When Your Wedding Playlist Turns into WWII
The Wedding Playlist War: We Need Help From the Metalheads!
One metalhead. One music-loving bride. Three wedding songs. And absolutely no agreement.
Jamie's and Aggie's Upcoming Wedding Dilemma
There are certain things you expect to argue about when planning a wedding.
The guest list. The seating plan. The flowers. Whether you really need quite that many candles.
What you don't necessarily expect is for the music to become one of your biggest wedding dilemmas.
But then again, perhaps we should have seen this coming.
Because when it comes to music, Jamie and I live in completely different universes.
My everyday playlist is a fairly broad affair. I can happily listen to Sade, Depeche Mode, Teddy Swims or Ed Sheeran, before taking a sharp turn into David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox or an Ibiza soundtrack.
Jamie's playlist has considerably less variety. Hard rock. Heavy metal. And occasionally, hard rock that is slightly heavier.
Jamie is, quite genuinely, about 99% hard rock and heavy metal.
And somehow, despite this fundamental musical incompatibility, we're getting married.
Which, when you think about it, is actually rather wonderful.
We don't need to like exactly the same music. We don't even need to listen to the same music.
We just need to agree on what plays when we're both in the room.
And apparently, a wedding is where that becomes complicated.
Jamie's Last Chance
Jamie has always joked that I was his last chance. After three previous marriages, he figured it was probably time to get this one right. Fortunately for him, this one seems to be working out rather well. Unfortunately for him, he now has to live with me forever. Or else. đ
And so, almost every day, Jamie comes up with a new suggestion for what he should walk down the aisle to. Because Jamie doesn't approach wedding music like a normal person. He approaches it like a metalhead who has been given unrestricted access to a wedding playlist.
âHave you heard this one?â âWhat about this?â âI reckon this would be great for the wedding.â And then I hear the song. I stare at him. I roll my eyes. I shake my head.
And sometimes, when the suggestion is particularly outrageous, I put my hand on my hip, stomp my foot and say, âNO!â This is very much an Aggie response. And yet Jamie continues. The suggestions have been... questionable.
There was The Final Countdown by Europe. Then there was the idea of using the Batman theme.
Yes. Batman.
There have also been suggestions involving Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne. Now, don't get me wrong. I have absolutely nothing against Alice Cooper or Ozzy Osbourne. But there is a rather large difference between enjoying someone's music and thinking: âYes. This is exactly what I want playing while my future husband walks towards me at our wedding.â
At this point, I'm beginning to suspect Jamie's strategy is simply to keep suggesting increasingly inappropriate songs until I become too exhausted to say no. It won't work.
I have stamina. đ
At Least I've Got My Song Sorted
After considerably less drama, we've actually agreed on the song I'll walk down the aisle to. Turning Page. Romantic. Beautiful. Emotional. Done. One wedding decision successfully completed. One.
Jamie, meanwhile, still hasn't decided what he's going to walk down the aisle to. Which is why we've decided to ask you.
The Crimson Vinyl Wedding Song Challenge
We're looking for three songs. Not one. Not two. Three.
And we're handing the decision over to the Crimson Vinyl community.
Jamie's Processional
What should a lifelong hard-rock and heavy-metal fan walk down the aisle to? It can be epic. It can be romantic. It can be unexpected. It can even be slightly ridiculous. But it needs to be a song that makes you think: âYep. That's what a metalhead should walk down the aisle to.â And if your answer is The Final Countdown...
We're going to need to talk. đ
Our Recessional
This is the big one. After we've said our vows and signed the marriage documents, we'll walk back down the aisle together as husband and wife. That's the recessional. And we're looking for the song that should accompany that moment.
It needs to represent both of us. Which is a fairly substantial musical challenge when one person listens to Sade, Depeche Mode, Ed Sheeran, David Guetta and Ibiza house... ...and the other listens to 99% heavy metal. So what song can possibly bridge that gap?
This is where we really need you.
Our Reception Entrance
Then comes the party. Once we've made our way from the ceremony to the reception, what should the newly married Mr and Mrs walk into the room to? Something romantic? Something spectacular? Something that gets everyone straight onto the dance floor? Something completely unexpected? Or perhaps something that makes every metalhead in the room raise their fist in the air?
We're open to suggestions. Within reason.
Probably. đ
And Because Apparently We Can't Be Trusted to Choose...
We're not going to make these decisions on our own. I'm bringing in the bridesmaids. And, in the interests of complete fairness, I've chosen two people with very different musical tastes. đ§ One is firmly in the dance, EDM, trance and techno camp. đ¸ The other is firmly in the rock camp. So our judging panel will bring together dance music, rock and metal, and hopefully, somewhere in the middle, a wedding.
We'll be judging the entries on how well the song suits the moment, originality, and whether it actually has a chance of surviving the Aggie veto. Because suggesting a song is easy. Finding one that can satisfy a metalhead, a dance-music lover and a rock fan?
That's the challenge.
The Prize: And Yes, There Are Vinyl Prizes!
We're making this a proper Crimson Vinyl competition. There are two vinyl albums up for grabs.
First Prize
Whitesnake â Forevermore
A copy of Whitesnake's Forevermore, the band's 2011 studio album, blending hard rock, blues, soul and powerful ballads.
Runner-Up Prize
The Warning â Keep Me Fed
The fourth studio album from Mexican rock trio The Warning, featuring punchy alternative and hard-rock riffs, huge hooks and raw energy.
Two very different records, both worthy of a place in a rock lover's collection. You've got two weeks to send us your suggestions, and you can enter as many times as you like. Give us three different songs. Give us three completely different combinations. Change your mind halfway through. Tag your metalhead friends. Tag the person who thinks they know everything there is to know about wedding music. We want to hear them.
At the end of the competition, our judging panel will choose the winning suggestions. We'll also make a video revealing the winner and explaining why we chose the winning entries. So don't just give us the first metal song that comes into your head. Think about the moment. Think about the music. And think about two people with completely different playlists trying to create one wedding soundtrack.
Because somewhere between the two worlds, we're hoping to find a soundtrack that sounds just like us. Although I should probably point out that I've already compromised quite enough. I'm marrying a metalhead. I'm letting him choose his own processional. I'm asking the metal community for help. I'm even considering letting him choose the music at the reception.
So really, Jamie... The Final Countdown was asking a lot. đ
We Need Your Three Choices
You've got two weeks. Enter as many times as you like. Tag your fellow metalheads. Make your case.
Think about the moment. Think about the music. Think about us.
And may the best songs win.
Just don't say The Final Countdown. đ
Ready to Enter?
Think you've got the perfect songs for our wedding?
âĢ Enter the CompetitionCompetition runs 10 October â 8 November 2026.
Submit your three song suggestions on the competition page. Check the official entry requirements and terms before entering.
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