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“Creating a good song list is more than just picking your favorite songs. You should choose music that will build and maintain the energy level throughout the event. Also, think about the demographics of the crowd who’ll be dancing. Try not to scandalize your older relatives, though that’s becoming harder to do since people are less put off by risque language than they used to be. The most important thing is to choose music that reflects your personal story or the overall feeling you want to convey.”

Click on the song titles for a 30-second preview in iTunes.

1. At Last by Etta James

2. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

3. Billy Jean by Michael Jackson

Photograph by Kate Headley.

Notes to My Future Wife

Edward and Bella on their wedding night.  We're not ashamed we clicked.  

Camera cake, parasoles, more mismatched bridesmaid dresses, and wide open space.     

Honeymoon at Versailles.  Seriously. 

Do or don't? The ombre cake.   

How to Smile in Wedding Photos. [via Manolo for the Brides] 

Afraid you'll forget your vows? No sweat—just write them on the (chalkboard) aisle.

Mignonne Handmade makes a second appearance in this woodsy, filled-with-love fashion shoot. 

When celebs play bridesmaid. 

I'm on a boat. And a plane. 

Favorite discovery of the week: Ruffled wedding blog's Recycle Your Wedding section. Buy wedding dresses, decorations, etc. directly from brides who've already had their big day.   

You have through Monday to win $100 to personalized product site Daisy Days.  

Button and spindle dessert bar. 

Rustic Floral Save the Dates.

Former Lancome model Devon Aoki is engaged and expecting.  

Stylist Heather Wright and Gala Co-Chair Danielle Couick.

On Sunday, November 7, The Washington, DC Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives—the area’s oldest and largest association of caterers and event planners—honored local industry professionals in its first annual DC NACE Awards. The ceremony, conducted as part of the tenth annual NACE Capital Style Gala, was held at the Photogroup offices in Silver Spring. The event, dubbed Under the Big Top, had a vintage-circus theme.

Not sure who to hire for your big day? Here’s a look at the winners, selected by the people who know best—event-industry professionals:

Best Catered Event
Nicole Tibbs, CPCE, CMP
Grand Hyatt Washington

Best Wedding
Alex Pare
Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events

Best Team Event
Columbia Country Club (venue), BBJ Linens (party rentals), and Something Fabulous (event design)

Here's what a few boldface Washington names are registered for on WeddingChannel.com: 

QUINN BRADLEE
Author and disability advocate, offspring of power couple Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn
Significant other: Pary Anbaz-Williamson. Private yoga instructor, personal trainer
Where they're registered: Williams-Sonoma
What they want: Star Wars sandwich cutters, two juicers, $700 VitaMix blender, and 14 bottles of hand and dish soap
Most expensive item: 15-piece set of All-Clad stainless-steel cookware, $1,790
What stragglers will be left with: $325 Wüsthof electric knife sharpener

 
MICHELLE RHEE
Departing DC schools chancellor
Significant other: Kevin Johnson. Mayor of Sacramento
Where they're registered: Michael C. Fina
What they want: 16 stemless wine glasses and Haviland Clair de Lune Uni porcelain sugar bowl ($265) and sauceboat ($311)
Most expensive item: $368 Haviland porcelain platter
What stragglers will be left with: Probably the sugar bowl

Feeling the need to do your nuptials, as Frank Sinatra once sang, your way? These seven wedding customs can be molded to suit your style: 

1. The bride's family pays for (nearly) everything. This should be considered on a "case-by-case basis," says DC event planner Jodi Moraru. "It all depends on the financial situation of the bride and groom and their families, the number of guests each side wants to invite, and the relationship between the two families." 

2. Immediate family members cannot host the bridal shower. Once considered taboo because it looked like a grab for gifts, a bride's mother, sister, or close relative can feel free to throw a shower. Immediate family members are often the most convenient and willing hosts, and this old-fashioned rule is rarely followed.  

3. Second-time brides should not wear white. "It's perfectly okay," says Anna Post. "You're marrying the person you love and it's not diminished because you've done this before." However, brides also should not feel obliged to wear white if they don't want to. Planner Michelle Hodges has had clients wear navy, yellow, and even, for a New Year's Eve wedding, a dark cocktail dress.

Photograph by SOTA Dzine.

Say the words "wedding etiquette" and a few images come to mind. Demure, white wedding gowns. Formal receiving lines. Champagne toasts. 

But today's brides don't have to be outdated to be polite. Traditional rituals like tossing the bouquet, performing a first dance, or cutting the cake have become optional, and many wedding customs have disappeared entirely.  

"Sometimes couples forget that their wedding is a celebration of the two of them," says planner Sara Bauleke of Arlington's Bella Notte. "If it's something you would not normally do, don't feel pressure to do it on your wedding day."

Certain rules have survived the test of time—and for good reason, says DC planner Jodi Moraru. "Etiquette today is about treating your guests with respect." 

With that in mind, here are five etiquette rules that experts say should never be broken: