Music for Your Marriage Liturgy
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Welcome to the Cathedral! One of the first steps in preparation for your wedding will be to contact the Director of Music, Rachael Verhaagh. She can be contacted by phone at (920) 432-4348 or by e-mail at rverhaagh.sfx@gmail.com Music is an integral part of the wedding liturgy and Mrs. Verhaagh would like to meet with you to start the planning process for the music part of the liturgy. Please plan on starting this part of your wedding preparation early since church musicians calendars tend to fill quickly with playing for weddings.
MUSIC FOR YOUR MARRIAGE LITURGY
Things to keep in mind when choosing music for your wedding. Music used for the wedding ceremony should stress the God-Love relationship. In choosing a sacramental marriage, you should also choose music that reflects the dignity of the sacrament. The question you need to ask is "Is this particular piece of music appropriate for the marriage liturgy?" Because of the ritual and traditional nature of the Catholic Wedding Ceremony, music should be carefully selected to reflect what is happening at each part of the ceremony. Included is a list of appropriate wedding music that can be used as a starting point in planning. Recordings of this music can be found on YouTube, ITunes, Pandora, Spotify, etc. And additionally, most hymns in our Music Issue, the hymnal we use in the parish, can be used for your wedding.
Musicians for Your Marriage Liturgy
The role of the musician is to encourage the full and active participation of the congregation. Church Musicians aide the congregation in their sung prayer. Therefore, careful selection of your musicians is important. At Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral Parish, we have a professional organist, cantors who can help bring to life the joy you wish to express at your wedding liturgy. They are familiar with the church instruments and Catholic Wedding Liturgy. With this in mind, we strongly encourage you to choose to work with our pastoral musicians. The pastoral musicians of the Cathedral would be glad to work with you! Mrs. Verhaagh can also provide you with a list of musicians - strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, keyboard, vocalists that can supplement the music of your Marriage liturgy.
Musicians' Fees and Recorded Music
Since each church musician has his/her own fee, Mrs. Verhaagh does not know what each musicians' fee is so please ask he/she for that information however, Mrs. Verhaagh can help facilitate that. Because the Wedding Liturgy is a live celebration, music should also be live. Therefore, recorded music is not appropriate.
Music Suggestions for Weddings List
Above All - Hillsong
Air (from Water Music) - George Frideric Handel
Allegro Maestoso (Hornpipe from Water Music) - George Frederick Handel
And On This Day - David Pomeranz
Arioso - Johann Sebastian Bach
Ave Maria - Johann Sebastian Bach/Charles Gounod
Ave Maria - Franz Schubert
Ave Verum - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel
Eat This Bread - Jacques Berthier
Fanfare for the Bride - Dale L. Wood
Gift of Finest Wheat - Robert E. Kreutz
Gift of Love (The) - Hal Hopson
God, Who Created Hearts to Love (LASST UNS ERFREUEN)
Hear Us Now, Our God and Father (Hyfrydol)
Household of Faith - Steve Green
How Beautiful - Twila Paris
I Will Be Here - Steven Curtis Chapman
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - Johann Sebastian Bach
La Rejouissance (from Royal Fireworks) - George Frederick Handel
Love is the Sunlight (tune is Morning Has Broken)
Love Never Fails - Brandon Heath
May Love Be Ours, Lord - Michael Joncas
O God beyond All Praising (THAXTED) - Gustav Holst
Ode to Joy - Ludwig van Beethoven
One Bread, One Body - John Foley
Only God Could Love You More - Kelly Thompson
Panis Angelicus - César Franck
Prélude (from Te Deum) - Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Rigaudon - Andre Campra
Rondeau - Jean Joseph Mouret
Taste and See - James Moore
The Marriage Prayer - John Waller
The Prayer - David Foster
The Servant Song - Richard Gillard
There Is Love (Wedding Song) - Nel Stookey
Trumpet Tune in D - Henry Purcell
Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark's March) - Jeremiah Clarke
Trumpet Voluntary - John Stanley
Ubi Caritas - Bob Hurd
Walk with Them, Lord - Don Besig
We Belong to You - Trevor and Victoria Thomson
When I Say I Do - Matthew West
When Love Is Found - John B. Miller
Wherever You Go - Gregory Norbet, OSB