When planning the music that will be used in your Catholic Church wedding ceremony a lot of careful planning needs to be spent selecting the perfect songs that will contribute to the success of your day. Little things such as finding the sheet music or including popular music pieces, collating relevant information can be extremely time consuming and could lead to unwanted and unnecessary stress, especially if you have limited knowledge in the music area.
These are some of the things that you will need to think about and plan as you prepare your Catholic Church wedding ceremony.
Ceremony type – What sort of ceremony are you going to have?
A Catholic Church wedding has varying types namely, nuptial mass, liturgy without a mass, Latin rite, and a contemporary ceremony. Choosing the most appropriate music will mainly depend on what kind of Catholic Church Wedding you prefer. Each type has its own unique ambiance which will determine the suitable option for your wedding.
Include Your Personal Preferences in Music.
You don’t have to restrict yourself to a particular kind of music. It would be nice to blend English hymns in both contemporary and traditional arrangements. In most cases, incorporating modern songs does not cause any problems. However, you must stick within the limitations of appropriate liturgical music. Coordinate with the priest and music provider about their guidelines.
Ask Professionals For Song Recommendations / Places to Source Music.
Consult with the Church’s officials and professional musicians if they have recommendations or music collections for wedding hymns is an easy way to start your research into the perfect wedding songs and hymns. It is important that you then take the time to listen to these pieces yourself to ensure all music at the ceremony meets your expectations.
Live or Pre-recorded – How will your music be presented?
Having live music is great especially if you are assured that your music providers have the capability of performing competently. Make sure that they have rehearsed all the pieces you chose a couple of times before the big day. Take the time to visit them playing at another wedding ceremony to ensure that they can deliver a professional and quality product. Most musicians are happy to oblige in allowing you to listen to them play your selected songs at a rehearsal prior to the day if you feel that is necessary.
Instrumentation / Arrangements – What instruments / singers do you want performing?
Ascertain whether you want a full choir, small ensemble, a soloist or just an instrumentalist. The great thing about this is you can actually choose more than one, a combination of two, or better yet all of the four choices. A combination of at least two of the three choices will make your wedding music more romantic and add diversity to your ceremony.
Professionals vs Amateurs – Who are you willing to use?
Using friends to perform at your wedding is a more affordable option and can be a nice way to include people in the celebration. If you decide to do this be careful in the songs that you select that they are within the capabilities of the soloist. A complicated solo piece performed by an amateur could lead to awkward mistakes and ruin an important moment in the celebration. The use of a professionals overcomes this scenario and guarantees the music will be done with an expected level of professionalism and excellence that amateurs can not be expected to give.
Basically it will come down to cost and what you are willing to spend, the well known saying “You get what you paid for†is 100% true in the area of booking performers for your wedding day.
The question one has to ask is are you willing to leave anything to chance and in the hands of an amateur on this once off occasion considered by most people to be the most important day in a person’s life?
