confused about Mass music!

GardeniaLily

I tried looking for posts that answered my questions, but couldn't find any.

First of all, what is  "Gathering" song? Is the gathering after everyone is seated, and we sing it after I get to the altar and we're just standing there until the song is done? Does everyone do that for a Mass wedding? I wasn't really sure why there'd be a gathering song along with the processional songs. It seems like everyone would just be waiting for the ceremony to begin again.  

What is a good song for the preparation of the gifts? They gave us a few suggestions, but it's absolutely no help since I can't find any of them on the internet. I'm hesitant to pick music without at least reading the lyrics if I don't know it already (and I don't recognize any of them). I live far away from a church so it'd be kind of difficult just looking them up.

Are you supposed to have a song to sing to during communion, or should it be instrumental?

Finally, what's a good song for the unity candle? Probably something short, probably instrumental? Again, there's a list of suggestions that is utterly useless to me. We are getting married at my fiance's home church which is 7 hours away.
The one song that I wanted to include somewhere is We Walk By Faith, since it has always been my favorite church song. So I'm trying to figure out where to put it--gathering? communion? Not sure. Fiance's favorite is Ave Maria and that's being put in for the Marian Devotion.

Sorry this got so long--any suggestions are appreciated!

agapecarrie

A gathering song on a normal Sunday is the entrance song during the processional. 

A priest I work with requires a gathering song after a wedding processional..this helps people shift to participation mode rather than spectator mode. The way it works is after the wedding procession, then the musician or priest invites people to sing the gathering song. If its a pretty short song, it actually works quite well.

Most any regular church hymn is good for offertory. 

The communion song is supposed to be sung, with the words available to the people (not just a solo). 

We walk by faith is pretty short-- it is appropriate in all 3 places. 

GardeniaLily

Thanks!

calli0pe00

I had the same questions as you and then I spoke with the singer and organist after mass one sunday. They basically boiled it down to only two songs for me to worry about: the one I walk in to (I think the proccesional) and when we leave the church (the reccesional). They already had songs set for certain things like the unity candle- which I was told "we always sing the Ave Maria for that". Honestly, this was heaven sent (pun intended) because I was bugging out about the music too. But they really helped me do less work.