Maria Callas in 1957

1. Maria Callas – L’amour est un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera Act 1) Bizet/Carmen
2. Gloria Gaynor – Can’t take my eyes off you
3. Elvis Presley – Can’t help falling in love
4. Earth Wind & Fire – Fantasy
5. Billy Idol – White Wedding
6. Barry White – You’re my first, my last, my everything
7. Andrew Bocelli – Madam Butterfly / Puccini
8. Andrea Bocelli – Con Te Partiro
9. Abba – I do, I do, I do
10. Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli – Time to say goodbye

Did Maria Callas expect to end up on a list of the greatest Wedding songs of all time? Probably not. However, in this post you will find Abba nuzzling next to opera, the imperial Callas emoting in royal fashion with the human sneer, Billy Idol – along with the Pelvis, Gloria Gaynor, Earth, Wind and Fire and the mighty love porpoise, Barry White. It’s a great day for a white wedding..

Yeah, it’s happened to everyone who has anything more than a rudimentary knowledge of music. Someone asks ‘What are your all-time wedding songs’? There’s a smirk implied in the question.  However, it set me thinking..

There are posts and sites all over the web giving you advice and anything up to a hundred songs to give your bandleader or DJ. But on this day of all days you want more than a tired old cheese-machine love jukebox.

Gay Richardson - 'What's wrong with a red wedding?'

Earlier in the year I was asked to source ten songs for a Wedding Fashion Show for White Tie Events – a mix of classical and modern(ish) being required. Gay Richardson, my friend from the excellent personal style and wardrobe website Style Me Confident was the Producer/stylist and wanted a particular feel for the catwalk which required a subtle blend of up-market classical and some very well known popular songs.

Lewis Black (Renaissance Brighton) and Alice Parsons

The ten songs assembled here were the final playlist. They range from opera to Abba, with a little spike of danger in the lip-curling form of Billy Idol. As an act of pure self-indulgence there is an Italian and English reading of the same song ‘Con te Partiro’ – Andrea Bocelli on his own and then an English duet with Sarah Brightman.

It worked. If you are heading for the Big Day yourself or have been asked for music to soundtrack a wedding, here it is. There’s even a song to wave goodbye to go on honeymoon thanks to Sarah and Andrea.

Have a great day.

Grab the music here:

http://www.box.net/shared/qhnl7uohsi