Planning Music for Your
Catholic Wedding Ceremony
Below is an outline of a standard Catholic Wedding Mass. You may decide to leave some of these items out of your mass. Some of the suggestions may not be applicable depending on the ensemble.
If you are hiring the church organist, rehearsal/coordination will be minimal if our repertoire is separated from theirs (see below).
If working with a vocalist, the short mass parts – Alleluia, Memorial Acclamation, etc., are most easily done with ensembles that use organ/piano. The Ave Maria we can do with all our instrumentations.
If you would like us to work with a vocalist other than our own, we will need to discuss keys/cuts, etc. If they require a different key/arrangement than we have, they will need to provide us with copies of their parts, adaptable to the given instrumentation.
If using the church organist in addition to ATOC, a sample program may be:
Prelude: ATOC
Bridal Procession: Organ
Bride’s Procession: Organ & ATOC
Interlude between readings: ATOC or Organ
Alleluia: Organ w/vocalist
Unity Candle & Presentation of Gifts: ATOC.
Mass Parts (Memorial Acclamation, etc.): Organ w/vocalist
Sign of Peace & Presentation to Virgin Mary: ATOC
Recessional: Organ & ATOC
Prelude and Procession Music (See above)
First Reading
Responsorial Psalm
Spoken, Sung or Instrumental Interlude
If sung: On Eagles Wings, Psalm from Hymnal.
Instrumental: Airioso from the Water Music Suite by Handel
Second Reading
Alleluia: Spoken or Sung (A capella if no organ)
Gospel
Homily
Exchange of Vows/Rings
Unity Candle: Spoken or Sung – One Hand, One Heart
Prayers of the Faithful
Presentation of Gifts: Spoken or Sung. If Sung, One Bread, One Body.
Instrumental, J.S. Bach, Sleeper’s Wake; Vivaldi, Largo – Winter
Lord’s Prayer
Mass Parts (Spoken or Sung):
Holy, Holy
Memorial Acclamation
The Great Amen
Sign of Peace: Sung or Instrumental
J.S. Bach, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Communion:
Sung or Instrumental
* J. S. Bach, Airioso; Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
* Pachelbel, Canon in D Major
* All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera
* Panis Angelicus
* P. Stuckey, Wedding Song
Presentation to Mary:
Sung or Instrumental
Schubert or Gounod, Ave Maria (Schubert version is the most popular)
Recessional
* Mendelssohn’s ” Wedding March”;
* Haendel’s ” Allegro” from the ” Water Music” or ” Le Rejouissance”;
* Mouret’s ” Rondeau”