Lauren & Mark

Lauren and Mark found me through Penie Derrick, the wedding coordinator at Twenty Mile House, who introduced us by email in May. In June we met in person at Hub Coffee Roasters on Riverside in Reno, and in July we got on a Zoom call to plan the rest of the day.

When their music worksheet arrived two weeks before the wedding, it came with a note I loved: "feel free to add and improvise, we just put down some suggestions of the general vibe." Their picks set the mood, and I filled in the rest with songs in the same spirit.

The ceremony took place under the tall pines. Guests arrived to soft acoustic covers like Blackbird by Lance Allen and Denis Turbide and Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The wedding party walked in to Anchor by Novo Amor, and Lauren came down the aisle to Canon in D on piano and cello.

They walked back up the aisle as husband and wife to Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, with I'm a Believer by The Monkees right behind it. Cocktail hour was full of the folk and indie songs from their list, like Down in the Valley by The Head and the Heart and She Lit a Fire by Lord Huron.

Lauren and Mark made their grand entrance to Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours by Stevie Wonder. After dinner they cut the cake to Marry You by Bruno Mars, then shared their first dance to The Story by Brandi Carlile. The father daughter dance was What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, and the mother son dance was If I Could by Barbra Streisand.

Then the dance floor opened up. One line on their worksheet stood out: Lean On by Major Lazer and DJ Snake, because the bride loves this song. I dropped it right after September by Earth, Wind & Fire, just as the sun went down, and Lauren was out there dancing with her friends.

From there it was a full night of party songs, mixed with the ones they asked for by name, like Wait So Long by Trampled by Turtles, Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons and Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show. The string lights over the dance floor and the disco ball made the whole lawn glow.

For the last dance I played Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, and their friends made a big circle around Lauren and Mark in the middle of the dance floor.

Mark later wrote that neither of them were huge music people, so I built the night from their requests plus similar songs to fill out the party. Thank you, Lauren and Mark, for trusting me with your music. I wish you both the very best!