The Wedding Ceremony music is what sets the tone of your wedding event from the very start as people enter your venue of choice. This is your moment to give your invited guests their first impression of what your special day will be like. What songs you have selected and how they are played will create the atmosphere and style of your wedding.
What does it mean “how they are played”? This is an important decision that deserves careful thought. Will all your songs be performed by electrical device on your computer that is hooked to the speaker system? Or will you have a professional, family or friend playing all your songs throughout the wedding? It is nice to have a little of both styles for the entertainment during your ceremony.
Think about having some of your songs performed on the piano or other live music such as a guitar or harp. The rest of your songs may be on a music sound system of some sort. This would break up the entertainment and would be less costly as well. Keep in mind that if you plan to have a vocalist at your ceremony, they will need to be accompanied by a piano. Make sure your venue will have one available.
Music style can be formal, informal, religious, traditional, casual or modern to suit your tastes. Music is usually played at five different times during a wedding ceremony: the prelude, processional, interlude, recessional and the postlude moment. However, you can jazz it up and put music at your own selected times. Below are the special times of the wedding ceremony when you may want to select music:
Prelude Songs
The Prelude songs play while your guests are being seated after their arrival. This is usually music that has a welcoming tone and gives the guest a feel of what type of wedding ceremony they are about to witness. You need to put a lot of thought into what these songs will be because your guests will make assumptions right at the beginning. Songs that are upbeat and romantic are good choices. Also, not just one song…you need a number of songs because the prelude moment usually lasts about 30 minutes. It is good to have three to four songs for the prelude time and you can always loop the music and repeat some of the songs as well.
Processional Song
The Processional song is when the family and bridal party proceed to the altar. This is the moment when traditional wedding songs are used at most weddings. Keep in mind the song you select as your processional march needs to have a rhythm that matches a walking pace– in other words not too fast and not too slow. A great favorite is the “Canon in D” by Pachelbel, which has been played for the last few centuries. This song will usually have some guests in the audience with eyes full of tears.
Bride’s Processional Song
Now is the moment when the wedding party and the family are all in their seats or standing. There is usually a short pause before the bride will enter. Also this is the time the groom will appear up front to greet the bride, or the bride and her father, or another family member who escorts her to the front.
This is also when there are tears of happiness in the audience. This is a very important song that usually has an upbeat and happy feeling that envelopes the crowd watching this procession. This lively and happy song that showers the joy will throw off sparklers of happiness. There are many traditional songs at this moment but the most popular of all is the Wedding March that has also been played for centuries.
Interlude Songs
The Interlude songs are not always necessary at weddings. This is a time during a transition in the ceremony such as before the vows are exchanged or a religious moment as well. If you have a family member or friend that may be playing a special song, this is the moment. Songs such as Ave Maria or a song that has a significance to the couple are good choices.
Recessional Song
The Recessional song is giving a simple message: The couple is married!!! It is a happy and joyful song that makes you want to celebrate. This song gives the couple a kick in their step to want to run out of the Chapel and meet their guest. “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven or “Celebrate” by Kool and the Gang are a few favorites.
Postlude Songs
The Postlude songs are a combination of many types of songs that could be the couples’ favorites. These are songs to entertain the guests as they procession out of the chapel and to the reception. The guests tend to linger so it is nice to not rush them so they can have some music in the background to move them along. These songs need to also have an upbeat celebratory feel.
“Ceremonial music” are pieces of traditional music and also songs that are significant to the couple being married. What you need to keep in mind and to ask when you select your wedding venue is if the building has any restrictions on the type of music that is played. Especially if you select a religious building, they may have restrictions, so you need to know at the beginning stage of your planning.
Keep in mind that if you have instrumental music or solo music or piped-in music, it is important to have your timing set for when they should begin and end. The song that is most important is the one that announces the bride and at the end introduces the couple…let those songs speak for the celebration.
Affordable Dream Wedding/Hubbard Chapel in Hubbard, Oregon is a great choice for your Wedding Venue Ceremony and Reception in Oregon.
The acoustics in this chapel work well. Bring your music plan along during your tour. They have a piano on site as well. This venue is a great location for your reception along with the chapel for your ceremony– All under one roof for your wedding day! This is a location you need to see and you can decide if it is a place that you can visualize for your special day. Affordable Dream Weddings/Hubbard Chapel is a 127-year old “Pioneer Wedding Chapel” venue that caters to both the ceremony and reception venue needs in your planning. We have been voted Best Wedding Venue in Oregon 3 years in a row. Our prices are very affordable when you compare us to other venues that are offered in the Portland and Salem neighboring areas. Couples that come for a tour repeatedly remark that they can’t believe our prices compared to others.
Call or email for a tour by Carrie at Affordable Dream Wedding/Hubbard Chapel to see if this is your dream spot for your wedding venue.
Hubbard Oregon
503-459-1267
hubbardchapel@gmail.com
