love songs + wedding invitations
In true lovingkind fashion, love songs happen to be some of my favorite tunes. Through the combination of beautifully crafted lyrics set to a perfect melody, they have a special way of expressing thoughts about love that no other medium does. Love songs carry different meanings for everyone, which means one love song has the potential to be the anthem for millions of love stories. This allows something very personal to also be shared. When you think about it, it's quite romantic.
Through our wedding, Woody and I wanted others to feel inspired and renewed by love. We incorporated this mission into our wedding experience as early as possible, starting with our invitations.
custom invitation suite by Weddings Etc. of Homewood, AL
custom invitation suite by Weddings Etc. of Homewood, AL
On our wedding response card, we asked our guests to share their favorite love song. Reading their answers was so much fun. Not only did it make them more fun to receive, but we hoped it would make them more fun to reply to as well!
Collecting rsvps and getting the final guest count to your wedding vendors can be challenging. Some responses come late and some don't come at all. I most certainly have grace for this because I am personally guilty on both accounts, but I prepared myself that our wedding would be no exception to this pattern. Considering this, in addition to inspiring love, we hoped incorporating a fun element into our response card would make them more interesting to respond to and therefore translate into more cards received and received on time. Not to mention, for those unable to attend it was a small way they could still share in the love and fun of our wedding.
custom invitation suite by Weddings Etc. of Homewood, AL
I was very pleased with the number of responses we received and felt an extra dose of love pouring in as each card arrived. There were dozens of great songs sent in and they painted a beautiful picture of the different generations and personalities of our guests. Here is a small collection from all the responses we received:
Forever and Ever, Amen -Randy Travis
The Way You Look Tonight -Frank Sinatra
The Luckiest -Ben Folds
Unchained Melody -The Righteous Brothers
Stand By Me -Ben E. King
The Way I Am -Ingrid Michaelson
Always on My Mind -Willie Nelson
Jump (For My Love) -The Pointer Sisters
Let's Stay Together -Al Green
The Way you Make Me Feel -Michael Jackson
Feels Like Home -Chantal Kreviazuk
I Cross My Heart -George Strait
I Will Always Love You -Whitney Houston
custom invitation suite by Weddings Etc. of Homewood, AL
These are the response cards from my mom and Woody's mom!
I still love reading these songs and thinking about what they have meant to the couples that submitted them. I think about how they have been woven into the melodies of their lives, and how they have lifted them up and reminded them of their lasting love. I wonder about the times they have laughed, cried, danced and reminisced as these songs played in the background. I appreciate how songs have an uncanny way of reconnecting us with a place, moment or feeling. It's their sweet ability to remind us of where we've come from, comfort us where we are, and inspire us for where we want to go.
In closing, I'd like to share the lyrics from one of my favorite love songs. It's called "I Will Not Take My Love Away" by Matt Wertz. The lyrics are so simple and they remind me of a wedding vow.
"I will not take my love away
When praises cease and seasons change
While the whole world turns the other way
I will not take my love away.
I will not leave you all alone
When striving leads you far from home
And there's no yield for what you've sown
I will not leave you all alone."
