Wedding Music

Congratulations & Blessings on your engagement!

Divine Mercy is excited to help you prepare for the first day of your marriage.  Here are a few things to help you with your liturgy planning:

• Music expresses love & joy, two of the reasons you are celebrating your marriage!
• Your wedding liturgy is not just about the couple getting married, it is about all the people who helped you get to where you are today, especially God, and the future you have together with your family, friends, and God.  
• Planning a liturgy requires as much careful preparation as the rest of your day.  A carefully planned wedding liturgy tells your family and friends that you care about them and their support.

Details about working with a Divine Mercy musician

• Contact a Divine Mercy musician six months in advance of your wedding.  
  • The contact is best done by the bride and groom themselves directly to the musician.  
  • You do not have to use a Divine Mercy musician; many families have people who will play or sing for them.
• Divine Mercy can provide keyboardists and cantors (singers).  
  • Fees vary and are set by the individual musicians.  
  • Some keyboardists also serve as cantors, depending how much vocal music is in your liturgy.
• Set up a time to meet with the organist to choose music.  
  • Some couples have no music in mind when they attend this meeting, some couples have every song picked out, and some couples are in-between.  
  • Your keyboardist will help you no matter what your musical comfort level may be.
• Musicians do not usually attend wedding rehearsals.  
  • If the keyboardist needs to practice with a singer (or other instrumentalist) who is a family member, the singer/instrumentalist should be confident enough to practice one time right before the wedding begins.  
  • Divine Mercy musicians should not be expected to attend a separate rehearsal with family musicians or rehearsals that are scheduled more than 45 minutes before the wedding begins.  
• Payment for musicians should be made in full before any music begins on the day of the wedding.  
  • Usually, there is one family member with all the checks for the day. That person should find the keyboardist before the music starts.  
  • Divine Mercy musicians should not have to wait after the wedding to get checks in a receiving line. This is awkward for both the musician and the couple. 

Order of the Mass
for couples making their own wedding programs

• Sacred or church-worthy secular (such as a song about love from a musical) 
• Can be vocal and/or instrumental.  
• The final prelude is usually for the seating of the family.

• The first is traditionally for the bridal party, and the second for the bride.
• This can be adapted for many family circumstances.

First reading - chosen with the priest

Psalm - chosen with the musician

Second reading - chosen with the priest

Alleluia - chosen with the musician

Gospel - chosen with the priest

Homily

Exchange of Vows and Rings - a song usually concludes the exchange of rings

Prayers of the Faithful - read by one of your readers

If your wedding liturgy is a mass (with communion), include these:

Presentation of the Gifts: a song while family members bring up gifts of bread and wine

Eucharistic Prayer & Communion: a song is sung during communion

All weddings end with:

Nuptial Blessing

Recessional song - chosen with the musician

Postlude - chosen with the musician