Picking appropriate music for your wedding

In my experience wedding to-do lists are long and some of the tasks are lengthy and mundane; however, one of these ‘to-dos’ should be great fun and that’s choosing the music for your big day!

One of my jobs as Apollo Strings’ Director is to ensure that you are 100% comfortable with your music choices. This is absolutely imperative, as these choices will provide the soundtrack to one of the most important days in your life. I’m always happy to have as much or as little to do with your decision-making as you would like, however I think there are some things that are always worth baring in mind:

1. Currently the law states that civil ceremonies cannot include any music that has any link to religion. Sadly there’s no way around this, so you do need to be careful not to choose pieces such as Ave Maria, Schubert and Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, Bach. This can also include modern songs with a religious link (no matter how tenuous), including ‘God Only Knows, The Beach Boys, Hallelujah, Cohen and Angels, Robbie Williams.

2. If there are any pieces of music that you do not want to hear do make sure you let us know! Most people have a handful of pieces that they don’t like, and it’s important you alert us to these so that we can make sure every piece of music you hear helps put everyone in the mood to celebrate.

3. One thing I hear a lot from clients is “I really like this piece of music but I’m worried it’s a bit cliché”. A cliché is an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect. Therefore, how can a piece of music that means the world to you be a cliché!? Your wedding day is one of the only times you’ll be surrounded by all the people you love – no one is there to judge and everyone will respect your music choices. Keep calm and choose whatever music you like!

4. Choosing the music for your ceremony is probably the hardest bit to decide upon. There are three key moments that you may like to include music for: as the bride and bridesmaids enter the ceremony; the signing of the register; and the exit of the happy couple. I suggest choosing one piece for the entrance, three pieces for the signing (this can last longer than expected with photos) and one piece for the exit.

Remember, you can’t go wrong with these decisions – so long as you’ve chosen pieces that fill you with joy you get 10/10 in my book!