4.14.2009

one musical selection down, many more to go.

I have no clue what song we will dance to for the first time as husband and wife. I have no idea what song I'll walk down the aisle in the last moments before we get hitched. The only song that I have written into the little excel spreadsheet that is our playlist is for the father-daughter dance.

Before getting engaged, I had always imagined my dad and I dancing to "Daughters" by John Mayer. I've always loved John Mayer, and I think that the song is perfect for a wedding dance with daddy. Bonus points are in order as well for it not being overdone and overplayed. I thought for sure this was the song that we'd be playing for the father-daughter dance.


(source) (fast forward to about 0:40)

That is, until my dad mentioned that he'd really like to dance to "It's a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. At first, I didn't know what to think. Of course it's a classic song for the occasion, but this song has some history for my family.




When I was about 13 years old, my very favorite aunt, who was pretty much the coolest person I had ever known, passed away from breast cancer. I don't even think she was 50 years old. It was really hard on my family, especially my dad. He and his sister were always very close, and they even shared the same birthday (but they weren't twins!). My aunt's favorite song in the entire world was...you guessed it....It's a Wonderful World. It was played at her funeral and every time it's played at a family event, you'll see tears in people's eyes.

I had never even considered playing this song at our wedding, mainly because I didn't want people to be sad during an occasion that is supposed to be happy and fun. But after my dad asked about it, it made sense to me. Weddings are a time to celebrate the marriage between two people, but they are also about joining two families together. This song has an immense amount of meaning to our family. Also, we'd like to somehow honor my aunt at the wedding, since we wish more than anything that she could be there with us. What better way to honor a person than to play a song that will remind everyone of her?

So it's been decided. My dad and I will be dancing to It's a Wonderful World, and my aunt will be looking down on us, happy to be a part of such a special day.

Which song would you choose?

2 comments:

LauraAnn said...

That is very sweet! I like the fact that you are going to use a song that meant so much to your aunt who obviously meant a lot to you and your dad as your song for the father/daughter dance! Very special!

Cheap Wife said...

wow..that made me get a tear in my eye. I think it is wonderful that you will be playing that song. Your father is right..weddings are about family, about love, and sometimes there is sadness. I think it is a beautiful idea.