Wedding Wednesday: Worst Wedding Ever

Whenever we film a wedding with a two camera setup, Kristen usually stays on the tripod while I tend to go hand held for the duration of the special dances. Usually, whenever there's a lot of action on the dance floor, I'll also go off tripod and follow wherever the crowd takes me.

That got me to think, what happens if the bride and groom select some of the longest songs known to man as their special dances?

So, I decided to put together a list of songs, with a few criteria in mind. (1) Song has to be make sense for a wedding song. Something like Jimi Hendrix's Voodo Chile wouldn't make the cut, because I can't imagine someone choosing it for their first dance (unless the bride and groom are huge Hendrix Fans)

Here is a list of Little Guy Productions' nightmare "special dances".....

First Dance: Crush, by Dave Matthews Band - RT: 8:09
This song is a double edged sword for me. First off, based on the fact that I can't stand Dave Matthews or his band, this song would kill me or put me to sleep (not necessarily in that order). Add to that the length (not too shabby at eight minutes long) and we're starting to feel a bit of pain in the upper shoulder area.

Honorable Mention:
Hey Jude, The Beatles - RT 7:11,
Bed of Roses, Bon Jovi - RT: 6:34

Father/Daughter Dance: American Pie, by Don McLean - RT: 8:32

American Pie might be tops on the list of songs that Fathers and Daughters sing together. Do I have proof, scientific information, or extensive research on that statement? No, but for those of you who knew me as a waiter/bartender at Annie's, you'd know that this song was constantly on the jukebox, so I'm basing my expertise solely on that alone.

Honorable Mention:
Conviction of the Heart, Kenny Loggins - RT: 6:52,
Visions of Johanna, Bob Dylan - RT: 7:31

So, we're sixteen minutes into the reception and Little Guy Productions cameras are still rolling, when the DJ spins the next song:

Mother/Son Dance: A Song for Mama, Boyz II Men - RT: 5:03

It's not as long as our first two songs, but five minutes on the dance floor could seem like an eternity (especially when you're holding a nine pound camera with about three pounds of accessories).

Honorable Mention: 
I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack - RT: 4:58. This song, by timing standards isn't that long, but if you actually listen to it, it feels like it goes on forever.
Wind Beneath My Wings, Bette Middler - RT: 4:53. I just want to cry when I hear this song, and not because it's touching.

So now that the three main special dances are over, what if the Bride and Groom picked extraordinarily long songs for their dance sets? Normally, most songs last about three minutes, which gives us an opportunity to rest the camera every once and a while, so here's a couple of songs that will make this Worst Wedding Ever, take another turn for the worse:

Dance Sets 
(We have filmed at a wedding where these songs have been played in some form at least once, so the list is legit)

Jessica, The Allman Brothers Band - RT: 7:30
Freebird, Lynyrd Skinner - RT: 9:10
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer, George Thorogood - RT: 8:28
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen - RT: 5:55
Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who - RT: 8:32
Disco Inferno, The Trammps - RT: 10:53
Captain Jack, Billy Joel - RT: 7:16
Hotel California, The Eagles - RT: 6:30
I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Creedence Clearwater Revival - RT: 11:04
Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Meatloaf - RT: 8:28
Thriller, Michael Jackson - RT 5:57


And finally, as the last song of the evening, I present to you:

The End, The Doors - RT: 11:39

If you take just that list of songs, you have exactly two hours of music, but have only played fifteen songs. An average wedding reception lasts four hours, three hours minus the hour allotted for salad, pasta, and your main course.

Take away an hour for introductions, cake cutting, garter and bouquet toss and table side photos, and you've only listened to fifteen songs your entire wedding.

And that, my friends, is the Worst Wedding Little Guy Productions would ever have to film.