Wedding Music Guidelines

The overall principles in selecting music are as follows:

1. In the Roman Catholic Nuptial Liturgy, every effort should be made to involve the Assembly in full, conscious, and active participation in the Liturgy, including elements of the music.

2. The text of the music chosen should ideally speak of the love between husband and wife as a reflection of God's love for us, his Church. Secular love songs may not be used in the liturgy.

3. A wedding liturgy is not a wedding with concert attached. The music selection and the musicians must be servants of the liturgy, not the other way around.

4. In Roman Catholic Liturgy, we worship together, here and now. Therefore, the Church does not allow recordings, taped music, CD's, or accompaniment tracks in the Liturgy.

5. Our parish policy asks that at least one of the musicians present for a wedding be one of our regular parish ministers of music. These musicians are prepared to act as actual ministers of music, not just "soloists." They also know the workings of the sound system and can operate it properly to avoid audio problems. If none of your requested musicians are music ministers at the parish, the Director of Music & Liturgy can be present to help train them on the sound system.

We have a number of excellent musicians at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church. The most common musicians for a wedding are an organist/pianist and a cantor (a singer who leads the sung prayer and sings the verses of the Responsorial Psalm).

Musician Options

Many additional vocal and instrumental options are available, and adding just one extra instrument or harmony vocalist can profoundly augment the beauty of your ceremony. These people will be experienced musicians, and their fees will range depending on their level of training and experience. Our Director of Music & Liturgy can help you explore the options.

Rehearsal

Please note that the musicians do not normally attend the wedding rehearsal, as they rehearse on their own. If you insist on the musicians attending the rehearsal, an extra fee may apply.

Guest Musicians

Guest musicians are welcome to take part in the wedding music, but these must be approved by the Director of Music & Liturgy, who will talk with them about liturgical music principles. Sometimes even excellent performers do not understand the sacredness and nuance of liturgical music, so care must be taken to ensure the musicians are servants of the liturgy, and not vice versa.