Embracing Ceremony Blog

Have you given thought to the music for your ceremony? Whether you’re getting married in the big city of Denver or the charming arts community of Taos, in northern New Mexico, you have lots of choices for live music. Having a live musician or musicians adds a level of sophistication, spontaneity and intimacy to your ceremony. As a marriage celebrant I’ve worked with many musicians in many configurations and it is always a significant addition to the ceremony. If you’re hiring professionals you can be confident that your wedding celebrant and your musician will communicate before the ceremony begins and work together on the cues so that the timing flows per your wishes.

Another very viable choice is to have a deejay. This enables you to have your preferred versions of your favorite music. This approach is easy to rehearse since you know exact times for your chosen songs. You can work out timing and pre-determine the volume.

An increasingly popular way to have music, especially at smaller ceremonies and/or at remote locations, is to use an iPod docking station with speakers. If you have to operate by battery the volume is usually pretty limited. Otherwise this solution works well. I would caution you to be sure you have a confident and committed volunteer operating the iPod.

Now that you’ve decided how to create the music at your ceremony, where do you want it played? Traditionally you’ll have one or two songs for the processional while your wedding party enters. There should be a pause and new music for the bride. During the ceremony you can have a feature song played while you sign your license or during another quiet part of the ceremony when you may want your guests to be “entertained” such as during the lighting of a Unity Candle. If you have a very special song it can be a part of the ceremony, perhaps in lieu of a reading. At the ceremony’s conclusion you’ll have a recessional. Timing is important here, you want it to kick in just at the right moment. Increasingly couples are using innovative, non-traditional music at this point and it can make an excellent transition to the celebratory reception.