Music will be a key part of the ceremony and you have choices to make for a number of specific parts of the service:
- The Entrance of the Bride
- One or more hymns
- The Signing of the Register
- The Final Procession
You may already have a good idea of what you would like for each or any of these sections. Listed below are examples of both traditional and alternative suggestions for each section. These are intended only as a guide and either Fr David or Alistair McCormick, the Organist, will be happy to discuss your choices and help with suggestions at any time.
Entrance
Most brides do opt for the traditional Wedding March (Wagner) to come into and there is nothing wrong with this! However, please do not feel you are limited to this if you want something different. Keeping with the triumphal theme you may want to consider:
- Wedding March (Wagner)
- Prince of Denmark’s March (Clarke)
- Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
- Prelude (from Te Deum) (Charpentier)
- Hornpipe (from Water Music) (Handel)
You may prefer a more stately and peaceful entry into church. It is not uncommon for brides to enter to Canon in D by Pachelbel for example or to enter to a Soloist singing. Our own trained Soprano soloist, Emily Stanaway, subject to availability, can fulfil this need – please ask when you come to discuss the wedding planning itself.
On a practical note, as you will know on visiting, we do not have a very long nave at St Julian’s. Therefore there is not an enormous amount of ‘walking’ time for music to cover, so pieces that have a fairly simple idiom and get going quickly tend to suit the occasion best.
If you have a piece in mind that is not listed, please bring this up either with Fr David or come and see Alistair McCormick, the organist, after any Sunday service. We’ll be delighted to talk things through.
Hymns
Hymns are an important part of your wedding as they not only provide some respite from the focus on you, the wedding couple, they allow your friends and family to join in and feel a greater part of the service. There are many good hymns with words that speak appropriately of the occasion, and with a strong tradition of singing here in Wales, there is much to choose from. However, there can be nothing more down-heartening for you than a congregation struggling with a hymn they don’t know! It’s often tempting to pick a family favourite or something a relative recommends, and if you do, please think about how many of your guests will be likely to join in.
However, not everyone is a singer. So we recommend you consider having our Choir at your wedding, if only to support the singing of the hymns. This is especially useful if you have a relatively small number attending, or you are worried about the singing, or if you want to use a hymn that is less well known. That way you can be confident you will have a strong musical presence on your special day, without worrying about who will join in!
We can generally source any hymns of your own choosing. Just come and talk to Fr David or Alistair McCormick, the organist, after any Sunday service.
Signing Register
During the period of the signing of the registers it is customary to cover the gap (which, together with photographs can amount to serveral minutes) with music of some kind. An organ or piano piece can be used, typically something of a more reflective mode to contrast with the exuberance of the entrance and exit music. Some you may wish to consider are:
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach)
- Canon in D (Pachelbel)
- Air from Water Music (Handel)
- Andante Tranquillo from Capriol Suite (Warlock)
An alternative would be to have our Church choir sing for you as an ensemble, or Emily Stanaway, our excellent trained Soprano soloist could sing an item at this point. Examples that have been performed on past weddings are:
Please ask the organist after Mass on any Sunday for a sample sing!
Choir and soloist are subject to availability and additional fee so please mention your requirements as early as possible so that we can ensure the our choir and soloist’s time can be booked for you.
Leaving Church
Most couples do opt for Mendelssohn’s Wedding March as they leave the church as man and wife, and of course this works well. Our short nave lends itself to music that gets going quickly and the Wedding March’s opening is one of the most recognised in classical music. However, musical choices included in the ‘Entrance’ section are just as appropriate here too.
As ever, if you have something in mind you’d like instead, come and talk to us.