Ceremony Music - Traditional

lindz221

So my church requires that we only use sacred/classical music for our ceremony. I've looked through a lot of lists of the "traditional" wedding songs and none of them really speaks to me. I've thought about using Clair de Lune since I love that song but I'm not sure how it will work. Has anyone else used any classical/sacred pieces that were outside the norm? Or do you have any suggestions? Thanks!

cukimerrydoll

It depends on the type of "sacred."  If the requirement is non-secular (religious), there are a lot of great songs out there right now.  Do you have anyone singing?  I'm definitely more familiar with the contemporary christian rather than instrumental...

If you are having some singing, there are a lot of options:
"Wherever You Go" is a great one - in the "Gather" series (Gather 2 books... 655 or 635... I think)
"Enough" or "I Need You to Love Me" by Barlow Girl
"Amazing Love (You Are My King)" by Bebo Norman
"I Can Only Imagine" by Casting Crowns
"If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens
"Back in His Arms Again" or "Remember Me" by Mark Schultz
"Breathe" by Michael W. Smith
"Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris
"I'm Divin' In" by Stephen Curtis Chapman
"Jesus, Lover of my Soul" by ZOEgirl

Sorry... I'm a wedding singer... so that's what comes into my head when I think wedding music.


For more instrumental music, the biggest classic that I can think of is Pachabel's "Canon in D"
But there are others:
Bethoven's "Ode to Joy"
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
"How Great Thou Art" - one of the only songs I like on an organ

You have a lot of options, but I think the first step is to figure out if it's just non-secular music, or if it has to be non-secular and instrumental.

lindz221

Thanks! I don't think it has to be instrumental, but we do have an amazing organist & pianist team playing, so I will probably go that route. We might have a soloist though so those are great suggestions!

cukimerrydoll

I think all the contemporary ones other than Mark Schultz are covered under CCLI copyright as well.

I know for certian BarlowGirl (I'm having trouble deciding between those two songs!), Bebo Norman, Michael W. Smith, Mark Harris, and ZOEgirl are covered under CCLI - we do those all the time!

jenn.daniel

I love Chopin's nocturns.

cukimerrydoll

Oh! (Duh, self! One of your favorites!)
Vivaldi - "Four Seasons": the most popular movement is "Spring"

mcol13

I don't know if these songs fit that criteria but I heard them during a Wedding Music "sampler" held by a Catholic Church so maybe they'd pass? 
Time to Say Goodbye - Andrea Bocelli
One Hand One Heart - from West Side Story
Sunrise, Sunset - from Fiddler on the Roof

My apologies if these are applicable but if they are allowed they are really pretty!!

hscheiwe

There's a great list--with listening excerpts, which I found incredibly helpful--on Innocenti Strings' website: http://www.innocentiquartet.com/audio.html. They play regularly in Chicago, so maybe you could contact them if you have concerns about defining "sacred" music or making the music fit you and make the venue folks happy.