Planning Your Wedding Ceremony Music

A little understanding helps to plan your wedding ceremony music. It's good to know what type of music to have, when and when not to have it, and what your musicians’ requirements might be.

Wedding Music - Have It Live
You can play a CD any day, but this is YOUR SPECIAL DAY. Live music definitely adds to the sense of an occasion. You can also make your wedding music stand out from all the other weddings if your musicians play their own compositions .

Style of Wedding Music
Music for the wedding ceremony is usually slow and subtle, whereas music for the reception is generally faster and louder. Therefore, soloists and string ensembles are a fabulous choice for the ceremony e.g. a harpist, guitarist, or a string quartet.

Fitting The Music In
The general rule is that music is not played while the celebrant and wedding party are speaking. Having said that, the following sections are great places to have music.

The Prelude
Allow your guests to arrive to an atmosphere filled with music that sets a scene of elegance and romance. Ask your musicians to play 15-20 minutes before the bride arrives.

Choosing Music For The Bridal March
The bridal march (also known as the procession), is the most important piece of wedding music you need to choose. Ask your musicians to suggest suitable, walk-able pieces. Pachelbel’s Canon is a very popular choice for this section.

The Bridal March
It works really well if you separate the prelude music from the bridal march music with a short pause. This will also make the bride's entrance more dramatic when the music starts up again. The Signing of the Register Sometimes it can appear that the wedding ceremony has come to a bit of a lull while the register is being signed. Music played during this time fills the gap and provides a seamless continuity between the sections of the ceremony. The Recessional Music for the recessional (your exit), should be up-tempo and joyful. Again, make sure you can walk to it. The Postlude This is where music plays while your guests leave the ceremonial area and usually lasts for about 5 minutes.

Placement of Musicians
Place your musicians up the front because your guests will want to see them play. This also ensures that the sound is not muffled by people or objects at the back or to the side.

Musicians' Requirements
Find out if you need to set up chairs for your musicians because many sit down to play. If power is required for amplification, make sure a power supply is nearby.

Outdoor Weddings
Musical instruments and the elements don't mix, so don't set your musicians up in the full sun or out in wind and rain. Musicians will probably want to pack up at the onset of even very light rain. A gazebo or large umbrellas may solve this problem.

About The Author
Susan Graham is an award-winning harpist who has many years experience as a wedding entertainer.
For more great wedding music ideas check out Susan's website.