Top 5 music tips for a Catholic wedding ceremony
Wedding Roses on table
Planning your wedding is a many faceted jewel. As you work on planning your ceremony, there are things even the most detailed oriented would not have thought of in planning their wedding. Ceremony music is one of those many details.
So to find some answers to questions that even I had not thought of yet, I went to the director of music for St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Littleton. I sat down with Erika and asked her for her best insights to help couples make decisions on their music. Here are her top 5.
Top 5 music tips for a Catholic wedding ceremony
- A Catholic wedding is a mass first and a wedding second.
- Know what style you want, Contemporary or Traditional , organ or piano.
- Check with your Music Director on the church’s policy on friends and family participating in the ceremony music
- Make a list of music that you want to use
- Be open to suggestions that your director makes. They are there to help your wedding reflect your wishes.
Here is a transcript of our entire interview.
Holly: Good morning Erika! It is so nice to talk to you about music at a catholic wedding. So how long have you been a wedding musician?
Erika: Oh goodness, it would be. The first wedding I played I was thirteen or fourteen and it was right after I started playing piano, so I’ve been playing for quite some time.
Holly: So that would be almost 10 years, right? (Laugh, smile and winkJ)
Holly: Alright so what is one of the most common mistake couples make with church music?
Erika: Well, a mistake I see often is a bride goes in and doesn’t know what they want to do or how they want to do it and they just go, “help?” And it makes it difficult for the music director because they have nothing to go on. And one of the other things that makes a wedding difficult is that it’s a mass first and so for example, if you want a lot of popular music or Here Comes the Bride you might not be able to use that. So one of the most important things about a catholic wedding is that it’s a mass first and a wedding second.
Holly: Can you do the music you want at a different time during the mass?
Erika: You know you really can’t. The prelude to the mass is really a great time you can put family favorites in there, and also remember the mass doesn’t have to be the only place for music. You can also have music during your reception for music you couldn’t play during the mass.
Holly: What questions should couples be asking that they don’t ask?
Erika: Well one thing that would be really nice for them to ask is for confirmation for their family to be involved in the music for the wedding. As opposed to assuming that it’s ok, some churches have very strict guide lines about that, that it’s only the musicians that are allowed to play, other churches are lenient about that. Double check on the instruments the church has, if you want organ music make sure they have an organ first. If not make sure they have a piano.
Holly: What’s the best piece of advice for a couple planning a wedding?
Erika: Let’s see, I guess it’s for the bride and groom to have an idea of what you want before you go into a meeting with the music director. Have a list of music, decide if you want contemporary or traditional, or mostly instrumental, just make sure you have the basic guidelines to make it easier for everyone you are working with.
Holly: Great! And what was the most memorable wedding you ever played in, and why?
Erika: Well, the most memorable wedding I worked in was actually not inside a church it was outside, and it was a cos-play star wars themed wedding. Where the celebrant was Obi One Ken-obi and the others were storm troopers, and sorts of other characters in costume. But it wasn’t just memorable for that, it was because it was the couple really knew what they wanted. The star wars theme was really all over the place during the ceremony. But having somebody who knows what they want and has the sense of humor to work to make it happen is really good.
Holly: What was the most touching wedding that you ever played in?
Erika: Well the most touching one was actually just a couple of months ago and it was an older couple. You could just tell they were so much in love the entire way, they just sat there and looked into each other’s eyes and held hands. You could tell they weren’t thinking about how well it went with flower arrangements and stuff, they were just thinking about how in love they were. It’s something you can really sense even from the choir loft.
For more dance tips or for personal and wedding dance coaching south of Denver, north of Highlands Ranch, east of Ken Caryl Valley, and west of Cherry Hills, in Littleton, join my email or contact:
Holly Collins
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips,
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com