Here Comes The Bride

"Here Comes The Bride", aka "The Bridal Chorus", aka "The Bridal March".

I have often had mixed feelings about this choice for the Bride's walk down the aisle. It comes from having to play the pompous, grandiose, stuffy versions that were available in years past. They sound ancient and decrepit and many of them are! I used to say that in all my years of searching, I'd yet to hear a "good" version of it!

Another problem is the cadence of The Bridal Chorus. It is NOT conducive to a slow, measured walk. It was, after all, written for a play in which a wedding takes place- not for an actual wedding!

It may be "traditional" but so what? There are so many other songs that can be played that not only allow you to put your personal touch on the ceremony but also give your guests a unique experience as well.

Perspective Change

I was swayed recently when a client brought something to my attention. Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist from Journey, released a solo album that actually includes a really good version of "The Bridal March"! Cain embellishes and adds to the original, slowing the tempo and using ethereal keyboards to update the song. The drawback is that the album was released a few years ago and is currently out of print.

You can get a preowned copy from Amazon.com but it is a bit pricey. Apparently, these are somewhat of a collector's item.

Check it out here:

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Another version that I like, although not quite as much, is The O'Neill Brothers "Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride)".

Sample it here: O'Neill Brothers "Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride)"

This one is available as a download for only 99 cents!

Speaking of The O'Neill Bros., Amazon.com is offering this entire album of their wedding music as a FREE promotional download!

The O'Neill Brothers Wedding Music Sampler



Click here: O'Neill Brothers Wedding Music Sampler

Features popular ceremony songs like "Canon in D", "Ave Maria", "Ode To Joy" and more.

May be available for a limited time.

And remember if you decide to use a more progressive choice of music, as many current Brides do, there are tons of options available! Here are a few musical ideas to get you started (click here): Wedding Ceremony Music

Happy Hunting!

The Alternative Wedding

Helen and Zack wanted something different for their wedding at a Temecula winery. They discarded traditional ideas about music and went with their intuition. Their eclectic playlist included alternative stalwarts like Joy Division, The Smiths, Talking Heads and The Cure. And that was just for the ceremony prelude!



This slideshow is from Helen and Zack's Temecula wedding- Sept. 09.

The Bride walked down the aisle to "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens and the couple made their triumphant reception entrance to "You Really Got Me" by iconic garage rockers The Kinks. The first dance, another unusual choice, was Bob Marley's "All Day All Night".

Throughout the reception songs from the likes of The Ramones, David Bowie, Queen, Devo, The Replacements, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello and The B-52s created an atmosphere quite unlike most formal gatherings. This refreshing change of pace was appreciated by the guests who kept the dance floor filled until the final note.

Although I do plenty of events where Top 40 and "hit" music is requested, I cherish the opportunity to play alternative wedding DJ. Whether it's The Beatles or The Buzzcocks, good rock and roll comes from the soul and can't be rated by any chart.

2009 Highlights

So far, 2009 has been a busy year!

I've traveled to San Diego, Temecula, LA, various parts of the OC and places in between. All in the name of providing great sound and lighting to incredible events!

Here is a slideshow of some 2009, DJ Craig highlights:



They don't call it "Mobile DJ" for nothing. Looking forward to the rest of 2009 and beyond!

The Wedding DJ

Wedding Uplighting Slideshow

Here is a video of wedding uplighting that I recently uploaded to Youtube. These are various fixtures and colors.

Great lighting can create a striking look for your reception!



More wedding up lighting pics here: Wedding Uplighting

-The Wedding DJ

MOLAA For Erin and Khaled

Erin and Khaled chose Long Beach's Museum Of Latin American Art (MOLAA) for their May nuptials. Their wedding sets a great example of the power of creative sound and lighting.



It turns out that The expansive MOLAA courtyard, filled with unique sculptures and plants, is a great place for a ceremony!

Can you spot the speakers?



We found the perfect spot where they would both sound good and be unobtrusive.



Before... and after!

For this beautiful square wedding cake, we lit it from 2 angles to make it stand out.



On the candy table we used a small flood light . It must have worked because the candy disappeared quickly!



For the reception room we lit the walls with amber LED uplighting to create a unique atmosphere.



During dancing the guests enjoyed our digital Yamaha sound system and hot music mixes.



Here's to another great beginning!

-The Wedding DJ

A Royal Wedding With "The Queen"

For Lenora and Michael's May reception, they chose the Queen Mary's elegant Veranda room. The Veranda features polished wood throughout, lavish tapestries and a wonderful view of the Long Beach shoreline.




The Newlyweds made their Grand entrance to AC/DC's "You Shook Me" and then segued right into "Someone Like You" by Van Morrison. The sunken dance floor was highlighted by our mirror ball as the couple wowed their guests with choreographed dance steps.




After the toasts and dinner service, the dancing kicked off again with the traditional Father/Daughter dance to "I Hope You Dance"- Lee Ann Womack. Then all guests were invited to join in.




Music highlights included Sinatra, Rascal Flatts and an old school electric slide (by request).




We used a 2 speaker Yamaha digital sound system and a 16 inch mirror ball highlighted by 2 LED pin spots.

Here's to another great beginning!

The Wedding DJ

Party On The Hill!

Amanda and David went all out for their April wedding at Orange Hill Restaurant.



For the ceremony, their guests enjoyed a hilltop view of Orange County. Their reception in the adjacent room featured special up lighting in their chosen colors.



Instead of a traditional guest book, these newlyweds had their partygoers sign two giant bottles of champagne!





When it came time for the party, a mix of old and new music had the guests moving and shaking!







Artists ranged from The Beatles to Blink 182 to Flo Rida to rave fave Benny Benassi.

For the ceremony we used a two speaker Renkus digital system with wireless lapel mic. For dancing, a two speaker Yamaha digital system, 9 led up lights, 2 pinspots and 2 intelligent dance floor lights.

Here's to another great beginning!

DJ Craig