Song to Play for Wedding???

[B Vance]

Looking for some help here...

My wife has some good friends that are getting married at the end of next month. Anyway, she let it slip that I'd played in weddings before and they asked her if I'd be willing to play. Long story short, I got volunteered.

I have played in weddings before, but always with pieces picked by the couple. The problem is they want me to come up with something to play. I'm blanking on ideas.

I thought about just making something up, but my up-beat jazz/r&b style probably wouldn't quite fit the contemplative mood of the lighting of the Unity Candle.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated...
Thanks.

[PeeWee]

Ugh.........one of my least favorite gigs to work; the other being NYE.

May I suggest a nice instrumental version of "The Way You Look Tonight" or "All of Me"?? Always favorites at weddings and pretty easy to play solo.

[B Vance]

Thanks PeeWee...

I've give those a go tonight.

[PeeWee]

Glad to be of help, B.

I've been there more than a few times myself. My former band would get hired for these functions and then the families would start making demands for material that we really didn't play. Ever heard a Blues band play "You Make Me Feel So Young", "The Way You Look Tonight" or "Fly Me To The Moon"?? Very interesting.......

I've been asked to play waltzes, polkas, foxtrots, you name it. The worst was when our bassplayer showed 2 hours late to a reception held at the Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA. I had to play the basslines to every song in the first set and half of the second on guitar. We fired the dude shortly after that gig......:mad:

[B Vance]

Glad to be of help, B.

I've been there more than a few times myself. My former band would get hired for these functions and then the families would start making demands for material that we really didn't play. Ever heard a Blues band play "You Make Me Feel So Young", "The Way You Look Tonight" or "Fly Me To The Moon"?? Very interesting.......

I've been asked to play waltzes, polkas, foxtrots, you name it. The worst was when our bassplayer showed 2 hours late to a reception held at the Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville, VA. I had to play the basslines to every song in the first set and half of the second on guitar. We fired the dude shortly after that gig......:mad:


LOL!!! Those dang bassists.

I wouldn't feel nearly as awkward if I were playing at the reception. That'd be a ton of fun. The fact that I'm playing in the ceremony is what has me on egg-shells. I want to make sure that I play something that fits the mood. Like I said, I've done it before, but I was told what they wanted to hear, so that made it much easier. I didn't want to pick something, and have people asking "why in the world did that guy play that."

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I'll go home and pick them apart a bit and weigh them up against some James Taylor and Phil Keaggy stuff I was kicking around in my head.

Other suggestions are still welcome. At least this will be an excuse for me to sharpen up my acoustic chops.

[sliding-tom]

I got volunteered.

Worst case scenario :D
Sorry, since I don't know what's ususally being played at weddings in the States, I can't make any suggestions but I'm sure there's a couple of jazz(y) standards that might fit.

[MelvinDale]

You might want to take a listen to 'Amazed' by Lone Star.
It's one the singer in our band has done a couple of times and gotten a very good reaction too.

Wish I could think of more . . . whens the gig B?

PeeWee - I've got an Octaver for just such occasions. I use it for one maybe two songs during the night, but we call our Bass player Bladder Boy, so it gets used for those odd times he just bolts from the stage.

[brakeonthroo]

Dude, I don't, if it was appropriate, but once I played the song, Sway, and the crowd went crazy. I guess they liked it