At the end of May, I played for a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony on the grounds of the Deer Park Manor in Bloomington, Indiana. The weather was warm but the skies were clear – a perfect day!
The bride selected “Arioso” by J.S. Bach for the processional of the families and bridal party. After making a grand entrance in a horse-drawn carriage, the bride came down the aisle to Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” The couple exited after the ceremony to “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin. Other music chosen for the prelude and postlude:
- Largo from “New World Symphony” (Dvorak)
- Hymne (Vangelis)
- All I Ask of You from “Phantom of the Opera” (Webber)
- My Heart Will Go On from “Titanic” (Horner)
- Prelude in C (Bach)
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach)
- My Own True Love from “Gone with the Wind” (Steiner)
- When I Fall in Love (Young)
- Your Song (Elton John)
A wonderful way to make sure that your early-arriving guests get the best seats is to have your ushers lead them down the side aisles, with the instruction to move all the way in and sit along the center aisle. The center aisle is reserved for the bridal party processional, and the guests who get there soonest get the closest seats. No one has to move further away as additional guests arrive. This bride did this and used tulle to line the aisle. It makes a nice frame for pictures down the aisle, too!