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Do you feel swamped by wedding day preparations? Are you afraid that you won’t be able to find that perfect piece of music for your ceremony and that you’ll have to settle? Are music suggestions all starting to sound alike to you?
If you’re not entirely sure how you should be selecting music from your lists of ideas, I can help. Some people just stare at the list of music suggestions they have and at the list of music needed and just can’t get started.
All this (and more) is covered in detail in my Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music. Check it out!
How to start selecting music: 4 things to remember
So how should you go about selecting music?
Know where you’re trying to go
First, know your goals. Some will have goals such as “no overused music”, “music needs to be a reflection of me”, “everything should be upbeat”, “no Canon in D”, or “definitely Canon in D”.
If you have such goals, keep them in mind.
Know what you want
Second, do you have any “must have” or “like to have” music that you want?
If you are following Wedding Music Unveiled’s recommended steps for wedding music planning (part 1, part 2), you will have created “for certain”, “like-to-have” and “still thinking about” lists.
Put these lists to use now. Pencil in most-desired items from your lists into your ceremony and see where that gets you. If you have lots of items on the lists, try sketching out several different ceremony ideas with pieces used in different parts.
After doing this, you’ll see where music is still needed and you can focus on finding pieces for those parts of the ceremony.
Know what you want and when
Third, know your goals for what moods and styles you want for each part of the ceremony. For each part, do you want something quiet, loud, contemplative, march-like, upbeat, festive, etc.? It will be a lot easier to search for music if you have an idea of what you’re looking for.
Find several pieces in your list of musical suggestions that match a mood or style and pencil it in, at least for now, for that part of the ceremony. Then move on to other parts of the ceremony until you have a complete set of ceremony music to consider.
Think about how you like this arrangement of music pieces. Then start improving the ceremony, item by item. Keep tweaking away until you get a ceremony you’re pleased with.
Know what you don’t want
Fourth, know what music you want to stay away from (if any). If you have a goal to have music that’s a reflection of you or a goal to avoid overused music, know what music to watch out for.
Remember that the reason you might want to avoid overused music is that if many other people are also using the same music, it’s difficult to have that music be distinctive or to say anything about you.
Don’t despair though. If a piece of music happens to be overused but is exactly the piece you want to convey your feelings, then don’t be afraid to use it.
Just recognize that it is overused and work that much harder to make it convey your feelings. Spice it up somehow. Perhaps find an instrument to play it, even an instrument that wouldn’t usually play it. Play it faster (or slower) to add a little drama (see “Want Some More Instrumental Wedding Music?” for some ideas). Ask your musician for other ideas about what can be done in your particular situation.
What do you think?
What suggestions do you have for helping someone select their music or just getting past being stuck? Share your wisdom by leaving a comment and helping your fellow readers. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!
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