5 Tips for Selecting Music for Your Catholic Wedding Mass

Planning out the music for your wedding mass can be intimidating, but we are here to help you begin the process. Here are five tips we have to help you select beautiful, liturgical music for your Catholic wedding day!

1. Consult with Your Priest and the Church

As you begin planning out your music, consulting with your priest and the musicians at your parish is essential. Some churches have a specific handout of songs that you must choose from, while others may let you select pieces for approval. While each church is different, most have rules and regulations regarding what music can be played for a wedding mass. Keep in mind that secular music is not allowed during a Catholic wedding mass and the hymns that you select must be liturgical.

Depending on the parish, they might require you to use the church musicians or cantor associated with the parish. Make sure to ask about this! Knowing who you will have as your musician(s) will also help you in your music selection!

2. Prayerfully Discern with Your Fiancé

Take time to discuss and prayerfully discern with your fiancé what you envision for your mass in terms of music. Not only is the music you pick an opportunity to add to the beauty of the sacrament, but also a way to incorporate who you are as a couple. You can include a hymn that you and your fiancé love or is significant to you. Your hymn selection can also honor loved ones, maybe you use one of the songs that a family member had at their wedding to continue a tradition. There are many hymns that honor Mary and Joseph and some churches even chant The Litany of the Saints. You might also find that you have a preference between English sung hymns vs Latin hymns or chants. Make sure that whatever hymns you pick are approved by your musician and church so there is no disappointment close to your wedding day.

3. Take Time to Listen to Different Pieces

Listen to the pieces to make sure that this is something you will enjoy and delight in during your wedding mass! Some hymns or sections of the mass might have multiple different ways in which they can be sung or performed. Think back to wedding masses you have attended or review old programs from family or friend’s weddings for inspiration. Youtube and Spotify are great resources for listening to traditional pieces of music or watching a full wedding mass. Select a few pieces of music that you like and communicate your favorites to your musician.

4. Use these Three Criteria to Help Finalize Your List

Is it beautiful? As Catholics, we are taught that beauty is a window to the divine. Music is called to be beautiful because it is used to worship. Having beautiful music in your wedding mass can help emphasize the sacramentality of marriage and elevate worship.

Is it prayerful? Music in the liturgy should add to the prayerful environment and assist the congregation in their prayer, specifically their prayers for your marriage and thanking God for your union!

Is it accessible? Is it something that the congregation can participate in? There is nothing more joyful than having the whole congregation join you in praising God during your wedding mass through music! This also encourages the congregation to participate in the mass, including the sung prayers. Consider adding your selected hymns to your wedding program so guests can follow along during the mass.

5. Communicate with Your Musician(s)

Find a musician that you trust and communicate with them as needed as you plan out the music for your wedding mass. Being on the same page as your musician makes the process much easier and more enjoyable. You can also ask them for advice if you are unsure about a specific piece of music or struggling with how to go about all of this. Make sure you send your finalized list to your musician for confirmation!

We hope that you now feel more confident when it comes to selecting music for your Catholic Wedding Mass! If you are still looking for a musician for your wedding, take a look at our TCBC musicians!