Catholic Weddings

Ceremony Music

I'm getting married in 3 months. My FI and I meet with our priest next week to discuss the ceremony and choose the readings. I'm also working on the music for the ceremony. My church has an organist and when I mentioned music before, my priest gave me her number and told me she sets all of that up. I spoke with her briefly, and she was very nice but a little vague on what music I could choose. She wants to meet a couple of weeks before the wedding to finalize everything and told me to bring ideas of songs I would like to have her play.

My problem is that I just converted to Catholicism and have been hearing all of these things about what music can and cannot be played during the ceremony. Here Comes the Bride is just one example. Can anyone give me ideas for music? My cousin married a Catholic woman, who is actually in my wedding party, but they got married 5 years ago and she can't remember the music!

Also, my church is pretty liberal as far as Catholic churches go. I tried to ask the organist about Here Comes the Bride and she sort of blew it off.

Re: Ceremony Music

  • Look in the post at the top of the board - we have a link to a page of music options. Some churches are more string about non-sacred/religious music being used. You will not be able to use non-sacred music during the ceremony, but sometimes they will allow a processional/recession to be "secular" as these parts happen before and after the ceremony officially starts. However, these songs should not be derived from/focused around ideas that are anti-church-teaching.
  • Also - there are specific reasons why many would not use the "Here Comes the Bride" tune. It is composed by Wagner who had a reputation as an anti-semite and anti-Catholic. In the opera that it was used in, the song was a lead-in to the couple heading to the bedroom, not the altar.
  • aahhh that makes sense. Thanks for the advice, I'll be checking out that section!
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