#TBT - Awesome First Dance Songs

The spotlight is yours...so what's the soundtrack of your moment ?
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There ain't no school like the old school. Life before cellphones, mix tapes (real, honest-to-goodness tapes that you physically made for someone special, after agonizing about the perfect songs) writing actual letters and slipping them into lockers and then rushing to your locker between classes to see if you were the recipient of any letters of your own - man, those were heady, giddy, sometimes ridiculous but never boring times!

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It's no wonder then, that for me, old school music>>>>>>>>>>>> new music, any day, hands down! I do have serious love for some newer/current artists, but you just can't beat the music from yesteryear (oh geez, what is happening to me?!)  Could it be.....

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Sometimes when we're working with couples and they talk about their wedding music, we perk right up and start brainstorming songs, especially first dance songs. Spoiler alert: they're a mix of quirky, oldies and just good, sweet songs. Some are old-school, some feel old-school, and regardless of how old they are, they'll always be cool.  These are the gems that always pop up for us, so that means these bands or artists must've done something very right, hey?

'All I Want Is You' - U2

True story: This was April's wedding song! It was a beautiful moment that was even greater when mid-song,   'Dare' by Gorillaz came on and there was a sweet-ass choreographed dance routine that she and her husband surprised everyone with.  When it was finished, they transitioned right back to the rest of this stunning U2 song. Brilliant!

'Sea of Love' - Cat Power

Good lord, this song gives me the chills in the best possible way.  Cat Power has that kind of voice that is evocative and haunting, beguiling and inviting.  And this is one of my  favourite covers of any song of all time.

'Fade Into You' - Mazzy Star

Hope Sandaval's languid vocals combine with a dreamy slide guitar to create a feeling of love standing still for a few perfect minutes while the world spins around it. Love!

'Nothing Compares 2 U' - Sinead O'Connor

Prince (RIP, oh Purple One!) wrote a lovely song; Sinead O'Connor took that song under her wings and gave it beautiful life. And the video was simple and stunning!

'Baby I'm Yours' - Arctic Monkeys

Another remake that is going to be instantly familiar to older folks at at the wedding, but a fresher take on the song.  Clocking in at under 3 minutes, this song is short, but oh-so-sweet!

'Archie Marry Me' - Alvvays

#Archieisyouandmeandeverybody

Ahhh, this song melts me every time. This song can be anyone 's first dance song, it's not just for the aforementioned 'Archie'.  My first nephew Tricks loves this song and every time I listen to it I think of him. And I think of the day that he gets married and is having his very own first dance. Maybe to this song?  I will be an old lady and I will cry, but that's just because I'll remember the sweet little guy he was....and be proud of the amazing man he'll be. All happy tears! This song is not a very old song, it's a bubbly little 2014 vintage and it's just the perfect song to begin life (and one heck of a wedding celebration!) with on the dance floor!

'First Day of My Life' - Bright Eyes

So honest and humble, and hits all the right notes for the lovers and dreamers who want to love and let live, live and let love!

'The Girl' - City and Colour

Dallas Green is one of the brightest lights in a sometimes dreary musical landscape.  The voice of an angel, honest to a fault and this song is part sonnet, part celebratory romp. This would be THE perfect song for a couple who wants to have a special first dance with a surprise - when the song changes tempo from gentle lull to joyous, the happy couple might plan to have a mini party with their closest
and dearest. From the wedding party, to siblings, parents or small children, the happy and upbeat part of the song could be a jump off point for a memorable first dance!

'L-O-V-E' - Nat King Cole

Charming song, with the even more charming Amelie!

Just like it's not Christmas in my house without Ella Ditzgerald, I feel like it's not a wedding celebration without Nat King Cole's golden voice setting the mood and putting a spring in your dance step. So why not bogart one of his most heartfelt and giddily romantic songs for your big moment on the dance floor?!

'Never My Love' - The Association

We started off with April's wedding song, so I had to bookend this list with what would have been my wedding song if I'd had a big ol' wedding with a first dance.  Instead it was dinner at a steak house with my family and my dancing shoes kicked off under the table. My husband and I have danced to this song many times since our wedding, and we DID dance to it at April's wedding so while it's not our official wedding song, it's definitely 'our' song..... What will be YOUR song?

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - Kelly Ripa + Mark Consuelos Edition

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This week had been a rough week for Kelly Ripa; she found out mere minutes before the world did, that her co-host Michael Strahan was leaving "Live! With Kelly and Michael" to join 'Good Morning America'.  Being taken completely by surprise by the news, Ripa was noticeably absent from the show yesterday and today and while the last two days off were bough to raise eyebrows, she will be a no-show tomorrow and this time, no drama - she s celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary!

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos met back in 1995 when he joined the cast of "All My Children" as Kelly's new onscreen love interest and she was, in her words, 'thunderstruck" by him; he was sure that he didn't stand a chance with her but they became a couple and the following year they eloped to Vegas and got hitched. They skipped the engagement, realized they had a gap in their shooting schedules and decided to take the plunge! Ripa posted a picture from their 1996 wedding on their 17th anniversary, the only picture we've seen of their real-life nuptials:

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Their onscreen couple's wedding portrait is equally adorable...

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And after 20 years, television work and three kids, they don't seemed to have aged at all and are still adorably loved up!

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So, here's a big CONGRATULATIONS! to Kelly and Mark on their 20th anniversary and we wish them another 20 years and adorableness!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - James McAvoy + Anne Marie Duff

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Celebrity weddings are a pretty big deal.  They make HUGE splashes dress-wise (we'll never forget   Gwen Stefani's ombré pink dress) style-wise (think of the fashion p0rn that Amal Alamuddin unleashed before she married George Clooney) or are unforgettable for the sheer extravagance (Kimye's wedding in Florence, Italy was rumoured to have cost almost $3 million and included a decadent week of celebrations in Paris)  The funny thing is, the one star couple who I love both individually and together are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary this year (on October 18th to be exact) and not only did they keep their wedding private, but they continue to keep what they've got going on as a married couple separate from their work on screen and stage.  Nope, no conveniently-timed sound bites or slices of their lives offered up for public consumption when promoting projects and they don't have the paps on speed-dial to capture those oh-so-natural staged-photos to build their brand. Maybe this is the key to one of the most private - and subsequently strongest marriages in entertainment and today's Throwback couple - James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff!

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We all know McAvoy, from his first big role as Mr. Tumnus in the first film in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' series and he's carved out an impressive resume in movies like 'The Last King of Scotland', 'Penelope' and the heartbreaking 'Atonement', and of course the 'X-Men' series. Duff is no lightweight herself, she is a young veteran of the stage and screen, performing in productions of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'' and 'King Lear', Ibsen's 'A Doll House' and as Wendy in 'Peter Pan'. She was amazing in 'The Magdalene Sisters' and portrayed Queen Victoria to critical acclaim. And in probably her favourite project, she did a series in the UK called 'Shameless' where she met her future husband!

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The pair work steadily and still manage to keep a low profile but when the are spotted together, they always make celebrity marriage without a whiff of machinations look pretty damn good!

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Here's a little glimpse of the happy couple over the years!

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Ten years in the entertainment world is a lifetime so here's wishing them many more lifetimes together!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - Elizabeth Taylor Edition

With husband #5 (and 6) Richard Burton...if only their time together was always this carefree and sunny
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We're kick in' it real old-school today! When I think of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, I think of her tireless philanthropic work to shine a light on the importance of AIDS research through the creation of amfAR and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.....

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.... her fragrances, she was the first celebrity brand that blazed a trail for future perfumistas like Britney Spears and JLo.......

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....her beautiful violet eyes ....

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......and of course, her love life!

Even though she had eight marriages - one of which left her a widow, another which was to the husband of her best friend, and her very first walk down the aisle being to Paris Hilton's great uncle - the relationship that was all-encompassing, passionate, decadent and ultimately toxic led to not one but TWO marriages. She met Richard Burton and her life would be changed forever. This era in her life was followed closely by paparazzi and entertainment writers and was the stuff of legends. There hasn't been a celebrity couple since that comes close to matching Liz and Dick and the intensity the union brought, or the salacious gossip.  We're talking all of the juiciest, smuttiest things rolled into one couple - adultery, passion, knock-down wars of words, grand gestures, sex, extravagant gifts of jewellery, alcoholism and a love that was ultimately the best/worst thing for them.  The closest modern counterpart would be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie but apart from their eyebrow-raising beginnings and their African adventure in 2005, and despite the media and public fascination with Brangelina, they haven't been anywhere near as tempestuous, torrid and turbulent as their gossip predecessors! Taylor-Burton>>>>Jolie-Pitt.

Via theredlist.com

Via theredlist.com

Today, we look back at the many marriages of Elizabeth Taylor! Eight weddings from one bride, and she was a knockout in every one of 'em!

*~Here comes the Bride... Rinse and repeat...and rinse and repeat once again....~*

Dame Elizabeth, proof positive that anything worth doing is worth doing FABULOUSLY!

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - Mick Jagger + Jerry Hall Edition

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When I think of models and rock stars, there are few iconic couples, but one of them has GOT to be Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall.  Mick Jagger is an example of the ultimate woman-magnet rock star; the guy might not be much to look at (in my opinion, because I know a whole lotta women would strongly disagree!) but he collected lovers and models like no other!  He met Jerry Hall in 1976 (while he was married to Bianca Jagger; the two would divorce in 1979) and by the following year, they were inseparable and became an exclusive couple.

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In 1990, they exchanged vows in a Hindu ceremony in Bali and during their time together, welcomed four children. Unfortunately, they welcomed a lot of salacious gossip and eagle eyes watching their every move - and Mick did not disappoint, with a string of not-no-secret affairs (one of which took place with model Lisa Barbuscia within months of returning from Bali; there were others to follow, even a vacation with yet another model, Carla Bruni (former First Lady of France) but the straw that broke the supermodel's back was a fling with model Luciano Morad which led to news that she was expecting his baby. The divorce proceedings took an unexpected turn when a judge ruled that their marriage was void and null because they never filed the paperwork to make it legal and therefore recognized as such,  thereby making their entire marriage invalid.

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(Sidenote: Umm, 21 years and 4 kids? If not a legal marriage, they had a common-law marriage! Unfortunately the annulment was a financial lifesaver for Jagger.  For all intents and purposes, in my mind  they were an ol' married couple!)

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*~Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall marry under a Bali sky~*

Post Mick, Jerry just got married to billionaire Rupert Murdoch.  This is her first legal marriage, but to us, it feels like her second marriage, and we wish her nothing but happiness (and decidedly less drama!)

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT: Nicole Kidman Edition!

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Once upon a time, there was a girl with fiery red curls who caught the eye of one of the biggest actors in the world. He cast her as a neurosurgeon opposite his portrayal of a race car driver and they married the following year. They made two more movies together, adopted two children and were Hollywood royalty.

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Then they shocked everyone when they announced that the marriage was over.  After they divorced, he became the unofficial ambassador and defender of the Church of Sciento.logy, fervent armchair psychology critic and enthusiastic couch-jumper.  She would continue acting and building up a solid body of work, and can be considered instrumental in facilitating the phenomenon known as Brangelina.....

Nicole Kidman was half of a super couple, and together with Tom Cruise, she ruled red carpets and box offices.  Post-marriage, she faced criticism over her (alleged) plastic surgeries; I mean, Entertainment Weekly unapologetically wrote all about her face for all to see.

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She has had her relationship with her adopted children scrutinized at every turn and speculation is that she was (again, allegedly) branded a 'subversive' person and while the Church denies advocating cutting off people deemed submersives, lot of ex-members will tell you otherwise.  And if this wasn't juicy enough, she was intially supposed to be the 'Mrs' in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' but instead the role when to Angelina Jolie and the rest is history!

Kidman would go on to date producer Steve Bing and Lenny Kravitz.  She admitted in an interview that she was secretly engaged, but hasn't revealed to whom.  But, she met Keith Urban in 2005 and hasn't looked back.  The romance was off and running and they got married the following year. The couple had a rough start - Urban would enter rehab shortly after the wedding but he credits her with helping him get the help he needed.  They've welcomed two children and this year are celebrating ten years of marriage.

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Here's a look back at their wedding!

*~Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are married!~*

Here's hoping that the next ten years and as good as their first ten'

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - Neil Patrick Harris + David Burtka Edition!

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Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka are legen - wait for it! - DARY. Their personal style could cut glass;

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their family unit is sooo cute and heartwarming that when I ooh, ahhh and squee, it's audible to only my dogs;

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and I'll be honest,  I am jealous of their Hallowe'en steeze.... It's better than any other family out there. Their costume flair is epic:

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NPH is a fixture from my childhood. He got his first role opposite Whoopi Goldberg in "Clara's Heart" and from there he seamlessly moved between big screen, television, stage, even the web.  He's done voice-over work in movies and video games and is the quintessential song and dance man, with serious comedic chops balanced with a serious side. He is so, so much more than just  Doogie Howser, MD.  He transcended the child star curse that his so many of his contemporaries, and is a man of all mediums.

After being open about his sexuality and relationship with David, they became the very proud parents to twins Gideon Scott and Harper Grace in 2010. In 2011, after the passage of the Marriage Equality Act, the pair announced their engagement and in 2014, they tied the knot in an intimate Italian wedding.

*~Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka are officially married!~*

As far as couples go, this one? Pretty darn hot! And one of my favourites. My official patron saints of Hallowe'en, and more importantly, living your most authentic life! Isn't that the best life you CAN live?

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

#TBT - High School Sweethearts Edition!

I met my husband when I was in grade 12, while he had just graduated and was working for a year before he went to college. It was a blind date and 25 years later, it might just be a love job! And when I came across a Buzzfeed post on a celebrities who married their high school sweethearts, it warmed my geeky heart to see that I was in the same club as Bono

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Steph Curry

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Jamie Oliver

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LL Cool J

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Snoop Dogg

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and Jon Bon Jovi.

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So instead of one #Throwback Thursday celebrity wedding, how about 10 (and soon to 11)?

*~Childhood-sweethearts-turned-lifetime-baes~*

Wishing you a day as limitless as you are~
Lisa and April

PS - Happy Oscar Weekend! Will you be Red Carpet People-Watching?