music for processional including groom?

christyhal

Hi ladies,

FI and I are trying to come up with ideas for our music and processional before meeting with our (generally unhelpful so far) organist.

In FI's family (we're both Catholic, but he's from India), their traditional processional is:

1. Altar Servers and Priest
2. Groom and parents
3.  BM and GM in pairs
4. Bride and parents

We want to use this format/order for our wedding, and are trying to figure out how we could work the music.  Our priest has already told us that he likes the format, and it is more in keeping with the Catholic ideal than the standard American wedding processional, but he also said he'd never actually seen it before. 

We're trying to have elements of what FI is used to and what I am used to.

Our thought was to have the priest and FI/parents walk in to Trumpet Voluntary, the attendants to Canon in D, and me and my parents walk in to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

Has anyone ever seen  this done?  Does this make for too many music changes?

My other thought would be for the priest to go in first, then the attendants (all to canon in D), then FI and his parents, and when they reach the halfway point/cross aisle my parents and I could start.  (FI and I to Trumpet Voluntary)  I am not crazy about this option, because I wanted the moment of FI seeing me for the first time at the end of the aisle, and I don't know how I could stay hidden while he is entering if we are walking right after each other.

If it helps to know, we won't be having any special music ahead of the processional for seating of grandparents or anything like that, and FI and I will both be walking with both parents, so no special seating music for parents either.

I realize these are probably silly logistical questions, but despite being born and raised Catholic I've been to almost primarily non-Catholic weddings, so these issues are kind of new for me!

TIA for your thoughts!

[Deleted User]

We had different songs for me (the bride), BM's and Mom's. We didn't use anything different for the groom as he was already waiting at the altar for me.

Here is what we used:

Prelude (I actually can't remember what we used - I think we just told organist to play whatever)

Mother's Entrance - Flower Duet from Lakme

Attendant's Entrance - Rondeau by Mouret

Bridal Processional - Canon in D by Pachelbel and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

kolina93

Our Church has a lot of strick rules... One of which is that we only have one processional song for the whole procession, no special song for the bride, and nothing secular.  At first I was bummed about it, but now I'm thankful for only having to choose one song!  There are just too many choices to make for so many things with wedding planning as it is.

Kaye Smith

We had Beethoven's Ode to Joy and Bach's Air for the prelude as people were entering the chapel.  We then had Pachabel Canon when my husband and his parents entered.  We then had the priests and my bridal party enter  to Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke.  I then came in with my parents to Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring.  I think (but who knows, it was a blur!) that it flowed nicely.

christyhal

Thanks for the input!!

GulfCoaster

Choosing one song probably would make it "flow" better, if you KWIM.  I've seen it done w/more than one song before, but it usually involved pauses and flipping of pages by the musicians and seemed, um, a little distracting.  A good musician might be able to repeat certain sections of a single piece to lengthen it if needed for a longer processional -- so talk to your musician(s) about the timing and whether that would work out for what you have in mind.  GL!