ceremony music

Creative Use of Music

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Creative use of music can enhance your wedding ceremony experience. I recently read an article in Brides magazine that sparked a few thoughts for new ways to add meaning to your ceremony with music.

Look up the top wedding song for the years you and your fiance(e) were born in the article linked above. Maybe you want to include those songs in the prelude or postlude music lists (while your guests are being seated or as they are leaving the ceremony space). This is an interesting way to bridge the past and present in your ceremony.

If your parents are still married, a sweet tribute to them would be to have the top wedding song from the year they married played as they enter the ceremony space. This is easy to do for the groom’s parents as they usually enter the ceremony space together, but can be a little trickier for the bride’s parents. There is a graceful way to make this a special moment for your parents even if your dad will be walking you up the aisle. Your parents can enter together to the song from their wedding year, share a hug and kiss, have your mom sit down and your dad return to the back to prepare to escort you in.

An even more personal approach for the parents would be to have a conversation with them about their wedding ceremony. Ask what they remember about it – readings, music, anything special they included in their ceremony? If they remember a special song and it works with your ceremony plans, playing it in their honor as they enter could create a very special moment for all of you. At the very least, sharing the conversation and memories with your parents will be a bonding moment for everyone.

Creative use of music is one more way to make your wedding ceremony uniquely yours. Make sure to keep track of the music used in your wedding ceremony so you can share a similar discussion with your children years from now as they plan their weddings, too.

Use Music to Set the Mood

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Use music to set the mood for your wedding ceremony and wedding day. Taking time to select music that has meaning for you is another way to personalize your wedding ceremony. Yes, your music provider – DJ or live musicians – can provide generic prelude music before your ceremony begins, and can tell you what the most popular choices are for music during the ceremony, too, but why choose those for your once in a lifetime (hopefully) wedding ceremony.

Rather than using the same music other couples are selecting, take a little time to choose cuts that are meaningful to you. Maybe you remember the first song you danced to. Or there’s a song with lyrics that really describe your feelings for each other. Or there’s a certain style of music that gets your toes tapping. Those are the pieces you want to hear on your wedding day.

I worked with one couple who were big K-pop (Korean pop music) fans. Their first trip together was to Canada to see their favorite group perform. So they chose to exit their wedding ceremony to a wonderful upbeat K-pop song. Another couple were big country music fans and found lovely ballads for the processional, and a boot stomping selection for the recessional.

Whether your preference is for traditional, classic music, big band, pop, country or even metal, use music to set the mood for your wedding ceremony. It will make the experience more personal, more memorable, and more authentically you.

Ensuring your Ceremony Hits the Right Note

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Your ceremony hits the right note when your music is fully integrated and flawlessly performed. When that happens it sets the tone, highlights important ceremony moments, and transitions your guests on to the reception. But music can also hit a sour note, becoming a distraction, leading to awkward silences, and destroying the vision you had for your ceremony.

I’ve had recent experiences at both ends of the spectrum. At one wedding the couple wanted the recorded music played by a family friend. The problem started when they didn’t select that person ahead of time, and did not have the person at the rehearsal so they could see where the music fit into the ceremony. On the wedding day, the person played bits of all the ceremony music while the attendants entered, trying to get to the right piece. The bride actually came in to the recessional song, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”. Then at the end of the ceremony the device had locked up and the responsible person didn’t know the passcode. It was a quiet recessional, and definitely not what the couple envisioned. Note that if you are having a professional DJ play your recorded music, you don’t need to have them attend the rehearsal, but all amateurs need to be there.

A music disaster was barely averted at another recent ceremony. The couple wanted a piece of music that was special to them played during the ceremony. I included an introductory comment about the significance of the music in the ceremony and thought we were all set to go. When I was reviewing the cue sheet I had prepared for their professional DJ however, she was unaware of the song in the middle of the ceremony. Luckily, she was able to locate and download the music to her computer and insert it into her playlist for the ceremony. Everything worked out OK, but this is a caution to make sure you let your DJ know ahead of time about all the music you want as part of the ceremony.

And finally, the positive experience: This couple selected music that was particularly meaningful to them for both the processional and ring warming ritual. They shared the significance of these pieces with me, and I was able to draw the guests’ attention to it, and even wrap some of the lyrics into my opening comments. This kind of information sharing allowed the music and ceremony to be intertwined in a way that enhanced both.

So when you’re doing your wedding planning, remember to focus on the ceremony music you want and take steps to ensure that it hits the right note to start off your wedding celebration.

Avoiding a Sour Note in Your Wedding Ceremony

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Music opens most wedding ceremonies, and you don’t want to start yours on a sour note. If you choose to have a family member or friend (read non-professional) play recorded music for your ceremony, there are some steps you can take to increase the chances that it will go well.

First, have a person dedicated to this role. We’ll call them your PRYM (person running your music). Don’t ask an usher or personal attendant (who have other tasks right before the ceremony) to run your music, too. The PRYM should be responsible enough that they will pay attention throughout the ceremony so they play the appropriate music at the right time. They should also be technically savvy enough to know how to repeat a song, fade it out gracefully, and quickly transition between one song and the next. Have your PRYM attend your rehearsal, so they know how the ceremony is going to run, and so they can practice, too.

Second, advance work is key to having your music played without mishap. Make sure all the music you want played is downloaded to the device to be used. You don’t want to rely on Youtube, wifi availability, or other technical requirements beyond your control on your wedding day. Have the music in a separate playlist and make sure the PRYM knows where it is.

Speaking of the device – make sure its battery is fully charged, and that the PRYM knows any passcodes on the device. You’ll also need to provide a speaker to amplify the music as the device speaker will not be sufficient. If the speaker requires electricity, make sure that is available at your ceremony venue.

I’ve seen some PRYMs do a reasonable job, and many who miss cues, don’t know how to handle the device well, are texting on their own phones when the recessional music should be starting, and who play the recessional song for the bride’s entrance. If music is important to you, I strongly suggest you have a professional DJ or live musicians play for your ceremony. If that just isn’t in your budget, or the music isn’t important to you, follow the advice above and keep the music as simple as possible – ideally one song for everyone to enter and one song for everyone at the end of the ceremony – to keep things from starting on a sour note.