Our Song: My Dad's and Mine

I don't remember the first song I danced to with my dad. I know it was a slow song that we could dance the box step to.

The song I remember from that night? In fact the only song I remember? The Bunny Hop. If you're not familiar with this crowd-pleasing, toe tapping song, take a listen.

Seriously, that's the song I remember from my first Father-Daughter Dance my sophomore year in high school.

Now on one hand, if we chose this song for our Father Daughter Dance I don't think I'd be overcome with tears. Strike that. I might be laughing so hard that my eyes water.

Other music that might work would be music we listened to on road trips or at home. The two main genres? Show tunes and country music.

The first show tune that came to mind was from Gigi - one of my mother's favorite musicals. The song? Thank Heaven for Little Girls.

Unfortunately it's not very danceable.

So let's try Country Music. The song that always reminds me of my dad - Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman. The line? "... I need to practice my dancing. Oh please Daddy please." "And I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms. ... I don't even want to miss one song. Because all too soon, the clock will strike midnight and she will be gone."

This song almost always brings tears to my eyes.

Why? Growing up my dad didn't dance (my mom on the other hand loved dancing). Freshman year I threw out the flyer for the Father Daughter Dance because I knew my dad didn't dance. But for me, he danced. For his girls, my dad would move heaven and earth.

My best memory of my dad dancing? Senior Parent Weekend at Santa Clara. Not of me dancing with my dad. My favorite memory is when my dad danced with my mom. You might remember my mom doesn't smile that much - those true smiles that come from the soul - and that night she did. My dad too was smiling, his grin stretched from ear to ear.

Another song with less emotional attachment for me, is In My Arms by Mark Willis. (And yes, I'll admit it. Yes I watched Charmed.)

Another song recently recommended is by Daughter by Loudon Wainwright III.

I'm going to let my dad choose as my mom says there's one particular Country song that always reminds him of his daughters. It might be Cinderella or it could be Tim McGraw's My Little Girl or Bob Carlisle's Butterfly Kisses. I'm going to give him a CD with all of the MP3s.

How did you choose the music for your Father Daughter dance? Did you surprise your dad? Or did he surprise you?

Our First Dance

Our actual first dance was to Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire at our friends' double wedding last year.

This won't be the song we dance to first as a couple at our wedding reception, it'll be played, but not first. (It might be a good option to get everyone out on the dance floor after the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances.) That left us searching for a suitable first dance.

First Song: Regret by New Order

New Order lyrics

"Regret" - New Order Video - New Order Music Videos

Music Videos by VideoCure

This song was "the" song for just over two months. That is until we realized it's a very long song - 4 minutes - and not an easy song to dance to as a couple. I still love this song - especially the lyrics. It too might be played during the evening, just not first.

Our First Dance: Book of Love covered by Peter Gabriel
Next up was another song found and suggested by cubes. It's slow - more danceable. And it's shorter! Just over 3.5 minutes.


Is your first dance song your song? Or did you like us have to find one that was right?

Fireflies on the Harp

I just came across Fireflies played on the harp. And oh... I'm in love. Is it wrong that I want this for our cake cutting music?



Why do I love this melody so much you ask? Well, it has to do with my first wedding dream.

You see before cubes popped the question I didn't dream of weddings. It wasn't something I'd imagined, proposals were things that happened to other women. Shortly after his proposals, I had my first dream. We were standing at the top of the world with fireflies swirling around us (think of that Little Prince illustration). I was wearing a Victorian-style cream dress with dainty boots, gloves, and a hat. cubes was wearing a leather duster, britches with suspenders, and riding boots.

Of course, Fireflies by Owl City was playing as we held hands and gazed at each other while the Rabbi led the ceremony. As the Rabbi pronounced us husband and wife the fireflies circled us and flew off into space.

I have a vivid imagination. (If you haven't heard the song, the video is available on YouTube. Be warned that it's nothing like my version.)



My dream may have been influenced by the back-to-back episodes of Firefly we'd just watched. Firefly was "a space western television series created by writer and director Joss Wheldon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (Source: Wikipedia)." The series aired in 2002 but I didn't see it until cubes introduced it to me after we moved in together last October.

As the plan for our Burning Man wedding started to come together it became clear that a Firefly aesthetic was appropriate. I'd chosen a denim top with bustle and layered chambray dress (my Junior prom dress which was modeled after Scarlett O'Hara's Picnic Dress) to wear with boots. A very early Americana look. Everyone quickly agreed that cubes would make a good Captain. On the playa we won't have fireflies circling around us, but we will have LED illuminated paper cranes hanging from the roof of our carport.

So what do you think? Would playing an instrumental of Fireflies while we cut our wedding cake seem out of place? Or would it be a subtle tie to our playa wedding?

P.S. I have a secret. I'm Miss Firefly on Chatty Brides.

Update: Music for Our Ceremony Chosen

We've known for a while that we wanted "I've Got a Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas in our ceremony music.

What we were struggling with was the music for our processional. Two songs typically used in non-denominational and Christian weddings - Wagner's "Lohengrin" and Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream"- aren't really appropriate for Jewish weddings. Not that we wanted to use them.

So the search has been on-going.

And we've just found the music. It's "I've Got a Feeling" by The Beatles.

What do you think? Did you have a hard time choosing the music for your ceremony?

My Sharp Dressed Man

This past weekend I got to see cubes as a Groom. There's no superstition about a bride seeing her groom before the wedding, so I got to accompany cubes to his fitting with Miss Velvet Cream. In a rare (yes I know it's happening more frequently but roll with me here) moment of bridal forgetfulness, I left my iPhone at home. Ever the quick thinker I borrowed cubes' iPhone (you know what they say - the best camera is the one you have with you) and captured the moment. You'll have to wait for his post about Dressing the Groom as the photos are still locked up safely in his phone.

But in the meantime, let me tell you, cubes is my "Sharp Dressed Man." And if you weren't fortunate enough to grow up with ZZ Top, I've provided the video.

Think the guys should walk in to this? Or is it too cheesy?