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Wedding Tunes

When planning your wedding day music, remember to consider appropriate pieces for your ceremony as well as for your reception.  The ceremony music that you and your musical director select should be carefully chosen to create a romantic mood, preparing your guests for the special event about to occur.

The first thing to consider is where the wedding will take place.  If the ceremony will be performed in a church or synagogue, you will need to be sure you understand rules that most religious institutions have regarding music.  If the ceremony will be at a hotel or other location, there may be a piano available.

Lovely alternatives to an organist or a pianist include a brass quintet, strings, guitar, or harp with flute or violin.  But regardless of which type of music you choose, it is essential that the musicians have experience performing at wedding ceremonies.

While your guests are being seated, the background music should be quiet and moving.   Popular classics by Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, Debussy, or Handel, or even some romantic selections by Gershwin or Porter, played by a string quartet or an organist, provide a proper beginning.

The processional and the bride's arrival are often heralded with Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Handel's "Bouree" from "Water Music," and the most popular selection, Wagner's "Bridal Chorus" from "Lohengrin."

Other beautiful pices to consider include Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary" and Arthur Bliss "Wedding Fanfare."

- Boston Bride