We are getting married at the courthouse (small ceremony).   How should I dress for the courthouse and the reception?  — Patricia, Bride

Like so many decisions in any wedding, there is no established etiquette that demands or even suggests that you wear a certain style in a certain color to a courthouse wedding. With the brides that I have worked with in the past that are planning civil ceremonies, I have found that many turn from the traditional wedding gown styles and look more toward simple tea-length bridesmaid’s designs. Most, if not all, of these collections even carry neutrals and white color choices for such an occasion of wanting to feel like a bride without all of the frills.
You could consider looking for a sophisticated dress among the designer racks at department stores or in specialty boutiques. The new fall and winter collections are in stores now and are often designed a little more formal than the summer styles.
A formal suit with a skirt or slacks also are seen often in courthouse weddings as a more practical approach to dressing for the day. The jacket, slacks/skirt, and shirt or camisole would be available for use in your daily wardrobe even after the ceremony. To set yourself apart on your special day, consider finding a pair of flashy shoes or jewelry to dress the ensemble up.
During your hunt for the perfect dress, if you have something close, but not exactly like you want for your special day, consider having it altered more toward your dreamed design. Advance alterations will not only make the garment fit better, but it also is an opportunity for you to have drastic design changes made. For example, a sweetheart neckline rather than straight or a narrowed skirt rather than flared.
These are just some ideas of things that brides have discovered in the past when searching for their gowns. I hope they will help you in your journey to find the perfect wedding dress!
-Hayley Mann
Hayley Lauren Couture LLC
(850)668-0259

Dear TAWP Experts-

I am trying to plan my reception, but I am stumped on what songs to use for the different events.  What are some popular songs that are used?

Thanks!

Melissa B.

Expert Response from Steve Christian, Steve’s Party Mix

Below is a list of popular songs for each event from many different genres.  Hope this helps!

FIRST DANCE SONGS
Bless This Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo
From This Moment - Shania Twain
Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden
At Last - Etta James
Always and Forever - Heatwave
All My Life - K-Ci & Jojo
Because you Loved Me - Celine Dion
Everything I Do - Bryan Adams
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
In My Life - Beatles
Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
Don’t Want To Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
Have I Told You Lately - Van Morrison
Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart

DANCE WITH PARENTS
Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross
I Loved Her First - Heartland
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Beautiful in My Eyes - Joshua Kadison
Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart
Have I Told You Lately - Van Morrison
Daddy’s Hands - Holly Dunn
Daddy’s Little Girl - Al Martino
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion

SONGS FOR GARTER/BOUQUET TOSS
Rocky - Soundtrack
Girld Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
I’m Too Sexy - Right Said Fred
Legs - ZZ Top
Ladies Night - Kool & Gang
Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
Bad Boys - Inner Circle
Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood

CAKE CUTTING
Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra
Chapel of Love - Dixie Cups
I Got You babe - Sonny & Cher
Love Me Tender - Elvis
Happy Together - Turtles
Hit Me With Your Best Shot

MOST REQUESTED SONGS - ALL TIME
Electric Slide - Marcia Griffiths
Wild Thing - Tone Loc
Marcarena - Los Del Rio
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Super Freak - Rick James
YMCA - Village People
Play That Funky Music
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Ice Ice baby - Vanilla Ice
Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
Thats The Way I Like It - KC & Sunshine Band
Brickhouse - Commodores
Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
Old Time Rock & Roll - Bob Seger

MOST REQUESTED - RECENT
Low - FloRida
Soulja Boy - Soulja Boy
Cha Cha Slide - DJ Casper
Cupid - Cupid Shuffle
Yeah - Usher
Hey Ya - Outcast
Honk Tonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
Mambo #5 - Lou Bega
I’m a Believer - Smashmouth
Here For The Party - Gretchen Wilson
Don’t Ya - Pussycat Dolls

TOP REQUESTS - DECADES
            60′S
Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
Can’t Get No Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
Mony Mony - Tommy James
Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Hang On Sloopy - McCoys
Crazy - Patsy Cline
Proud Mary – CCR

        70′S
Sugar Sugar - Archies
Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
Rock & Roll Pt.2 - Gary Glitter
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk
You Can’t Hurry Love – Supremes

       DISCO
Stayin Alive - BeeGees
YMCA - Village People
That’s The Way I Like It - KC & Sunshine Band
Brickhouse - Commodores
Celebration - Kool & Gang
Play That Funky Music (White Boy) - Wild Cherry
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Get Down Tonight - KC & Sunshine Band
You Should be Dancing - BeeGees
Superfreak - Rick James
We Are Family - Sister Sledge

      80’s
Billie Jean - Michael jackson
What I Like About You - Romantics
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Love Shack - B-52’s
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
Our Lips Are Sealed - GoGo’s
You Can’t Touch This - MC Hammer
Come On Eileen - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Brass Monkee - Beastie Boys
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
We Got The Beat - GoGo’s

    50’s and other oldies
Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Jailhouse Rock -Elvis
Tequila - Champs
Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin
Rock-N-Robin - Tommy Helms
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck berry

   LAST DANCE SONGS
Last Dance - Donna Summer
New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
I’ve Had The Time of My Life - Bell Medley & Jennifer Warnes
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
Goodnight Sweetheart – Spaniels

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