by Caroline Sumner

Created on: February 14, 2010

Ever notice how a great soundtrack stays with you long after you see a movie you love? Every time you hear a certain song, you will remember that fantastic scene that you can't help watching over and over. Music is powerful! So when you are thinking about your wedding favors, consider giving music CDs to your guests. Every time they listen, they will remember your special day - and so will you.

There is a certain art to creating a mixed CD. As Nick Hornby states in his novel "High Fidelity":

"To me, making a tape is like writing a letter — there's a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You've got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention (I started with "Got to Get You Off My Mind", but then realized that she might not get any further than track one, side one if I delivered what she wanted straightaway, so I buried it in the middle of side two), and then you've got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs and...oh, there are loads of rules."

Consider keeping it simple by using a chronological order to your CD: start with a song that applies to how you met, a proposal song, and then move on to the songs that apply to your wedding. Include your ceremony music (if applicable), your entrance music, first dance, father-daughter dance, mother-son dance, cake-cutting music, any songs you dedicated to special people during the reception, and your exit music. If there were any other special moment highlighted by music during your wedding, include them for sure! The chronological order will help guests relive the wedding moment-by-moment.

Make sure your CDs look as good as they sound! Plenty of programs have ways you can print out stickers that can cover the CDs with whatever picture you want, but if you don't want to spring for it, find clear cases and slip a track list into them. Make sure to have one of your engagement pictures on the other side!

The power of music will help capture your special day and keep the memory of it alive for years to come!

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