Suggestions for Wedding Ceremony Music

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Emofkuniv and I had a discussion last night and his suggestion was to ask the Dopers!!

As some may know, we are getting married on 7 August of this year and are having a civil ceremony. We were discussing what music to have at our ceremony last night - I suggested classical music, the more “accessible” type rather than something very esoteric. Unfortunately, neither of us know too much about classical music to choose something and we thought, as we met on the Dope, that’d be nice if we asked you, fellow Dopers, for suggestions.

What we’re looking for is something that’ll match the theme of the wedding which is a Summer party (think garden party, sunshine, laughing, drinks, good food) but also that evokes a sense of sparkling sunshine on water (called Christmas Water in our speak), waves lapping on a seashore, warm sand between your toes, sunshine warmed skin, picnics, chilled white wine, relaxation, smiling, and happiness. (Not too much to ask I know!!!).

Our other alternative would be something Italian as in the kind of music played in the background of the Godfather movies - classic but very Italian (this is because, when he proposed to me, we were on a pier and a guy was playing very Italian classical music (busking) and it would really bring us back some very happy memories of that).

I don’t know if its possible for you to choose some piece of music that brings to mind those feelings, but if its possible, it’d be really wonderful to use it at our wedding.

I should say we estimate the ceremony would be about 15 - 20 minutes long and we’d like the music played in the background throughout it.

So, over to you Dopers, and thank you in advance.

2

You want music to go on during the wedding. You don’t want it to stop during the talking bits.

Hummmm…
Well the very popular for weddings Pacabel Cannon in D could be repeated ad nauseum. Bach’s air in G is also a very popular choice and would fit very well as would Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’ from The Four Seasons.

There is a piece for the movie Witness soundtrack called Building the Barn, which I know sounds not very romantic but it is a great bit music and was very close to making the cut for my own wedding. Personally I used the music from the main titles of Star Trek IX and Gabrial’s Oboe from the film The Mission and Exult Justi from Empire of the Sun. I arranged these for string quartet.

You really want one song to play for 20 mins during the ceremony? Really?

Are you going to have live musicians or play the music from a recording?

3

It’d be something we could copy to CD and play at the ceremony - live musicians would be a little (lot) too far from our budget!!

We thought of something we could play for the whole time but if it’s more correct, we could turn it off for the vows etc - I’ve never been married before so I don’t know!! I’m open to suggestions.

4

Most people go with a processional, (entrance for the bride or the groom and the bride) and then have no music for the vows part and then recessional music for the exit of the couple.

Some people throw a song in the middle but that is a pretty ify idea at best.

So you can have music for the groom’s party to enter and the bride’s party to enter. Either one bit of music for both or different pieces for each, then a different bit of music for the exit.

Most people use something slower for the processional and then something more up-tempo for the recessional.

5

I’d recommend not having music throughout the ceremony - I’d prefer it to be 15mins of ‘mood music’ before and afterwards, as the guests are filing in and out, an entrance piece and an exit piece (where, traditionally, the Wagner Bridal Chorus and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March are used) - and perhaps a single piece during a pause in the middle of the ceremony.

6

My recommendation, which was played during my wedding, is the Third Movement of Borodin’s String Quartet #2. If you’re at all familiar with the Broadway musical Kismet, the song And This Is My Beloved is lifted directly from this piece.

Link to a MIDI file. Click on Nocturne (aka This is my Beloved-Kismet).

Link to sample recording. Click on number 3 in the Listen To Samples section.

The piece is about eight and a half minutes long.

7

Warning! - Midi links!!

Handel’s Water Music Suite - nice long and recognizable.

Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze - I used this in my wedding.

Also Wachet Auf by Bach

Debussy’s Claire de Lune - would be good before the ceremony

or Rachmaninoff’s 18th Variation on a Theme by Paganini
I’ll stop now…

8

Monty Python’s Flying Circus Theme.

Then, when the judge asks you: " Do you take this person to be your lawful wife/husband?"

You can stick out your tongue and blow a raspberry.

Timing would be key, though.

9

That would be the Liberty Bell March by John Phillip Sousa.
Two more by Debussy would be Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and I just love the Sunken Cathedral.

10

How about Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring:

http://www.catovah.com/jesujsmp.ram

or Fur Elise:

http://www.catovah.com/furlis30.ram

or

The Pines of Rome by Respighi:

http://www.uwec.edu/Mus-The/Orchestra/Audio/pines1.wav (this is a high school orchestra recording, so be warned that it’s not played quite as well as it could be :wink: ).

11

For our Wedding we used Five Circles off the Chariots of Fire Soundtrack. It’s slow and regal sounding.

12

If you want light, charming, sparkling music, I can’t recommend madrigals highly enough. They are Rennaissance era songs, sung by a group of usually about 8 people or so a capella. They are almost always love songs, more often upbeat than not, and really delightful. Here’s a link to an Amazon site with some samples:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000005MB/qid=1082767635/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8281578-9544115

One CD would easily do you for whatever portion of the ceremony you wished to cover.

13

I think I know exactly what you mean and I humbly submit what I believe is the perfect solution:

Scott Joplin.

Give a listen to Solace: A Mexican Serenade and tell me you don’t hear spattering laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses. This piece has the benfit of being 6 minutes long and with varied enough strains to hold up to a couple reprises…although I’m not sure it should go on for 20 minutes.

We used this in our outdoor ceremony, played beautifully by a string quartet. (Not unaffordable – contact your local university’s music dept.) They looped the first couple of strains and saved the Tango for my walk through the crowd. Not a dry eye in sight.

Happy Wedding!

14

Thank you all for your suggestions - Emofkuniv and I will be checking them out!

Also we’ve found out that the Registry Office itself produces a CD of classical music (approved because there can be no religious overtones to the music played there) so we’ll grab a copy of that too… hopefully we’ll find something suitable between all suggestions!

Thanks again :slight_smile: