Monthly Archives: July 2021

Ceremony Music – Strike a Pleasing Chord

 in Music / Wedding Ceremony / Wedding Rehearsal / Weddings  tagged ceremony music / music professionals / recorded ceremony music / wedding music by

Ceremony music can strike a pleasing chord and enhance your wedding ceremony, if done well. However, it can often be the weak link in ceremony planning and result in a noticeably discordant note in an otherwise beautiful ceremony. If you hire live musicians with experience performing for wedding ceremonies, or if you hire a professional DJ, you can be confident that the music you select will be a lovely accompaniment to your ceremony.

As you’re planning your ceremony you might encounter a cost cutting suggestion of using recorded music played from a personal device. This can be a good suggestion if carefully implemented, but too often leads to disappointing results. With all the technology available at our fingertips today it seems like having a friend or family member run your music from a phone would be a simple and inexpensive option. But a number of pitfalls await this decision.

  1. Having someone run the ceremony music from your phone can result in them not knowing where the music is located, or what order to play the songs in. Worst of all, the device can lock during the ceremony with no way for the person to unlock it for the recessional at the end of the ceremony.
  2. You’ll need to have your device connected to speakers, and not any speaker will do. You need to be able to have the music played loud enough that the wedding party can hear it and know when to enter and leave the ceremony space.
  3. The person running the music needs to know how to fade out a song, cycle it to play again, and switch songs quickly to support a processional with multiple music selections.
  4. If you’re going to rely on any sound system components from your ceremony venue you need to take the music device there in the weeks preceding the ceremony to ensure that the proper cables and speakers are available. This can help avoid a situation where it’s time to begin the ceremony and no music is available.
  5. Finally, you will want to have the person running your music attend your rehearsal so they can practice the processional and recessional in your ceremony space. This will give you a final chance to correct any problems with your music plan.

The best way to ensure that your ceremony music strikes a pleasing cord is to rely on professionals for either live or recorded music. If you make another choice, invest the time and attention to detail to maximize the chances of success.

Customizing A Simple Ceremony

 in Ceremony / Personalization / Wedding Ceremony  tagged personalized ceremony / simple ceremony / simple wedding / Vow exchange by

Customizing a simple ceremony takes only a little thought and time. Even if you opt for an elopement style ceremony – I call it a Vow Exchange ceremony – you can leave your personal mark on it. From venue to vows, from music to rituals, your short and sweet ceremony can still be uniquely yours.

When you’re working with me and choose a Vow Exchange Ceremony you still get to choose from sample vows that I offer. And of course, a great way to personalize your ceremony is to write your own vows. The promises you make to each other are always going to be unique to you, because your relationship and your personalities are unique. However, if you’re shy, vows can be adapted to allow for a simple, “I do,” response to keep you relaxed and comfortable.

Choosing music to be played as you enter and/or leave the ceremony space is totally optional for these simple ceremonies, but is another way to make the ceremony reflect your personalities. Just make sure you’ve identified the person who will play the music and provided the necessary equipment so the music can be heard by your guests.

Vow Exchange ceremonies don’t usually include a unity ritual following the vows, but one can be added if you wish. Selecting or creating a meaningful unity ritual will certainly make the ceremony memorable for you and your guests.

An additional option for customizing a simple ceremony is by choosing a venue that reflects you as a couple. I recently did two Vow Exchange ceremonies on two consecutive days, and they were very different. One took place at an historic park, included white chairs for the 15 guests, and began with a somewhat elaborate processional. The second ceremony took place on the family farm with three generations of family gathered to celebrate. Guests sat on hay bales covered with hand made quilts. The couple chose a seed planting as their unity ritual, so appropriate for the farm setting.

Vow Exchange Ceremony in historic park
Vow Exchange ceremony on the farm

Both ceremonies were authentically perfect for the couples being married and demonstrate how customizing a simple ceremony can make it memorable for everyone from the couple to the attendants to the guests who come to celebrate. Just remember that wedding ceremonies don’t have to be elaborate, lengthy, or complex to reflect you as a couple.