Wedding Ceremony Musician
I am a wedding ceremony musician. My instrument is the guitar. The guitar is the perfect instrument for wherever the wedding venue is located. Whether it’s indoors, outdoors, at a church or on the beach. The guitar is portable, versatile and pleasing to the ear.
Many times I’m asked to match music selections with different parts of the wedding ceremony. Wedding ceremonies begin with prelude music. Examples of pieces that I play for the prelude portion of the wedding ceremony are:
- Prelude I – J S Bach
- Prelude IX – J S Bach
- Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring – J S Bach
- Fanfare – Jean Meuret
- Ode to Joy – Ludwig von Beethoven
Once the guests are in place, the next section of the wedding ceremony involves seating the family members of the bride and groom. Groomsmen may serve as their escorts. The perfect piece for this juncture of the wedding ceremony is Variations on a Theme of Handel by Mauro Guilianni. It is stately, dignified and has the affect of slowing the pace and relaxing family members as they reach their seats.
After this segment the groomsmen assume their place and it’s time for the bride’s maids, ring bearer and flower girl. For the bride’s maids music I like playing The Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clark. It’s a very joyous piece of music which adds to the mood of the occasion. For the ring bearer and flower girl, J.S. Bach’s Mussette fits the bill. The piece’s playful nature embellishes the yougsters antics as they make their way up the aisle.
And now the moment everyone’s been waiting for-the arrival of the bride. For this segment I play a fanfare of loud chords which encourages the guests to stand and direct their attention to the bride. Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D is the modern day favorite. Very recognizable due to it’s use in movies and advertisements for brides.
Once the bride is in place, the ceremony begins. There is usually a place in the service for a special song. some of the recent favorites are:
John Legend’s All of Me
John Lennon’s All You Need is Love
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah
After the ceremony concludes, it’s time for the recessional. My recommendation is John Dowland’s My Lady Hunssdon’s Puffe. Happy, uplifting, joyful, dignified and hopeful are some of the emotions evoked by this lovely piece.
It’s a absolute pleasure for me to be a part of a couples’ special moment in their lives. It’s worth spending the extra preparation time to keep these pieces at a high performance level.
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