Things You Should Know About The Wedding Processional
The processional formalizes the moment when the two of you stand together in front of all your family and guests and pledge your love to one another.
This is the day when you want everything to flow smoothly.
Where will your wedding take place? You can have it in a church, at a reception hall, on a beach, in a park, at your home, in city hall, or just about any place special to the two of you. No matter where you’re having it, you want three things: a place for the two of you and the clergyman or judge, a place for witnesses to sit, and music to mark the event.
Before you choose your music, consider the limitations of the place where you are holding the wedding. If you are getting married in a church, are you limited to the piano or organ present in the church? Ask if you are permitted to bring in your own musician or even a disc jockey to play the processional wedding music that’s special to you. Even civil ceremony officials generally will permit you to have some kind of music.
Consider listing your musical selections in the program if you decide to offer one to your guests. You will want to include any music you play as the guests are seated, the music for the bridesmaids if it is separate from the bride’s, and the music that is chosen just for the bride. If you ask a friend to sing during the service, list that, and also list the title of your recessional music.
It’s also appropriate to identify reception music, such as the newlywed’s entrance music, the bridal waltz, the father/daughter and the mother/son dances, and the grandparents’ or anniversary dance.
If you have deceased relatives, you might want to consider asking your disc jockey to dedicate a song to them during the reception, and you can list this on the program as well. Since you’ve chosen special songs for the tossing of the garter and bouquet or the cutting of the cake, plus your farewell circle, you should identify these also.
Most of us think of the traditional “Here Comes the Bride” when considering a wedding march. But there’s an interesting story behind that music. Richard Wagner wrote it for his opera, Lohengrin, which is a tale filled with sorcery, vengeance, mistrust, and betrayal.
The beautiful Elsa marches to this processional wedding music with a building sense of dread and mistrust, reflected as the music climaxes, and there is death at the end of Act III. For that reason, many churches frown upon its use at weddings. Even so, it is a beautiful, majestic piece of music, and you might decide you simply love it.
There are many other wonderful examples of processional wedding music to commemorate your walk down the aisle. Any one of these will provide elegance and grace to this unforgettable day:
* Concerto in E Major for Violin by Vivaldi; you can use parts of his Four Seasons concertos for prelude and recessional pieces.
* Bach’s Adagio in A Minor (concerto for strings) offers grace and help with the timing.
* Bach’s Wedding Arioso, with our favorites in flute or piano.
* Bach’s Air on the G String.
* Sibelius, many of his Finlandia pieces.
* Rigaudon, played by Campra.
* Charpentier’s Te Deum, prelude.
* Wedding March by Mozart, from the Marriage of Figaro–an opera that ends with rejoicing.
Wishing you a Beautiful Wedding Day,
SecretWeddingSongs.com