Catholic wedding songs are some of the richest melodies in existence. Honor them by selecting a traditional organist or string ensemble to perform their complex layers, or select a simple piano or other solo instrumentalist to perform them in a more contemporary style. Most Catholic ceremonies tend to be complete church services, so in addition to selecting your processional, recessional and any special solos, you'll also need to select some congregational hymns and responses for the various parts of the Mass.

Keep these important elements in mind as you're planning the music for your Catholic wedding:

Vocalist/Cantor: Choose a vocalist who can also lead the congregational hymns and responses during your ceremony.

Processionals: Some pieces that are usually permitted for Catholic Weddings include: The Ash Grove, Canon in D, Canon in F, Hymne, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Quaker Hymne (also known as The Lord of the Dance), and Reminiscent Joy.

Congregational hymns: There are surprisingly few classic hymns that contain references to weddings or love. There are plenty of contemporary Catholic hymns that are appropriate for weddings, but they may not be familiar to your non-Catholic guests. Try to choose selections that are more likely to engage your guests. Hymns in the Catholic reperetoire that work great for weddings include: Be Not Afraid, Blest are They, We Gather Together, Morning Has Broken, Let There Be Peace on Earth, Now Thank We all Our God, For the Beauty of the Earth

Reponses: Pick well known or easy-to-learn melodies so that your guests can participate. Print the words and music in the program, if possible.

Vocal solos: Many priests and church wedding coordinators prefer that any songs during the ceremony are sung by the entire congregation. (Check with your contact if you're not sure.) Plan to have any solos sung during the prelude, Lighting of the Unity Candle, or communion meditation. Solos that could be sung before the service begins or during communion meditation might include: Ave Maria, Be Not Afraid, How Beautiful, Household of Faith, I Can Only Imagine, I Will Be Here, Panis Angelicus, and The Prayer. Any of these could also be played instrumentally during Offertory, Preparation of the Gifts, Sign of Peace or any other quiet interlude time that makes sense.

Recessional: Recommended recessionals for a Catholic ceremony include: Ode to Joy, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Trumpet Voluntary and Trumpet Tune. Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (based on Beethoven's Ode to Joy) is a popular recessional hymn that can double as a recessional if you'd rather not wait for the congregation to sing an entire hymn before you make your grand exit as husband and wife.

If your Catholic church is anything like ours, you'll need a bit of postlude music playing while your guests wait to be escorted out after Mass. Designate a few favorites to be played after the ceremony as well, and have your musicians repeat any of the prelude pieces if they run out of new material before all of your guests have been escorted from church.

The best advice we can give when planning music for a Catholic ceremony is to be sure to have all of your song selections -- especially if you've thrown in a contemporary favorite -- approved by the church's appointed wedding coordinator or priest before finalizing them with musicians or printing your programs. articlesnatch