Music Guidelines

Music Guidelines

Persons to be married at Westminster automatically reserve the services of the church's organist. Even if you do not plan to have organ music in your ceremony, our organist will help with whatever musical contacts, suggestions and preparation will be needed. Unless there is an unusual amount of musical preparation that must take place, please contact the organist about one month prior to your wedding.

Music that is included in the marriage ceremony should be in the spirit of worship, celebrating and reflecting the joy and solemnity of marriage. There is a wide variety of instrumental and vocal music appropriate to the occasion. The texts of any vocal music should reflect the worshipful setting of the wedding. When there is a question about the suitability of texts, the officiating Pastor should be consulted prior to final selection.

The kinds of instruments and musicians that can be used for your wedding are nearly unlimited. Weddings at Westminster have seen choirs, bagpipers, harpists, violinists, trumpeters and more. Friends or relatives of the bride or groom who have been invited to participate musically should be prepared to rehearse with the organist during the rehearsal time. Additional rehearsals, if necessary, transcribing music from tapes, or transposing are only done at the organist's discretion, and are priced at the organist's hourly professional rate.

The acoustics of Westminster are excellent. Soloists rarely require the assistance of a microphone, although this can be provided if requested in advance. For many reasons, recorded music is not used at Westminster.

Recommended Wedding Music is available. Other selections must be approved by the organist/music coordinator.