St Anastasia Music Guidelines for Weddings
Congratulations on your engagement! This page provides some basic information to begin the discussion for the music for your Sacrament of Marriage. Click here to download the Wedding Packet
- Musicians serving at your wedding are from St. Anastasia Catholic Church Music Ministry. We maintain a roster of singers and professional musicians. Guest musicians are permitted with the Director of Music’s approval.
- The number of musical selections at your wedding will be determined by the type of ceremony you have planned. A Nuptial Mass is Solemn Mass including Communion rites. The Responsorial Psalm should be sung.
- Only ONE selection will be played during the procession of the Bridal Party and the Bride. A wedding is a Mass, and comparatively, as there is one gathering, processional hymn for the party of altar servers, deacons, and priests, we encourage only one processional piece for the ceremony.
- Two popular pieces – the “Bridal Chorus” by Richard Wagner (also known as “Here Comes the Bride”), and the “Wedding March” by Felix Mendelssohn, are not used at St. Anastasia Catholic Church. These pieces are distinctly secular, and while secular music may be suited for use at a wedding reception, it is not considered appropriate for the sacred Liturgy. Remember a Catholic wedding is a liturgy and all music and actions should be easily identified as prayer. The following suggestions constitute a shortlist of appropriate musical selections for the wedding ceremony.
Processional Music:
| Trumpet Voluntary in D Major | JeremiahClarke/Henry Purcell |
| Trumpet Tune | Henry Purcell |
| Rondeau | Jean-Joseph Mouret |
| Trumpet Voluntary | John Stanley |
| Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring | Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Kanon in D | Johann Pachelbel |
| Andante | George F Handel |
| Air on the G String | Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Marche | Theodore Salome |
| Triumphal March | Edward Elgar |
Processional Music:
| If Thou Art Near | Bach |
| Panis Angelicus | Cesar Franck |
| Ave Verum | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| Ave Maria | Franz Schubert |
| Ave Maria | Bach/Gounod |
| The Gift of Love | Brian Wren |
| God is Love | David Haas |
| I Have Loved You | Michael Joncas |
| Covenant Hymn | Gary Daigle |
Processional Music:
| Ode to Joy | Ludwig Van Beethoven |
| Hornpipe | Handel |
| Toccata from Symphony No 5 | Charles-Marie Widor |
| Trumpet Tune | Purcell |
| Allegro Vivace | Handel |
| Fanfare | Jacques Lemmens |
| Allegro vivace for Water Music | Handel |
| Allegro from Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G | Handel |
| Crown Imperial | William Walton |
| Postlude in D | Henry Smart |
Fees:
- The organist fee includes one consultation. The current fee is $150.00. If guest musicians are assisting, a rehearsal is required prior to the wedding day, and the rehearsal fee is $75 per hour. Rehearsals will take place at St. Anastasia Catholic Church. In certain circumstances, this rehearsal may be waived, at the discretion of the Director of Music.
- Additional optional Professional Musicians from the parish roster include a violinist. The fee is $150.00. There are no rehearsal fees if only our parish musicians are hired.
- All fees should be paid in full no later than 2 weeks prior to the wedding date.
- Please note that musicians do not attend the “wedding rehearsal” unless specifically requested by the wedding party. A $75.00 fee incurs.
Please Note: All recordings use musicians and instruments from St Anastasia Catholic Church. The recordings are used for families selecting music for a particular celebration, and therefore, educational in nature. The recordings are not for sale or distribution. If you would like additional information about purchasing some of this music, we can direct you to sources.
