When you get married in a house of worship, there are always certain guidelines you have to follow within the service. In the Catholic church, most parishes require music during the Mass be sacred or classical and liturgically appropriate. As I’ve played for hundreds of Catholic weddings, I’m happy to help you navigate this and come up with music that you love and will be allowed by the church!
Chelsea and Vincent were married at St. Anthony Catholic Church in downtown Davenport, Iowa. This historic Quad Cities church is not only beautiful, but has fantastic acoustics for the harp! As guests entered and took their seats in the pews, I played a mix of light classical pieces, harp solos, and hymns.
They chose “Clair de Lune” by Debussy for the family and wedding party entrances, and then Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” for the bride’s processional. As this was just the wedding service without the full Mass and Eucharist, there was no additional music needed during the ceremony itself.
For the recessional, they went with “Trumpet Voluntary.” As guests filed out, I continued with other up-tempo classical selections.
Planning your wedding music should be fun! I love working with couples to come up with a playlist for their ceremony that matches their style, venue, and level of formality. Visit my website – Quad Cities Harpist for Weddings – to get on my calendar!
