Since we here in PDX are experiencing uncharacteristically warm weather, I thought I’d share another band whose music would complement an unconventional affair, particularly a summery/beachy/desert-y one. That group is the Vanduras:

I’ve been a fan of surf music even before QT catapulted it into the public eye. However, in recent years, I’ve cooled on the genre, finding most new surf outfits too derivative or, worse, just too bland. The Vanduras certainly broke me of that; their music is a mix of reclined surf and reverb-soaked 60s western leads that is so skillfully blended that it avoids cliché and creates atmospheres as intoxicating as the most powerful Mai Tai.

If you’re looking for tunes for your tiki/lounge-y/Atomic Age affair, I can’t recommend the Vanduras enough.

We had our first notably chill fall day here in beautiful PDX and it made me think of Jex Thoth. In case you’re not familiar with her music, check it out if you’re inclined to Black Sabbath, Heart or Antonius Rex.

And why should I bring this up on the RS Blog? It has to do with the wonderful intros to many of her songs; they would make great processionals or recessionals. For instance, check out the intro to Warrior Woman:

Perfect for an outdoor affair between two strong spirits when the leaves are turning color…

In honor of this dreary, rainy day in Portland, we put together some of our favorite indie rock slow jams. Don’t worry, they’re not all sad bastard songs — some would even consider these love songs…

J & I live and breath music. We even spent our first date arguing over who was the bigger music aficionado. So there was no doubt that when we got married, music would be a huge part of the event. The only problem was we both hate to dance and have a huge aversion toward the traditional wedding DJ. The solution: we had to take control of every note.

We agreed on two things: 1) we didn’t want a dance floor and 2) we wanted our friend Nyles to play during various parts of the wedding. But we weren’t sure what to do the rest of the time. And what about the welcome party the night before? Since we had recently digitized nearly our entire music collection, it was pretty clear that making our own mix was the way to go. So we set out to make the soundtrack of our life together.

While vinyl is divine, you just can’t beat the convenience of MP3s. No crating a bunch of records to the venue and all the actual “mixing” happens before the event. Creating the playlists was a welcome break from wedding planning and something we could contribute to equally. Plus, it was a great excuse to buy a new iPod. For much less than the cost of a wedding DJ, we had our personal mix of songs for the entire weekend and we didn’t have to worry about coordinating (and paying) yet another wedding vendor. And best of all, the iPod and mixes came home with us.

Stay tuned for some of our themed playlists to borrow for your reception.

TIP: Make sure your venue has a set-up for your iPod. A simple stereo system with an 1/8-inch-to-RCA cable will do (you can find these on Amazon or Radio Shack for super cheap).