I walked down the aisle to Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love" arranged by my new husband

Selecting the music for your wedding ceremony is one of the easiest and most enjoyable parts of the wedding planning process – next to the tasting, of course!   For those who might not believe me, I would like to offer some helpful observations from having performed for over 5,000 events.

This is the easy part:  Start with focusing on only 3 pieces of music to select – the processional for the bridal party, the bridal processional and the recessional.  In musical terms, that is your “theme” and then come the “variations” -prelude/the seating of the families, the interlude/unity candle, the postlude as the guests leave and the 5-6 pieces of pre-ceremony music.

Even 3 songs can seem overwhelming so let’s narrow it down to only one.  I start every wedding music consultation with “what would you like to walk down the aisle to?”  There are numerous scientific studies that prove that when we are excited, the first thing that happens is we lose our sense of hearing.   Just knowing that bit of information can help you!  How?  By selecting a more familiar piece of music, everyone involved knows what their cue is.

Stay away from the 3 P’s – Perfection, Procrastination and Paralysis  – When I want something perfect and I don’t know how to make it that way, I will procrastinate or put off making a decision for fear of it being the wrong one.  Then I am paralyzed with not knowing what to do next so then I don’t want to do anything.   Overloading your ipod with tons of music of different wedding music collections and then scheduling and cancelling your music consultation would indicate that you might know what I am referring to and it’s okay.

Your music consultation ideally is to be scheduled with your wedding musician or agent 2-4 weeks before the ceremony.  I suggest having a telephone consultation that lasts between 20 -30 minutes.  Most of that time is spent getting to know about the two of you and how the music will highlight your beautiful love story.  This is the fun part!

What should you do now?  Why take a deep breath, smile and enjoy this wonderful time of your life!