Music is the finest way to personalize your marriage vows and set the tone of your ceremony. Whether you plan to have a large, formal wedding in a cathedral, or a small gathering at your home, the music played before, during, and at the conclusion of your ceremony should play an important part in your planning.

If you're planning a church wedding, discuss the music with your clergy-member. Most faiths and places of worship nowadays allow the inclusion of appropriate "secular" or "popular" music, and a personal favorite, or "your song" might be just the thing to make your ceremony just a little bit more special. But anyone planning a church wedding will definitely have an ear toward the traditional or religious aspects and you should take full advantage of the possibilities. Find out if the church has an organ or piano on the premises. The clergy-member will almost certainly be able to recommend a keyboardist (the regular player for that church) or you may research The Yellow Pages or wedding guides as many of these musicians have begun to advertise their services. The musician will have a wide range of appropriate classical and/or religious music from which to choose or will be able to perform a piece or pieces of your choice if given some time to rehearse it.

Other classical and traditional presentations favored these days include the classical guitar, the harp, the string quartet, or duos consisting of guitar/flute, harp/flute, and piano/flute.

You may also wish to have a vocalist or small vocal ensemble perform a piece which has lyrics with a special meaning for you and your family. Again, the clergy member will most certainly be able to recommend a soloist or group. Another source to check is the local chapter of the American Federation of Musicians or the Musicians Union.

Combinations of musical styles are also possible. One recent wedding we attended made the most of everything available! Although the couple opted for a very classy harp and flute duo for the the bulk of the musical offering, there was a beautifully restored pipe organ in this colonial-era church and the instrument was utilized for two selections.

If you're being married at a private home or at the location of your reception, the options are considerably widened, limited only by the boundaries of good taste. The family piano or the piano at the hall is always a good place to start. If there's an organ available, that always makes for a good combination of the traditional and the casual. Light folk music (acoustic guitars, fiddles, mandolins) is also very popular. And don't forget about the possibilities in pre-recording your favorite music onto cassette. You can program the entire ceremony yourself! Just make sure that your have a trusted accomplice with detailed instructions on running the deck and a backup dubbed copy of the tape.

WHERE TO FIND THE MUSIC

Interestingly, the average person would be able to tell you that "Here Comes the Bride" is the most famous processional, and that "the other one" is for the recessional or after the ceremony. But tracking them down at a record store or music dealer is not always that easy! They are, in fact, both famous classical music pieces: "Here Comes the Bride" is the "Bridal Chorus" from Wagner's opera "Lohengrin", and that famous recessional is "The Wedding March" from Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream"! Your local library is always a good place to start and chain music stores generally have a good to excellent selection of classical music including compilations specifically geared toward wedding ceremonies. Highly recommended is RCA Victor/Red Seal's compilation "The Wedding Album" (Catalogue #XRK1-5038) which not only includes those two famous pieces but a wide range of other classical music frequently used in wedding ceremonies. It will offer you choices if you're interested in something a little different, but still traditional.

But no matter what you decide, the music for your wedding is the perfect background for your ceremony and it's one area where the choice is solely in your hands.