Epic Mother Son Wedding Dance

Just caught this on Facebook! Not sure if I believe it's real... wow, Mom. Quite a show stopper!

Wedding Song: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Lyrics

The song, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" sung by Roberta Flack, is particularly beautiful and may prove perfect for dancing to at your wedding. The question is: who is dancing to the song? It may work for a bride and groom. It has also come up as a possibility for a mother-son dance... but then, one may wish to examine the lyrics first. "Lay with you?" Hmmm. Questionable. I don't know, you could think of that as a mommy with her little baby, though. I guess it's open to interpretation!

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the end of the skies

And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last, till the end of time, my love

The first time ever I saw your face
Your face
Your face
Your face

Wedding Songs to Walk Down the Aisle

For our wedding ceremony, we chose to have live musicians play chamber music as guests were filing in. My husband has a lot of musician friends who he has either been in bands with, who play in their own bands, or both. So it wasn't too difficult to make some calls and dig up a floutist and mandolin player. They did a really nice job, and made it all the more sentimental because our musicians also happened to be friends of ours!

For walking down the aisle, we went with the traditional: Canon in D, Here Comes the Bride, and then of course the Wedding March. Well, truth be told we really left it up to our musician friends to play whatever was easiest/what they were good at and familiar with. Which just happened to be the same songs we asked for! :)

Here are a few YouTube links to some songs we had in the running for our ceremony.

Ave Maria Bach-Gounad version (I opted out of this one because it makes me too emotional, and I didn't want to be intense walking down the aisle in front of everyone)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9ggQnbGOjU

Canon in D Major - This is the aisle walk song that everybody knows, but probably few know the name of. We chose this for the moms, dads, ushers and bridesmaids to walk down to!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Af372EQLck

Clair de Lune - Just a classical favorite that I've always loved - not sure where this would fit into a wedding, but maybe you'd appreciate hearing it on your wedding day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9f4nYoCxy8&feature=fvst

These days, if you're looking to save money while planning a wedding, it isn't too difficult to find a friend or a friend-of-a-friend, who has musical talent and can offer you a good price on an hour or two of playing. Scan your Facebook friends or your LinkedIn connections to jag your memory... chances are good that someone knows somebody who can play music on your special day!

Do It Yourself Wedding Almond Favors: What to Buy, How to Make

You may have heard of, or been the recipient of, the infamous little tulle bag of almonds as a wedding favor. Now you're the one getting married, and you're been thinking about doing the same – giving out almond favors to your guests. Here are a few facts about the symbolism behind the gift of 5 almonds, and some simple instructions on how to assemble the almond bags yourself.

Italians, Greeks, and other countries in the Mediterranean consider almonds to be a symbol of good luck on your wedding day. First, the taste of the almonds (bittersweet), is a symbol of life; and second, the candy coating is a wish for the happy couple's life together to be more sweet than bitter.

Traditionally, the almond bag contains five almonds, representing health, wealth, happiness, and longevity. Each guest receives one, wrapped in tulle and tied with a ribbon, and you may also wish to include a printed ribbon or little bit of paper with the bride and groom's name on it.

Preliminaries:

Figure out how many guests will be attending the wedding. Multiply that number by five, and that is the total number of almonds you'll need for the entire project. Of course, you won't know exactly how many guests until the very last leg of the wedding plans, so this is not a project that you can do too far in advance.

Select your colors. Of course, you'll want to match the decor and the bridesmaids dresses. Or, you can use white or off-white according to whichever hue your wedding dress is. You will be purchasing tulle and ribbon to coordinate with the abovementioned colors.

Determine the amount of tulle and ribbon you'll need. You may wish to consult with a fabric or craft store, hopefully they will be able to offer you a discount for your bulk order of each. The tulle should be cut into circles, each 6 to 8 inches in diameter, and the ribbon should be at least 12 to 16 inches long per favor.

Shop around. Research where to find candied almonds in bulk for the best price. You can find a supplier online (do a search for "Jordan almonds"), or check the Yellow Pages for a local gourmet candy supplier.

Time to Make Your Wedding Almond Bags:

Purchase your almonds a few weeks before the wedding. The candies will still be fresh on the big day, so no worries there.

Cut out tulle circles. Use a small plate (like a lunch plate – can be paper) to trace the circle on a piece of the tulle fabric. Cut it out with sewing scissors and put it aside. Do this for the total number of guests. Hopefully you'll have some helping hands such as the mother of the bride and/or groom, the bridesmaids, or other friends who will be attending the wedding, to help make light work of this project!

Tie up each almond bag. Once you have all of your tulle circles laid out, break out your candy-coated almonds. You will need five almonds per circle. Place your little nest of almonds in the circle and tie it up with the ribbon which you can cut on the fly as you go. If you have also ordered little bride-and-groom name tags, add those as well.

Repeat this process for however many guests you expect at your wedding.

Store them and arrange for transport. Store all the almond favors in a couple of weather-proof boxes with lids (plastic is good), and make sure that someone remembers to transport them to the wedding hall on the morning of the big event. You also want to be sure someone can take the time to place each one beside every plate at each table. The wedding hall coordinator may be able to advise whether someone on their staff can be tasked with this project, and whether or not it is included in the total cost of the wedding.

That's it – don't forget to save a little bag of almonds for yourself and your husband!

Wedding Songs – Mother-Son Dance

Wondering what song to choose for the groom's Mother and Son dance? Whether you're having a wedding band or DJ, the person in charge of music on the day of your wedding should be able to accommodate your selection. It is easy enough, even if a band isn't familiar with or has never played the wedding song in question, for them to learn it if given enough time in advance.

Another option is for the band to simply have a recording of the song on hand, with the original artist performing it. This works well particularly for those who have opted to use a wedding band and DJ combo in one.

The question now is: what to pick? Should the mother-and-son song be modern or classic? Sappy and slow, or upbeat with a touch of sentimental feeling? Here are my personal choices for the mother-son wedding dance. Note: many of these would work equally well for the father-daughter dance!

Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section! If you are already married... what did the groom and his mother dance to on your wedding day?

Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra

Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

In My Life – the Beatles

Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof

Unforgettable – Nat King Cole

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack

Through the Years – Kenny Rogers

Forever Young – Joan Baez