“Not your parents’ music”.
I was recently poking around the internet looking for other information on planning church wedding music. I was not encouraged by the results.
While there are plenty of sites with advice for planning wedding music, even ceremony music, there is precious little for planning a church wedding. If that’s what you’re planning, it doesn’t help you much that you can’t find specific advice.
It reminded me why I started Wedding Music Unveiled and made me glad that I did.
One particular article at a wedding music guide site used the phrase “not your parents’ music” to describe a kind of wedding music (probably classical) that supposedly is now obsolete. It was written by a self-described professional wedding musician to help a bride choose music for a “traditional wedding ceremony” but didn’t provide any specific advice. In fact, the advice that it did give was contradictory.
The article’s point was that for a traditional wedding ceremony, your music should be music that you want to hear (not that someone else wants you to use) and that the music should be appropriate for a wedding ceremony. This point I agree with.
Times have changed?
But before getting to this point, the author said that years ago, most weddings sounded alike. Weddings were expected to use certain pieces of music, and that these certain pieces would now be considered “traditional”. But now, times were different.
Hold on! I won’t accept that years ago people used music that “they were expected to use”.
I don’t believe that people of previous generations only did what they were told, as if today’s generation is the first to discover individuality. I’m sure they chose music that they enjoyed hearing and that was appropriate. Just as is recommended today.
It sounds like an excuse.
What you need is better advice
If anything, it has been a more recent development (thanks to a general lack of knowledge about classical music, Hollywood’s depiction of weddings, and wedding or wedding music guides that often recommend the same pieces) that has caused many weddings to all sound the same.
When just about every wedding and wedding music guide (printed and web sites alike) recommends Pachelbel’s Canon in D, which then gets used in most weddings, we’re supposed to believe that it’s because of a previous generation?
No, I believe that weddings all sound alike because you aren’t getting the right advice. You’re not made aware of the choices you have. Over time, you’ve been led to believe that there are only a few pieces of music that are suitable for weddings and that these pieces should be used in weddings.
This is not true!
Advice that’s honest with you
The author said that most traditional weddings in those days used music that was religious in nature but that now couples are choosing music that is more personal to them. But then he wrote that your musical selections should be appropriate for a church.
The author is anticipating the emotional response you’ll have to the suggestion that you should choose music that is personal to you. He assumes you don’t like classical music (a fair enough assumption these days) but goes on to remind you that your music must be appropriate for a church.
So how is it that times have changed?
Plenty of choices
In contrast, I’ve decided that Wedding Music Unveiled will only give you straight up honest advice.
I’ll tell you that while your music doesn’t have to be classical, most (but certainly not all) music appropriate for a church is classical in nature (see “Church Wedding Music…Does It Have To Be Classical?”). And I’ll follow through with advice that’s helpful (see articles containing dozens of music selections for preludes, processionals, recessionals, last-minute weddings, wedding songs).
I’ll even give you help to determine for yourself what’s appropriate so you have what you need to choose your own music (see “What Everyone Ought To Know About Choosing Church Wedding Music” and “Wedding Songs for Church Wedding Ceremonies”).
I’ll encourage you to select music you like, not music that others suggest for you (see “The Secret to Making Your Wedding Uniquely Yours”, “Be Bold With Your Wedding Prelude Music!” and “6 Wedding Ceremony Pieces of Music Everyone Ought to Avoid”), as long as it’s appropriate for a church.
Tell me what you think
Read some of the articles I linked to if you haven’t already.
I’d like to hear how you think advice at Wedding Music Unveiled compares to advice from other wedding music guides you’ve seen.
And if you have suggestions for how I can make it even more useful, please let me know. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!
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