Wedding Music

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a close friend of my husband’s.  The bride and groom are two wonderful people and it was an honor to be there. One of my favorite aspects of any wedding is, of course, the music.  I am Catholic, and this weekend’s ceremony was held in a Catholic Church, so the beautiful music from the singer and organist was very familiar to me.  Ave Maria (Schubert), Canon in D (Pachelbel) and the Wedding March (Mendelssohn) are particular favorites of mine.  When I hear these songs, I am always reminded of how lucky I am to have been married at my family’s church, Our Lady of Peace in New Providence, six years ago.  The wedding this weekend was held at St. Lucy’s Church in Newark, which is magnificent.  

The music at the reception was much different.  The point is to get everyone dancing, and that was certainly accomplished.  Although most of the music at the wedding was not something I would typically choose to listen to, I am always amazed at the ability that all types of music have to bring people together to celebrate.  It doesn’t have to be your favorite song to get you to enjoy it in the moment; it simply has to complement the occasion.  It helps me to keep an open mind about music, and the many purposes it serves.  The bride and groom had a blast. That type of joy is infectious, and I don’t believe for a second that the music didn’t play a leading role in their day.        

— Michele Stivalo