New Song for the List of "First Dance" Possiblities

Photo by Stephanie Millner Photography & Design, http://www.stephaniemillner.com/

I was driving down 395 yesterday afternoon (yes, in the crazy storm) and I heard the most charming new song from Jason Mraz, called "I'm Yours." I'm definitely adding it to my list of "Possible First Dance Songs" and at the very least I think it will make an appearance on our play list. If you like Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" or the Bill Frisell version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (from Finding Forrester) you will probably enjoy this song.

The First Dance

As I mentioned in a previous post, Fiance and I have been taking group dance lessons for a while now. Not for our first dance song, but just in general so that we feel more comfortable on the dance floor in any situation (not just for our wedding). We've completed all of Ballroom Dance I and most of Ballroom Dance II, but last Thursday we began private lessons for our first dance.

We don't want to do anything fancy...none of those elaborate dance routines that you see posted on YouTube. We just wanted to be able to do more then the high school sway.

So now that's we've begun, I thought I'd share our choice of first dance song. We didn't have an "our song," and there really is no major story behind our choice other then it's a song we've both always liked, it's not a very common first dance song, the lyrics are nice, and it's a fun song.

So without further ado here it is:



Now you may have noticed that the song has a pretty fast beat. We've started practicing a single swing for the song, but if it ends up being too fast for us to be comfortable we have a back-up...this awesome (and much slower) remake by Lily Allen:



And just in case you were wondering about the lyrics, here they are:

Don't get me wrong
If I'm looking kind of dazzled
I see neon lights
Whenever you walk by

Don't get me wrong
If you say "Hello" and I take a ride
Upon a sea where the mystic moon
Is playing havoc with the tide
Don't get me wrong

Don't get me wrong
If I'm acting so distracted
I'm thinking about the fireworks
That go off when you smile

Don't get me wrong
If I split like light refracted
I'm only off to wander
Across a moonlit mile

Once in awhile
Two people meet
Seemingly for no reason
They just pass on the street
Suddenly thunder, shower everywhere
Who can explain the thunder and rain
But there's something in the air

Don't get me wrong
If I come and go like fashion
I might be great tomorrow
But hopeless yesterday

Don't get me wrong
If I fall in the "mode of passion"
It might be unbelievable
But let's not say "so long"
It might just be fantastic
Don't get me wrong

Anybody else chose an uncommon first dance song? What about one that wasn't a "slow song"?

Sam Hill Entertainment

When looking at music for the wedding Fiance and I were pretty sure we wanted a band as opposed to a d.j. Fiance is a huge live music fan and we both liked the atmosphere that a band can create. Unfortunately, bands usually cost a lot more then a d.j. and Fiance and I didn't want to spend a ton of money...which meant we had to research, research, research to find a good but reasonably priced band.

Hands down the best resource we found for researching bands was Sam Hill Entertainment. They are a booking agency based out of Charlottesville but they book all along the East Coast (focusing mostly on D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina). What sets Sam Hill apart from the other booking agencies is their website and their customer service.

They were the only booking agency we found that listed the price range of the bands on their website. This was so incredibly helpful. We didn't have to contact an agent just to see if the band we were looking at was expensive or not. Fiance and I could look at bands that were within our budget range and not get our hearts set on something we couldn't afford. We could see videos, listen to music clips, and read reviews of the different bands as well. It was also a great learning tool...what's the difference between a $10,000 band and a $1,500 band? Take a listen and see.

Some other agencies I contacted were less then helpful and actually refused to give me a price list for their bands...so there was no way I could compare bands or figure out what fit within my budget. I felt that any place that would refuse to share prices of the product they are supposed to be marketing was probably pretty unethical and trying to hide something so I didn't give them my business. I didn't want any financial "surprises" on my wedding day.

When you look through Sam Hill's site make sure you put in the correct region your wedding will be in...part of the pricing on the bands depends on the location of the band....so a band based out of Philadelphia will be cheaper if your wedding is in Philly and more expensive if the band has to travel from Philly to D.C. Hiring a local band can save you a couple hundred to a $1,000+