So it’s out! If you want to hear a bit more about how we started off at Blockbuster Bride and find out about how to book your wedding music for a day to remember, listen here! The amazing Aleisha McCormack, funny woman, author and wedding podcaster was a delightful interviewer and we were chuffed to be featured earlier on this week.
http://savethedatepodcast.com/2015/03/wedding-music-get-it-right-to-make-your-night/
So we’re about ready to put out our next video. This is a fun one featuring upbeat couple Helen and Graeme who met at karaoke. As a taster, here are the lyrics of the song:
Our wedding day
We met at the local karaoke night
And he said he fancied my blonde mate
But as time went on it felt so right
And one day he asked me on our first date
I couldn’t wait until every Thursday night came
Cos I would see him singing on the karaoke stage
We’d send messages back and forth on Facebook
And very soon I knew that he had got me hooked
Falling in love didn’t take that long
He showed me pictures of his cat, Bob
Dinner at Pitch’s and we knew that was it
It was special, it was fun, it was the perfect fit
It’s time to celebrate our love
Gonna drink, gonna dance, gonna party all the way
Thank you! We love you very much
So glad to have you here on our wedding day!!
So Graeme and Helen say
So glad to have you here on our wedding day
I won’t forget the day that Graeme popped the question
Cos we were sitting in the Druid Arms in Maidstone
He set it up so the band asked him to sing
And then he pulled out my engagement ring!
We bought a house and we were terrified
Cos I’m so messy while he loves neat piles
And though our home is a real do-upper
All my dreams have come true I’ve found the perfect lover
So it’s time to celebrate our love
Gonna drink, gonna dance, gonna party all the way
Thank you! We love you very much
So glad to have you here on our wedding day!!
I had a great afternoon editing the music for one of our next couples. This one’s a romantic ballad and we hired an awesome pianist called Rodger, based in Nashville, to record the grand piano for us. He has such a wonderful talent for the instrument that you actually forget that it’s just a single piano playing…it sounds like a whole orchestra. In honour of his fantastic musicianship the featured pic is of the Nashville Skyline.
We also had a second couple, Ziggy and Kate, married for about a year, with a great story about their love for swimming and travelling the world. They actually got engaged underwater on a diving trip and had photos and video footage of the moment Kate said ‘yes’. In fact, she ‘ticked’ yes on a white board!
I’m a useless swimmer. I managed to get my 25 metres certificate when I was eight and I don’t think I’ve ever swum further since. So I was suitably impressed by stories of Kate swimming in the Commonwealth Games and Ziggy diving regularly in search of Devon lobster and scallops.
Ziggy was really keen to give the video to his wife to tell her how much he loves her and to celebrate the arrival of their first nipper, Eleanor, so the title ‘Water Baby’ seemed perfect.
And that’s how Blockbuster Bride was born.
We tell stories about couples. True stories that are fascinating, touching and in some cases cute and funny. Stories that the couple and their family can watch and listen to again and again. They can see themselves as the stars of the show, sing along to the verses and choruses and relive the magic of falling in love over and over.
So, we needed couples!
First up were Helen and Graeme. Karaoke lovers who adore fancy dress.
Graeme had proposed on stage while he was singing with a local band. They weren’t married yet but we were going use some of the pics they’d taken, write their song and have them project the video to their guests at the wedding reception.
We interviewed Helen and asked what kind of music she liked. She surprised us by saying she wanted something fun, upbeat and dancey. The bride knows best! So we crafted her words into an uptempo 90s tribute designed to thank friends and family for being there on the big day.
“Our Wedding Day” is the complete opposite of a slushy romantic ballad. Not quite what I’d expected to write for our first commission but great fun with a healthy dash of cheese thrown in for good measure.
Well, how do I blog today about an idea that started to take shape a few months ago?
I sing at quite a few weddings (about 20 per year). Sometimes I’d be asked to perform the first dance. Other times the DJ would play it. And on a few occasions there was no first dance at all.
Whichever the situation, I’d always be fascinated by the choice…what was it about that couple that made them choose that particular song?
As I’d set my gear up and prepare to sing I’d also wonder about how the bride and groom got together. After all, it’s our stories that make us unique. Had they known each other for years? Did they meet at work? What were their hobbies? What attracted them to each other? Were they serious or fun loving? Who was the boss – the bride or the groom? Questions, questions, questions!
I also saw first hand how careful the couples were when selecting the music for their wedding day celebrations – the DJs, performers, the playlist itself.
And then I wondered how we could combine the love story, the music and the wedding day in a way that was unique to each and every couple? And in a format that was sharable with friends and family at the wedding, on social media and via email. Hmmmm…..
