To be amazed at the lack of imagination

[Maxandrubyrubyandmax]

Attended my third church wedding in less than a year yesterday. But what amazed me was that the three weddings had EXACTLY the same choice of music! Here comes the bride, all things bright and beautiful, lord of the dance, Jesu joy of mans desiring during the signing of the register and out to Mendelssohn. With everyone so fixated with having the Original wedding these days and so many great hymns and processional pieces of music why oh why are we repeatadly faced with the same pieces of music again and again and if we are going to be stuck with the same pieces can't people pick something a bit more appropriate than Wagners shagging tune and a song miabout nailing someone to a cross and at least occasionally go for Royal Oak for all things bright and beautiful. Even the person who wrote it seemed amazed it was allowed in church! Off to another wedding next week. Won't be holding my breath!

I think it's more ignorance that a lack of imagination. I've had a good think and, aside from a mumbled first verse of 'All things Bright and Beautiful', I'm pretty sure the only hymn I know is the opening theme of the Vicar of Dibley. Thankfully I'm unlikely to have a church wedding because I'm not sure how well that'd go down.

We had Jerusalem because my husband is English and we got married in Wales, and We Pledge To One Another (which is the tune of I Vow To Thee My Country). Choosing hymns was one of my favourite parts of planning!

I wanted One More Step Along the World I Go too but DH was not a fan.

Depends whether you and majority of congregation are regulars. If you aren't usually Church attending, you'll probably only remember a few schooldays hymns. This is likely to be childlike things such as All things..
Most church attenders will have wider repertoires and may have stronger view about their music. Depends whether high church or not too.
We had Schuberts Ave Maria, Here I am, Make me a Channel, Jerusalem, Bind us together and Walk with me.

I am a fairly regular church goer but many of our guests are not and nor is dp, so for their enjoyment and comfort we have chosen well-known tunes (prince of denmark's march in, Mendelssohn out, love divine, guide me oh though great redeemer (for the rugby fans), dear lord and father)

Also on the subject of readings we were only offered two, and Corinthians was definitely the better choice, so this is probably why everyone has it.

Our vicar said that a lot of people who get married in the church haven't actually been to a service in years so they tend to choose what they had at school - or other weddings!

All things bright and beautiful is just awful!

It's sad that most people nowadays do not have a large hymn repertoire. It's nothing to do with being religious. We all know and enjoy pop songs where we don't particularly subscribe to the meaning of the lyrics.

Ds's piano teacher said he used to teach bits of music theory through hymns. Gradually fewer and fewer pupils knew the hymns. So he moved onto carols. Except that then most of these became unfamiliar.

I accompanied the Guides carol singing at an old people's home last year. I started off singing lustily out of the pamphlet and no one else was singing. They didn't know "Once in Royal David's City" In fact we ended up having to do "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" and "Silent Night" on repeat.

I walked down the isle to the 2nd movement of the Bach Double Violin Concerto and back out to 1st movement of Brandenburg 5.

My DD played a Bach Minuet in the signing of the vows.

I wanted Pachelbels Cannon but came to the conclusion it was a bit overused for weddings IMHO so went for something more personal to me. Not a church so no hymns, didn't have a first dance but did insist the DJ played plenty of Smiths!

I was wondering about Welsh weddings because I've never been to one. Are they wall to wall Guide Me Oh Thou Great Redeemer?

It's sad that most people nowadays do not have a large hymn repertoire

We used to have weekly hymn practice at school. I hated it at the time but they really stuck and I have actually found knowing them quite useful (which is more can be said for the months and months we spent learning about limestone ).

Nenny I love the day thou gavest. It's beautiful for a funeral

I really wanted Abide with me as I love it but mil said it was only for funerals, made a real fuss. So dh and I chose bread of heaven (aka Who's the bastard in the Black from football chants) and guide me now oh great redeemer (the one Mr Bean sang 'Alleluyaah' to). Shut her right up as they were 'proper' hymns but it made us laugh. (This was over 20 years ago now, we were very early twenties)

My old vicar once mentioned that non-churchgoers always complain about church hymns, but when asked which ones they would suggest instead, they can't think of any - most people only know about six. That's why most weddings have the same hymns. He particularly detested "Jerusalem" and thought it inappropriate for a wedding, William and Kate had that and it featured in 4 Weddings & a Funeral as a wedding cliche.

I don't like Here Comes the Bride but I must admit I feel cheated if a wedding doesn't have the Mendelssohn at the end. It's so joyous!

If they're very traditional, Cormorant, they're all in Welsh. The service, the hymns, the lot.

I'm going to one in Cardiff next week. Will be interesting to see how 'Welsh' it is; her brother's was an English service with Welsh hymns.

Surely those are just different bits of the same hymn Sooty?

"bread of heaven (aka Who's the bastard in the Black from football chants) and guide me now oh great redeemer "

That's the same one

Autumn days when the grass is jewelled and the silk inside a chestnut shell... jet planes meeting in the air to be refueled all the things I know so well... so I mustn't forget no I mustn't forget ...

Which is ironic as I had indeed forgotten this hymn until a previous poster reminded me of it :)

I can smell wet uniforms and rubber soled shoes and the wood polish from the hall. And misery! Not exactly what I'd want to be transported back to when swapping vows

I used to sing in a church choir
I had father hear the prayer we offer, o come o come Emmanuel and I vow to thee my country
I've already requested the day thou gavest for my funeral

I did nearly get an attack of the giggles at a wedding before when 'Bind us together' came on as a hymn. The couple had for some reason told me before about their bondage appreciation.
Also why do weddings in the UK insist on having so many verses for the hymns? used to ones here where it's one or two then sit back down.

I was going to mention Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer as one of my favourites, and that it's especially good if you have some Welsh family members to belt out the "Bread of Heaven" bit...

Now it's being mentioned as two songs?!

Good guess @FrancisCrawford but you didn't catch the bouquet I'm afraid.

I came in to Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, hymns were The Lord is My Shepherd and Bind us Together, signing of the register was Sheep My Safely Graze and we left to Widors Toccata from Symphony No 5.

Doubt that's outing as no one will remember apart from me and DH!

Admittedly I haven't been to many church weddings since ... people seem to have civil ceremonies more often now.... but I've never heard any of those at another wedding....

I'm sure if people thought about it they would know more hymns we had tell out my soul love divine (blaernwern -sp????) and make me a channel of your peace. Nearly everyone knew them and not exactly left field. Came out to widors toccata (still think this is the greatest recessional music). Thank god we had an amazing organist

Bugger great choices of music

Foo - exactly the same music for mine but the organist wasn't quite up to the job and we came out of church to what sounded more like a free form jazz version of the Queen of Sheba. We laugh about it now...