12 Months – Announce your engagement, choose a wedding theme, work out a budget, research wedding professionals (caterer, florist, DJ or band, photographer and videographer) and venues.  You can also set appointments with the wedding pros at this time.

11 Months – Select a wedding consultant (if you are using one), meet with caterers and arrange tastings, select and book the caterer, select and book the music entertainment (band/DJ), decide on music selections, select and reserve your venue, (ceremony and reception), start thinking about your wedding dress.  If you are choosing a destination wedding, now would be the best time to send save the date cards.

10 Months – Choose and purchase your wedding dress and veil.  Choose attendants and discuss with them their duties and what you expect of them.  If choosing a park or recreational area for the venue, secure the proper permits.

9 Months – Register for your wedding gifts, decide on food for the reception, choose whether you will have an open bar, limited bar or no alcohol at your reception, make a playlist for your music, research places for guests to stay, reserve blocks of rooms at a local hotel for guests.

8 Months – Go to your first gown fitting, order bridesmaid dresses and accessories, look at wedding rings, confirm florist and discuss wedding theme and flower arrangements, start making a decision regarding invitations (style, color, font, etc),

7 Months – Review and finalize your wedding details with your consultant, set fittings for bridesmaids’ dresses, choose tux styles for groomsmen,  select a flower girl and ring bearer, choose and purchase wedding rings, finalize invitations.

6 Months – Review invitation proofs and make changes if needed, finalize invitations, discuss honeymoon ideas, meet with travel agent, work on wedding decorations (table decorations, favors, etc).

5 Months – Order place cards and programs, finalize honeymoon arrangements, make reservations for rehearsal dinner and menu.

4 Months – Get groom to try on tuxedos and purchase accessories, work on vow’s, make appoint with stylist regarding hair and makeup, address wedding invitations.

3 Months – Approve anything that is being printed for the wedding (programs, place cards, etc), decide about rehearsal dinner, next day brunch and reserve restaurants, discuss bachelorette party, review registry and make any adjustments.

2 Months – Mail invitations, purchase wedding gifts for wedding party members, go to second (possibly final) gown fitting, have groom make final decision regarding tux and reserve, arrange transportation for bride and groom to reception from ceremony site, purchase ceremony accessories (unity candle, wine glasses, etc).

6 Weeks – Send rehearsal dinner invitations, write thank you notes as you receive gifts, confirm music playlist with music entertainment, purchase any remaining wedding favors or table decorations, purchase a gift for your spouse-to-be, meet with stylist again for a practice run (take veil with you).

4 Weeks – Confirm with florist and arrange delivery times, meet with officiant to discuss details, determine any seating arrangements and reception layout, placement of cake table, placement of DJ or band, schedule an appointment for a mani/pedi  just before the wedding, schedule pick up of grooms tux, finalize photographer and videographer.

3 Weeks – Go over RSVP’s and finalize head count with caterer, call anyone who has not responded to get accurate count.

1 Week – Confirm honeymoon arrangements and start packing, pick up wedding dress and tux.

WEDDING DAY – Eat a good breakfast, attend hairstyle appointment and make up appointment.  RELAX and ENJOY  yourself!!

A typical song is about 3-4 minutes in length.  Therefore, plan for a minimum of 12 hours of practice to perfect your dance.  If you choose to make your first dance a waltz, contact your local dance studio and they will help with a choreographed routine.  If you select your first dance as a waltz, it is also commonly known as the Bridal Waltz.

If you are the bride and groom dancing a waltz for your first dance, be sure to practice with the bride wearing her wedding dress (even if it is in private without the groom).  This way you can test the length of the dress and the weight so all the turns can be performed as expected.

If you would like to see a waltz danced, view past shows of Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. Some of the songs listed below were danced to on past episodes. For your convenience, we also listed they music genre and release date of each song.

#1 You and Me – Lifehouse, 2005 (Rock)

#2 If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys, 2003 (R&B)

#3 Come Away With Me – Norah Jones, 2001 (Jazz)

#4 Caribbean Blue – Enya, 1991 (New Age)

#5 I’ll Be – Edwin McCain, 1997 (Rock)

#6 Open Arms – Journey, 1981 (Rock)

#7 Nothing Else Matters – Metallica, 1991 (Hard Rock)

#8 No Ordinary Love – Sade, 1992 (R&B)

#9 Iris – Goo Goo Dolls, 1998 (Rock)

#10 Time Of My Life – David Cook (Winner of American Idol), 2008 (Rock)

#11 From This Moment On – Shania Twain, 1997 (Country)

#12 Satellite – Dave Matthews Band, 1993 (Rock)

#13 Kiss From A Rose – Seal, 1994 (R&B)

#14 Is It You (I Have Loved) – Becky Taylor (Featured in Shrek originally sung by Dana Glover in Little Mermaid), 2005 (Classical)

#15 When I Said I Do – Clint Black and Lisa Hartman, 1999 (Country)

#16 Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? - Bryan Adams, 1995 (Rock)

#1 At Last – Etta James, Released in 1960 (Jazz)

#2 Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley, Released in 1962 (Rock)

#3 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – Marvin Gaye, Released in 1964 (R&B)

#4 I Got You Babe – Sonny & Cher, Released in 1965 (Pop)

#5 Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers, Released in 1965 (Pop)

#6 What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong, Released in 1968 (Jazz)

#7 These Arms Of Mine – Otis Redding, Released in 1964 (R&B)

#8 Cherish – The Association, Released in 1966 (Pop)

#9 Bring It On Home To Me – Sam Cooke, Released in 1962 (R&B)

#10 The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra, Released in 1964 (Jazz)

#11 Moon River – Andy Williams, Released in 1962 (Jazz)

#12 So Much In Love – The Tymes, Released in 1963 (Vocal)

#13 This Magic Moment – The Drifters, Released in 1960 (R&B)

#14 L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole, Released in 1965 (R&B)

#15 I Can’t Help Myself – The Four Tops, Released in 1965 (R&B)

#16 Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette, Released in 1968 (Country)

#17 Stand By Me – Ben E. King, Released in 1961 (R&B)

#18 When a Man Loves A Woman – Percy Sledge, Released in 1966 (R&B)

#19 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Released in 1967 (R&B)

#20 Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You – Frankie Valli, Released in 1967 (Rock)

Since music played in the wedding can be heard by everyone and is crucial for setting up the right mood of the wedding party,  it should be selected with utmost caution. For selecting the right kind of music for your wedding there are a few tips to remember.

• Firstly it is essential to remember that music should not cater to only a single age group. This is because in every wedding there are people who belong to different age groups starting from children, teenagers, youth, to the elders. Thus, if music is of the choice of only one age group then the others will tend to get bored and sometimes even frustrated.
• Second most important thing to remember while choosing your wedding playlist is that it should not contain any songs that may sound awkward or annoying when played aloud in an  audience. There are many songs in your I-pod that you may personally like but they may not be very decent to be played when you are being accompanied by your mother and grandmother.
• Another thing that should be considered while selecting the songs for your wedding is that they should not all be dance numbers as a wedding should not have a complete dance party feel to it.
• Next point to remember is selecting the right DJ or band. Make sure whatever you hire for the music requirements of your wedding, be it a band or a DJ, you explain your music specifications as well as any restrictions very clear to them. A DJ can be hired when your wedding is more of a fun affair and a band could be a good option when you want to give an old school feel to your wedding.
• Also, make sure that the playlist does not have too much variety in tempo and feel of music as constant switch of music from rock, to waltz, old school, or romantic can many a times become frustrating for the audience.

Apart from the above tips, never forget to add your personal touch to your wedding playlist as music is the best way to add the essence of your personality to the wedding and convey your feelings for your partner and loved ones through music.

This article has been written by an expert associated with WeddingMuseum.com, a company providing wedding music lists for today’s brides and grooms.

20 Marvin Gaye – Marvin was one of the best male R&B artists of all-time.  Too bad his life ended too early.  There are many songs Marvin created that are suitable for a wedding.  However, our favorite is Ain’t No Mountain High Enough sung with Tammi Terrell.
19 U2 – One of the best rock bands of all-time.  A great way to start wedding festivities is Beautiful Day.
18 Pink Floyd – We could choose Money for the dollar dance but many brides feel the dollar dance as asking for money.  Therefore, we’ll select Mother for the Mother Son dance.
17 Queen – You’re My Best Friend can be played in so many scenarios during a wedding reception.  Play it for parent dances, for friends or even a first dance.
16 Madonna – We could easily select Vogue as an iconic dance party song.  However, our pick is the love song Crazy For You.  This song also played in two scenes in the movie Vision Quest.
15 The Beach Boys – If you are slower tempo song, we select Kokomo.  For a more upbeat song we select Good Vibrations.
14 Nirvana – The most mainstream song by Nirvana was Smells Like Teen Spirit.  However, for the Nirvana fan we would select Heart Shaped Box.
13 The Who – This was actually a difficult pick.  We select a great grand entrance song (being from Las Vegas) from the hit show CSI – Who Are You.
12 David Bowie – Our wedding song pick is appropriately called The Wedding Song.
11 Bob Marley – The reggae master hits all the right wedding notes in his song Three Little Birds.
10 Stevie Wonder – Our favorite wedding song by Stevie is You Are The Sunshine Of My Life.  However, a great song just about the bride is Isn’t She Lovely.
09 James Brown – Let’s get everyone to the dance floor and feel good with I Got You (I Feel Good).
08 Elvis Presley – One of the most romantic songs of all time sung in a’capella is Can’t Help Falling In Love.
07 Prince – What a great way to have the bride and groom kiss is every time Prince sing Kiss, the bride and groom must kiss.  This is better than tinging on glasses and ringing bells.
06 Jimi Hendrix – A great song all about ladies for the bouquet toss and all about the ladies present at a wedding reception is Foxey Lady.
05 Bob Dylan – For all the folk fans I don’t think you would be disappointed with I Want You.
04 Rolling Stones – If you want an entrance song, football games commonly began with Start Me Up.  To get people on the dance floor, we suggest Brown Sugar.
03 Led Zeppelin – This is a coin flip for our favorite Led Zeppelin wedding song between Thank You and All Of My Love.
02 Michael Jackson – You could select Thriller as a fantastic group dance.  For a love song we select I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.
01 The Beatles – Being former wedding DJs, the 2 most popular Beattles songs that were most commonly requested were When I’m Sixty-Four and In My Life.

This is our conclusion of our favorite wedding songs by the greatest artists of all-time as ranked by VH1.

VH1 Greatest Artists with Best Songs for Weddings 100-81

VH1 Greatest Artists with Best Songs for Weddings 80-61

VH1 Greatest Artists with Best Songs for Weddings 60-41

VH1 Greatest Artists with Best Songs for Weddings 40-21

VH1 Greatest Artists with Best Songs for Weddings 20-1