Guest Blog

D.I.S.C.O: If Music Be The Food Of Love, Mosh On!

Julia Smith

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Brides Up North/ Charlotte Gale

Rocking out on the dance floor at out wedding- all my hair having come undone!  What a party!

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When I recently swapped my iPhone 3 for an iPhone 4, the whizz kid in the Apple store said to me:  “Just sync the new phone with your existing iTunes and all your music will copy over”.  Er, what iTunes?  What music? Yes, I hadn’t even realised that my iPhone doubled as an iPod.   

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I’ll admit – music is a joy, but it’s not a passion of mine.  I need a few cocktails to get on the dance floor, I studied piano for three years and never even made it to Grade 1 (seriously!) and I prefer Rhianna to… er… something cooler that I, clearly, cannot name – because I don’t know about it!

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The task of choosing our wedding music filled me with dread.  My hubby isn’t very musical either, and we couldn’t listen to Dire Straits all day! It was my least favourite job and luckily I had a team of helpers to guide me through, not least my brilliant friend Chris who helped with the hymns and even played the organ (without music!) on our big day. At one stage he told me that if I chose that the choir sing “You Raise Me Up” he would walk out.  It was my one defiance, and luckily, he kept playing!

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Brides Up North/ Charlotte Gale

My father in law and brother in law giving some great air guitar!  Dire Straits eat your heart out!

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Chris’ talents aside, the most memorable musical moment of my wedding wasn’t our first dance (although that was lovely – and, if you are interested was “Moondance” by Michael Buble – although I told my hubby it was the Van Morrison version – Alan, I’m sorry, it wasn’t) but requesting that my DJ play my very favourite song of all time “Two Princes” by The Spin Doctors twice in a row whilst I played air guitar on my train in the middle of a big mosh of friends.  My only Bridezilla moment of the day – and one I wouldn’t change for the World!

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I’ve digressed, but my point is:  Music is not my speciality, and neither is it my regular Friday morning guest blogger, Alison’s.  But we both love a good D.I.S.C.O! 

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HEART

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Over to Alison: When I look back at our wedding day, there are many memorable moments – and our wedding disco is right up there with the best of them.

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After the build-up to the big day and then the emotion of the day itself, when you reach the disco and nothing has gone wrong and everyone’s having a brilliant time, you finally feel like you can relax, cut loose and make some shapes on the dance floor.

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Being a bit of a control freak, I’d thoroughly briefed John at The Nightshift Disco. In addition to a play list – there was also an ‘under no circumstances do not play list’ which included Motown. Absolutely no Diana Ross, Billy Ocean or Lionel Richie. There was going to be no “Chain Reaction” at our wedding!

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Instead I asked John to include an 80’s School Disco set, a *ock Rock and Grunge set and a Madchester set. If you want to check out our wedding disco list in its entirety, click here and feel free to plunder.

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It’s an odd feeling, being at your ultimate disco in a dress that cost the same as a small hatchback and in shoes that weren’t designed for break dancing or moonwalking. You know you should be chatting to guests who’ve travelled from across the globe. You think “I’ll just have a quick boogie and then I’ll circulate”. But then the next tune starts and you think “Oh b*gger, I love this one too – oh just one more.” It was a long night.

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So here are some of our more memorable moments:

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Our first dance – ‘I Love It When You Call’, by The Feeling.

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Six months after Tris (my husband) and I met, I went travelling by myself around the world. My friends clubbed together and bought me an Ipod and filled it with motivational tunes of significance. Tris’ addition was ‘I Love It When You Call’. I think it was a hint. So I did call – a lot. In fact I become one of Orange’s most valued customers.

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I remember sitting staring wistfully out of the window of ‘The Atomic Shuttle Bus’ on a journey from Queenstown to Franz Josef in New Zealand, plugged into my Ipod, imagining us dancing to it at our wedding. That was back in 2007 – four years later to the day we actually were. I don’t think it was my finest dancing moment as we free-styled with minimal practice. But I threw in a few twirls and I think we got away with it.

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Sadly DFS have started using the song in their adverts, which has taken the shine off. But it provides a regular reminder of a wonderful moment.

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‘Call Me’, by Blondie.

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I vividly remember dancing in the middle of the floor surrounded by all my family and friends belting out the words at the top of my lungs:

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“CALL ME, I’M ALIVE…”

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Our wedding so very nearly didn’t happen. Rewind 12 months and I’d just come out of hospital after high dose chemo, a stem cell transplant and a month practically in isolation in my local cancer hospital (t-cell non-Hodgkins Lymphoma – and so far so good, thanks for asking). I had no hair, no energy and I couldn’t eat without throwing up. Fast forward again to our wedding day and there I was, I’d done it. I’d organised an amazing wedding to my fabulous man and never did being alive feel sweeter. No wonder I was singing.

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FourT4 Photography

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‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain.

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I’d just come back from a 10 minutes of quiet – in time to see the whole room – including my Dad pogoing to House of Pain. It was one of those ‘observer moments’ where you feel like you’re spying. The party was banging, everyone was laughing and it felt amazing to have helped make that moment happen.

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Street Tuff’ by Double Trouble & The Rebel MC.

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Tris has known his best man and ushers since they were in the cubs together. The image of grown men in formal dress dancing to ‘Street Tuff’ like 17 years olds in a Marmaris club was a thing of great beauty.

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FourT4 Photography

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Our last dance, ‘Moon River’ by Henry Mancini.

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At 11.50pm, as ‘Moon River’ filled every corner of the room, Tris and I danced in the middle while our friends joined hands around us and swayed in time to the music. Just as Carrie and Mr Big in Sex and the City had danced to it on their last night before he left New York, we savoured our final moments. As the choir joined in, creating a sublime crescendo, right on cue we left our wedding – on our way to find our own Moon River – the Seine in Paris.

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What’s on your wedding day playlist?

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Alison writes her own personal blog at http://alison-staples.blogspot.com

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Alison’s latest posts for Brides Up North:

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Honeymoons – Just The Two Of Us!

Santa Baby- A Bride’s Letter To St Nick

Christmas Weddings In Soap Land – Some Very Un-Real Weddings!

Up For Discussion- Money Can’t Buy You Love – Bringing It In On Budget

Up For Discussion- Don’t Tell The Groom! Man Management

Up For Discussion- How To Do “I Do”- Writing Your Own Vows

Up For Discussion- Empty Chairs

Up For Discussion- Achieving The Perfect Level Of Wedding Morning Zen

Up For Discussion- The Name Game (and meet Alison!)

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Would you like to guest blog for Brides Up North? Email julia@bridesupnorth.co.uk

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  – Images © 2012 Charlotte Gale/ Four T4 Photography 

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