Holy Cow I Think I Got One Here

Mr. B is a huge, huge, huge Weezer fan. Though we haven't liked their music since the Pinkerton album, we still, for some reason, attend every show religiously. Observe: 

We’re also gigantic fans of Tally Hall and Ozma, so I really wanted our wedding song to be by one of those bands. It would be personal, fitting, and offbeat, maybe even a little badass.

Except apparently whoever’s writing these songs has a horrible love life. Every song by each band has one or two sweet lines*, followed by chorus after chorus about broken hearts. I sifted through the lyrics of all my favorites but struggled to find something right, until I remembered (what in hindsight should have been really obvious) Falling for You by Weezer. Have a listen:

 (From You Tube)

I suppose it's not perfect, it’s really about the beginning of a relationship, but beggars can't be choosers right? And the lyrics are cool anyway, especially the "gotta go turn in my rock star card and get fat and old with you" line.

So I thought I solved our wedding song dilemma, and I presented my suggestion to Mr. B.

He hated it. "We can't dance to this!" he objected. "It's too fast. We'll look ridiculous."

I argued that we can't dance and will look ridiculous anyway, so what difference did it make? 

We went back and forth for awhile, polling our family and friends. But though they agreed with using it, Mr. B still didn't come around. I put it aside for awhile, mentally resigning myself to paying for the dance lessons required to make this song work.

And then Mr. B went to an Arctic Monkeys concert and came back with the best suggestion ever: Baby I'm Yours, originally done by Barbara Lewis in the 60s, now covered by them. Listen:

It's PERFECT. Easy to dance to, vintagey and romantic in keeping with the theme of our wedding, and so us. I'm known for my penchant for oldies songs, as well as an unwillingness to join the 21st century (still rockin a flip phone with no Internet access, what upp) and the Arctic Monkeys element makes it very Mr. B. Hearing this song was like finding each other, finding our venue, finding my dress (you like how shallow that list gets?) - when we knew, we knew.

YAY Mr. B! I'm so excited for our first dance now!

*Totally have a REALLY AWESOME plan for those sweet lines. Except I want to surprise Mr. B so I can't tell you until after the wedding!  But it’s gonna be GOOD.

Vendor Search Tips: The Band

Okay, so the next vendor on deck is the band. I would think this information translates  to hiring a DJ as well, but as we only looked at bands, I claim no expertise there. 

I don’t have a snazzy form like yesterday, since we hired the only band we met with (Yay for an easy search!), so I just put my questions in bullet form.

•    What are the options for band size and number of vocalists? Our band can be as small as 6 pieces or as big as 11, with up to 9 vocalists
•   Will it be same band members as you are seeing in a showcase? You want to make sure that singer with the Frank Sinatra voice you loved during the showcase isn’t already booked for something else that day!
•    What is their overall approach to playing weddings? For example, some do a “through the-decades” approach to music.
•   How many hours of playing time are in the contract, and what is the overtime rate?
•   What do they wear?
•   Will they learn songs, and if so, how many? Are there fees associated with that?
•   Do they have all the equipment you need or will we need to provide something?
•   Do they require extra electrical power?
•   Stage size requirements? Gotta make sure you have room in the venue!
•   Will bandleader emcee?
•   Will they follow a do not play list?
•   Can they avoid crowd requests?
•   How many years in the business, and how many weddings in the past year? References?
•   How many breaks will they need, and how long is a break?
•   How do they keep music going during breaks? For example, recorded stuff, staggered break times.
•   What is the backup plan in case of any emergency on the day of the wedding?
•   Can they provide proof of liability insurance? Your venue will ask for this
•   How much set up time is needed? You want them to be playing as the first guest walks in, so you’ll have to plan the day’s schedule accordingly.
•   Will they need vendor meals? I’d count on this.
•   Discuss ceremony and cocktail hour options. In my experiences they threw in the cocktail music for free, and the ceremony was a minimal additional charge. 

More after the jump

A-Team: Band

Mr. B's parents always "know a guy." They "knew a guy" when it came to picking a wedding photographer, and they "knew a guy" when it came to picking a band. "He'll give us a break. Just meet him" they told us. As you may recall, we were not thrilled with "friendor" photographer, so when it came time to meet the band, we gritted our teeth and braced ourselves for lackluster, generic wedding music.

Boy, were we wrong! The band was awesome. I was actually at the point of contract with another band, but was so blown away by this group that we booked them immediately and cancelled the first. 

So who are they?