer the suggestion for brides and grooms to create your own custom wedding music CD with all your required songs for your wedding ceremony and reception. You can have it in your possession on your wedding day to give to your music master of ceremonies or music entertainer. This will guarantee the M.C. has the songs you requested for your special day. Having your own songs will also guarantee the playing of the correct versions of the songs. An example would be the Shania Twain song From This Moment. From This Moment is sung by Shania Twain by herself and also as a duo with Shania Twain and Bryan White. In addition, there are live versions of the song. A great way to verify you have the correct song versions is to go to Amazon.com and listen to the different song samples of each song.

Custom wedding music CDs can be created at home on your computer by purchasing and then downloading MP3 songs from web sites like iTunes and Amazon . The cost for each song is about one dollar. Then, write the songs to a blank CD-R (you can only copy songs to the cd once) or CD-RW (you can save songs to the CD and update songs) using a software program such as Sonic. Usually, you can get about 17 songs per each CD. Once you have all the songs you want for your wedding saved on CD(s), your set to give them to your wedding music entertainer.

When you purchase songs from Amazon or iTunes, you are given seven licenses for each song purchased. Therefore, you can legally create seven CDs of your new songs purchased online. As a result of having seven licenses, you can offer a custom music CD to your wedding guests as a wedding favor or memento very inexpensively. Be sure to purchase the number of songs in correlation to the number of seven CD collections. The custom music CD would be a great keepsake. You just cannot sell the CDs due to copyright laws. In addition, many online sites and stores like Best Buy offer custom labels and CD label software. Brides and grooms can personalize their CD favors with wedding artwork, their names and date of the wedding. Colored CD cases are also available to complete the perfect wedding favor.

Want to create a Custom Music CD?

You can create your own CD on iTunes and download it to your computer to write it to the medium used by your wedding music entertainer (mp3, CD, etc.).

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Social Wedding Unbelievable Story to Wedding Flowers

Feb

We are starting 2012 off in the right direction. Please see our best social wedding related posts. You can check us out on Facebook with our link in the right sidebar to follow us!

Unbelievable Story – Swedish woman finds wedding ring after 16 years, on a carrot - http://yhoo.it/tgkG33

Video posted by GMA on Yahoo! – Wedding Trends 2012: Liposuction, Breast Lifts for Brides-to-Be? - http://bit.ly/wA18OG

Just for a laugh – BofA: New Bride Can’t Deposit Wedding Checks Because She Didn’t Take Husband’s Name http://huff.to/yrd7gM

Hot news story on MSN – Destruction of wedding dresses sparks outrage, disbelief - http://on.today.com/yrcGyM

Wedding Saving Tip – Skip save-the date cards. Instead, save trees and send emails through services like Pingg http://bit.ly/vdzP1u

Article on MSN – 50 Genius Wedding Cost Cutters -http://bit.ly/whYh7Z

Wedding Saving Tip – People are smart and they can follow a basic wedding ceremony without a program. Save the money unless necessary.

The next BIG celebrity wedding Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel?http://huff.to/yPfOvo

Easiest wedding centerpiece? Buy a potted plant and a pot that suites your wedding style. Then, care for the plants with sun and water as needed until your wedding day. Hope you have a green thumb!

A retro DIY project for place cards – Get music cassettes and create your own custom label with the guest’s name on it.http://amzn.to/tKhpOv

Planning a late-night wedding reception party fest? Consider a late snack before guests drive home like burgers, tacos, and pizza.http://mcd.to/xD77As

A photo album of upcoming 2012 celebrity weddings http://on-msn.com/xsRT5a. Includes Drew Barrymore, Matthew McConaughey, Britney Spears, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Mario Lopez and LeBron James.

Picture of Vera Wang’s wedding dress for Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott - http://bit.ly/wPksax

Found a great article thought we would share for decor ideas – 10 Great Etsy Shops You Need to Know - http://bit.ly/xsh1wj

Trying to lose a few lbs before the wedding? New Year: New You: 5 easy ways to get fit at home for Under $50 - http://abcn.ws/zkjzGI

OMG – This is a very funny photo at a wedding. No one is safe from the photographer; including the alter boy!http://imgur.com/gallery/bBs7D We all have seen photos like this. Sometimes they make the best pics – photojournalistic photography! Check out Wedding Photojournalist Assn for more infohttp://www.wpja.com/

A unique guestbook is to have a dictionary http://amzn.to/rzKipJ with colored pencils. Then, guests circle a word and write a story about it on the page that describes the bride and groom. Better yet, go to a garage sale and get an older edition to add a more unique aspect.

Creating a DIY centerpiece? Check out supplies from Michaels, Joanne’s, Pier 1, Target, Hobby Lobby, Walmart and local craft stores! You can do it! I read today that 90% of Americans are within 15 miles of a Walmart.

Wedding Saving Tip – Skip printing menus for every guest. DIY Project – Make your own giant menu from particle board and chalkboard paint

Love music? Download the sheet music for your favorite songhttp://bit.ly/rrEnn9 Then, roll the paper for a candy favor or cover.

Wedding Saving Tip – Want to save cash on your wedding cake? Use real flowers vs sugar flowers as they are less expensive to buy than make.

Great wedding video of the groom and groomsmen dancing for the bride to Justin Bieber’s Baby Baby Baby. http://bit.ly/wbmcTW

Pinterest is an online pinboard. We found their page for wedding events with very cool picture ideas. Check it out! http://pinterest.com/all/?category=wedding_events

Wedding Reception Tip – Having a low-lying table centerpiece? Be sure it is lower than 14″ so that guests can talk with each other effortlessly.

12 months before the wedding, decide on a wedding budget. Utilize our wedding budget calculator: http://bit.ly/vB2xqX

Feel Good Story – Cancer Diagnosis Leads To Impromptu Weddinghttp://news.yahoo.com/video/portlandmewmtw-18230145/cancer-diagnosis-leads-to-impromptu-wedding-27910134.html via @YahooNews

Wedding Saving Tip – Skip a second reception dress. Purchase a comfortable wedding dress that you can dance all night long in

Sad wedding story but a reminder to live life to the fullest! – Man Marries Dead Girlfriend In Joint Funeral And Wedding Ceremony In Thailand - http://aol.it/xrf3r8

Add some flare to wedding invitations with personalized stickers. Visit Partyink on Etsy as an example. http://etsy.me/tiwycj

According to The Wedding Report – The total average wedding spending for 2011 was $25,631, a 3.4% decrease from the 2010 total of $26,542.

Wedding Honeymoon Saving Tip – Top 5 Travel Sites To Help You Save Money article - http://bit.ly/z6zpLF

Wedding Tip – Spend money on what matters to you. If you will throw away napkins, then why get them printed? Instead, upgrade photography package as your pictures will last a lifetime!

Wedding Saving Tip – If you are watching every penny and have pretty handwriting, skip a calligrapher – Plus, print on your PC as there are many special fonts available.

Interesting wedding photographer’s story online – Why Wedding Photographers Prices are “Wack” - http://bit.ly/x7oGSD

Wedding Saving Tip – DIY project, decorate your vehicle with a Just Married theme and skip paid for transportation. Also think tandem bike.

Wow! Interesting wedding photo album – Dad missed brother’s wedding, photoshopped him in - http://imgur.com/a/rSXoc

A picture of a sign at a wedding venue. Not your typical wedding location! http://bit.ly/y6EeI8

Not sure what to do with your flowers after the wedding? Donate them! Consider senior center, nursing home, church or hospice center. Keep in mind that hospitals will not accept flowers due to health risks.

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