Music at your Rochester Ceremony

Rochester Wedding Vendors

The music at your Rochester, NY ceremony enhances the mood you are establishing. Take time to carefully plan it.

What Type of Music?

Wedding music tends to be very traditional. The bride usually walks down the aisle to â€œHere Comes the Bride,â€ for example. Consider your own wedding style when selecting the music for the ceremony. Is the wedding ceremony to be very traditional? Or will it be free-form, and more eccentric?

What Songs?

There are a variety of traditional wedding songs. Any musician specializing in wedding music should be able to give you a list of songs to choose from. The songs should either reflect your commitment to each other and your new life together, or your commitment to your religious faith.

Check with Your Wedding Site

Your celebrant or wedding site may have restrictions on the types of instruments or music. You may not be allowed to use any amplifiers, or you may be restricted to religious music, although most will allow classical music as well.

Musicians and Instruments

Keep the venue in mind when selecting musicians and instruments. If you are being married in a small chapel, a quintet may be too large for the site. On the other hand, a single guitarist may be lost in a large cathedral. Aside from the traditional organist and soloists, you may opt for a trio, a quartet, or a quintet. You may also choose a folk singer with a guitar. The instruments you choose might be strings or woodwinds, trumpets, an organ or even a brass section, in a larger site. A harp also provides a beautiful wedding accompaniment. Ask the musicians to audition or supply you with a cassette tape. They may also offer to tape the ceremony music for you, so you can keep it as a remembrance. You may be limited by your site. You may be required to use the usual organist for your wedding. This is one of the questions you should ask when you reserve the wedding site.

Singers

You may have your choice of a soloist, a choir, or a religious folk group, or even a combination of these. Again, you should either hear them perform in person, or be supplied with a tape.

Wedding Music

There are a few parts of your wedding where music is appropriate. These are: Prelude. The last half hour before the ceremony is scheduled to start. Guests are seated during this time. Processional. The music for your processional should be slightly different from the prelude, to indicate to your guests that the wedding is about to begin. It should have a fairly slow, steady beat for your attendants to walk down the aisle. The music should again change slightly once the attendants have proceeded, and the bride is about to enter. This gives your guests the signal to rise. Ceremony. There should not be music playing while your ceremony is being conducted, but there may be parts of the service when you are asked to contemplate, where background music is appropriate. There may also be points during the ceremony when a soloist may sing parts of the service. Recessional. This is when the newly married bride and groom leave the altar. This music has a slightly faster tempo and is celebratory in mood. The recessional music ends when all wedding party members are down the aisle. Postlude. This music plays as your guests leave the ceremony site.

Pre-Recorded Music

An alternative to musicians at your wedding is to have someone play pre-recorded music at the ceremony. If you choose this, you should ask someone to be in charge of putting the correct music on at the appropriate times.

Financial - Once You Have Decided

Find out how much deposit is due, and when the balance is due. Ask if the balance must be paid in check or money order. Be sure to include all of these details in the contract.

What to Include in the Contract

Date and time of your wedding.
Directions to the site (and map), if necessary.
The number of musicians or singers.
What instruments will be played.
Exact times you expect them to perform.
A song list.
All costs itemized.
All deposits paid, and when the balance is due.

Make sure the contract spells out even the smallest detail, so that nothing is left to chance.

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Music at your Rochester Ceremony

Choosing music for your wedding ceremony

Rochester Wedding Vendors