Arranging Perfect Wedding Ceremony Music - Top Tips And Advice

Wedding Ceremony Music

Your wedding day should be one of the most treasured memories of your life. Selecting the right wedding music for your ceremony will set the scene not only for your wedding but for the rest of your big day.

It goes without saying that music is central to any ceremony. If you want a religious wedding ceremony, choosing the wedding music is not really that difficult task since the church usually has standards concerning this. Plus the selection of hymns and religious music is a relatively easy task.

At an early stage, you've got to decide, at which points in the ceremony music is most appropriate. If you're of a particular religious persuasion, you'll probably have a ceremonial and service structure to assist your planning. Remember that most clergy will allow you a degree of flexibility in deciding the themes and actual selections of music for your wedding.

If you're organizing a civil or non-religious ceremony, it's probably best that you opt for some live music coupled with some recorded tracks. A string quartet is ideal for civil ceremonies as it can provide classical or contemporary background music during the pertinent parts of your wedding. You may want to include a favourite song or track into the proceedings and your venue organizer should normally be able to provide amplification and equipment to facilitate this.

It's worth considering the ages and religious persuasions of your guests. Do not assume that your guests are going to know all your favourite hymns. A sizeable proportion of them will hardly know how to sing, let along how to sing a hymn they haven't heard before. It's therefore worth having an organist and/ or choir present at your ceremony to guide your guests through the hymns and ensuring that they don't get lost in the words.

Remember, that apart from the obvious choice of an organist, which is normally provided via the church, you can also opt to hire live bands, musicians, or duos or trios to sing during the ceremony. We recommend the use of a string quartet during the ceremony as it can dramatically add color and character to the proceedings and moreover can alternate with a church organist to provide a really special event.

Want some ideas for ceremony instrumentals? What about the "Trumpet Voluntary" or "Trumpet Tune and Air", by Henry Purcell, or even the traditional "Here comes the Bride" by Wagner. We recommend that it's best to use the organist for the bride's entrance and leaving marches. That means that string quartets and other musicians can be used to enhance and liven up the intermediate stages of the ceremony.

Generally, Processional and Entrance songs should have a slow, graceful air about them. The song you choose for your ceremonial entrance should be bright and upbeat, inviting everyone to participate and celebrate your union. The traditional 'Here Comes the Bride', is the favored choice in most wedding ceremonies for a reason, it's upbeat and lively. The end of the ceremony Recessional is also a time for joy and celebration and very much sets the tone for the rest of the day. The top traditional choice for the recessional is 'Mendelssohn's Wedding March'.

When you're researching your wedding ceremony options, be sure to check out any venue guidelines with respect to ceremony music that could possibly impact on your music choices. If the ceremony is being held outdoors, check for electrical power outlets - as every band without exception will need to power their performance. If you're having a church wedding, you would have to stick to the church's guidelines, and remember that churches normally provide a reputable organist and choir for you.

Planning your ceremony music is an important aspect of your arrangements. Don't treat it as an afterthought. Wedding ceremony music gives the wedding a theme and sets the tone for the rest of your big day. It goes without saying that there would be no wedding without the ceremony and in our view; there would be no ceremony worth remembering without the music.

Anthony Coogan has been involved in providing classical and contemporary string quartet and ceilidh music in the UK and Europe for the last 20 years. String Quartets Live developed as a result of his classical music training coupled with his experience of playing at hundreds of weddings over the years.

http://www.stringquartetslive.co.uk