to send round this wedding email?

[emdemm]

DF and I are getting married soon, we are having a traditional church ceremony as we're both Christian. We've picked out the hymns we want but quite a lot of our guests aren't religious or have faiths other than Christianity so wouldn't be familiar with them - to be fair some hymns aren't even that common in the churches we know! But I've been to weddings where everyone shares the confused look and mumbles through to be polite and it's just quite embarrassing...

I would like to send round an email to all our guests with links to the songs (there are only 3) just so they can familiarise themselves with them if they want to. Obviously if people don't want to join in, that's absolutely fine! Just to have the option if they like. Would that be unreasonable?

I wouldn't mind but I would think it odd. I wouldn't bother to look at them though.

Just enlist the help of your local male voice choir.

I bet I know them if they are from A&M. DM played the organ.

Please tell us what they are, please, please.

What about having an order of service with all the hymns in it for each person. That way they have the words and can sing along.

TBH I would be a bit miffed by an email like that, as I would have no idea what to do. Do you expect guests to be singing hymns in the shower?

Consider printing the music as well as the words in the order if service.

That way anyone who can read music should be able to join in the hymns even if they don't know them

Fluffy and hands have the solution! Perfect, and no one can possibly be offended.

Definitely put the words in the order of service, I think, rather than send the email.
In the nicest possible way, when people get married, they sometimes forget that it's not as big a deal for many of their guests, so they will not necessarily be able/willing to learn the words beforehand.
It might also look like they have a duty to sing which I wouldn't like.

Also, why choose hymns even you don't know? There are loads of very well know ones that people feel more confident with - not saying you should conform to suit your guests but maybe if they are obscure it's fair to assume they won't know them on the day.

Are you sure the hymns are that obscure?

Definitely put the words in the order of service. I'd assume you would anyway.

OP, you must tell us what the hymns are. That will help us decide.

Am rather on the fence about this but tend to think if it's done with a nice friendly email it will be OK. Admittedly I'm Welsh and we tend to love the idea of being able to belt out hymns in church (ever come across a thing called the gymanfa ganu?) but some people are a bit more restrained.

Re: the atheist thing. I'm an atheist and happily join in hymn singing (even though I can't sing) and the lord's prayer in church. I've also been to bat mitzvahs and joined in all the prayers, even though they were in Hebrew, so that was a quite a challenge.

At church services with unfamiliar congregational music it is usual in C of E to have a quick run through immediately before the service starts.