First Dance to Your Story with a Custom Wedding Song
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Only in Nashville, a.k.a. Music City, can you proudly declare that the song you and your new spouse just danced to was written exclusively for you! Our Song Forever customizes songs to each couple, taking your story and your vision and putting it to a beautiful melody in a style you want to dance to and hear - how cool is that right? Talk about putting your signature touch on your wedding! Thanks to Casey Meredith and her team at Our Song Forever, getting a customized song written is as easy as having a chat over a cup of coffee!
I had the pleasure of talking to Casey about Our Song Forever and asked her a few questions about what it is they do:
How did you get started customizing songs for couples?
I've been writing songs for friends and family casually since I was 15 so Ive been doing this for a good seven to eight years now. Our Song Forever started in August 2008 after I graduated from Berklee College of Music and moved to Nashville, originally to pursue regular songwriting. I came across some sites that did personalized songs for weddings and special occasions but was horrified that all they did was plug your name and other details in to a template song and knew I could do something better for people!
What is the process for writing a song?
After the couple contacts me, we meet and it usually takes three to four weeks to get it all done. Santiago engineers all my music.
Our Song Forever's Santiago Sinisterra, Casey Meredith and Catie Flynn
When you write a song, where do you find your inspiration?
At first it was tough to sit down and start figuring out how to do that because I started out doing it for people I already knew. SO when I decided to do it for strangers it was a whole different ball game. I had a formula that I realized I hated, and now I try to get a good vibe for people and to try to understand how they function. [That's the hardest part - to try to figure out how other couples function and it's not easy for them to explain either.] I have them fill out a basic questionnaire/info sheet that covers the basics (met, engaged all that) then when I sit and talk to them for about 45 minutes and that's where I get most of the meat I'm going to use. People will tell you a lot in 45 minutes once you get them talking. Pretty much every song we've done so far, the title has come directly from something someone's said. I always think that it's best to pull from something they say because people don't realize how poetic they really are and people come out with some crazy things that make me go, "That is perfect for a title of the song."
It's been great, it's been really fun. We both love meeting people, it's really one of the biggest perks I think. Not to mention I love all things wedding. I can't ask for anything more than to talk about someone's wedding and how they met and you just meet so many people that way.
Is that how you came up with the title for "Seasons?"
When I sat down to talk with this couple, it was actually the groom who said, "I want the song to be about how sure I am that I'm marrying her. I'm sure as the seasons that I'm in love with her." Sometimes the things they say are so beautiful and it sounds cheesy but you can't help it you can't help but be inspired by something somebody said. I try to pull that out of them a little bit and take that and run with it. It gives it a whole new level of personality.
What's the most memorable song you've written?
"You Healed This Heart." The couple had such a crazy story to their relationship. They were very young she was 22 and he was somewhere in that range. They'd known each other and dated through middle school and high school. It was crazy - she had a heart attack at 19 and I sat there listening to her tell me their story and she said, "I want a song to surprise and tell him that I feel like he heeled me." I called Santiago right away and told him the story. Usually I like to take a couple of days to think about what I just heard but with them it was like I knew right then that I had it, I totally knew where we were going with it. They were such a cool, amazing couple with a story that was like, wow. They were also one of the first couples we did so there's some sentimental value.
Listen to "You Healed This Heart"
Do you have a particular style of songwriting or can you compose a song to suit a couple's style?
I always ask them their taste in music and always try to be true to that. Mostly I think that comes from the fact that I'm a music student and I was trained to play various styles of music. I love all kinds of music - country, R&B, jazz, all sorts so I try to kind of go towards something they love.
Drew and his lovely bride had the song "Haven't Stopped Talking Since" written just for them. Listen -
What is the scope of Our Song Forever's packages?
Our packages start at the basic level, called Daisy and goes up to our highest (Orchid). Every pkg includes a custom written song. For the most basic what you get is a more stripped down composition and comes with an acoustic recording of your song with piano or guitar and vocals. Up from there you could get a full band recording, you can get sheet music if you want to play it, and the biggest package includes custom ceremony music where we arrange it for whatever musicians you have so we could write it for a string quartet or a guitarist. We will also have a full sheet music arrangement for your band.
With the new year and new weddings coming, we hope we get to hear more songs and stories Casey and Santiago put together and the stories behind them. To hear more songs by Our Song Forever, visit them online and select from the playlist on their music player.
About the Author:
Tabitha
Blogging is something I’ve enjoyed doing for years. My interests lie mostly in lifestyle related topics like fashion, style, design, food and weddings. When I heard Ashley was looking to bring on new members to the ABG team, I jumped at the opportunity - I can’t think of a better way to stay involved in weddings than to write about them and to stay in touch with the trends and new ideas. Lucky for me, Ashley likes my blog and trusts my experience to bring me on and so far, it’s been a blast.
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Posted on March 30, 2010 |
Filed under: Vendors & Venues
