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!

Oh no now I feel judged for having All Things Bright and Beautiful! In my defence it was the hymn they sang at my mum and dad's wedding, so it was a link with that.

However I walk down the aisle to an instrumental version of a Phantom of the Opera song, we walked out to a song by the Beach Boys, and we signed the register to a song by Keane. So a bit more varied?

Either way as long as the couples all had what they wanted it's a non-issue really.

Maxandruby - we had Tell out my soul which I thought was really well known but hardly anybody sang it. We also had Jerusalem which I don't really like but chose for family reasons.

kally was the BeachBoys song God only knows? I would have used it but the registrar said no (no religious references allowed at a civil wedding). Also I must confess I'm a liar lair pants on fire. I must join the ranks of those who ignored the clue in the title and left to the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. I made my entrance to the Grand March from Aida. The intervening years have switched the titles in my head.

Widor Toccata is absolutely sensational in the hands (and feet) of a brilliant organist (which we were lucky enough to have at our wedding).
Shouldn't be attempted by the incompetent!

We had absolutely no choice - minister in my parents' local parish church told us what hymns and processional we had to have and that was the end of it. There's a reason he's cut out of the photos. That said, friends tell similar stories of a lack of flexibility in church weddings.

Civil ceremonies are just as bad as church ones for unoriginal music.

Ellie Goulding; The Piano Guys; Christina Perri; Ed Sheeran; Bruno Mars; Stevie Wonder if you fancy going old school.

I had Love Divine, and we signed the register to We've Only Just Begun by the Carpenters.

One of my relatives had a gospal choir. They were very good. Different.

We had I vow to thee my country, my mum ( a church goer ) was horrified as its not a traditiional wedding hymn at all.

Most people have these hymns you mentioned as others know them i think.

Allegretto. I had picked tell out my soul cos I love it then was met with a few blank looks, luckily my family is mainly comprised of people who have sung in church choirs for decades and a prepped chuch choir. Breakfast couldn't agree more about the widor our organist had to cancel at the last minute but promised me he would get someone good enough to do it (enter the cathedrals organist😁)

I'd always recommend to people that aren't part of a "church" community to pay to have a choir, nothing worse that hardly anyone singing it's just embarrassing

golden we had two reading, entrance, exit and register sign music. We weren't at a registry office but I've been to reg. Office weddings with reading and music.

I've just had to look up what my 3rd hymn was. We had: praise my soul the king of heaven, Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah (Welsh family, compulsory) and some random words to Londonderry air (Irish husband). Are they acceptable?!

Went in to I was Glad which is rather, um, overblown but I got married in a cathedral and I have a lot of friends who are singers.

You should attend an Asian wedding with lots of karaoke, usually when people are drunk!

We had Jerusalem and Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer at ours. And left to Widor's Toccata.

We were lucky to have a number of enthusiastic singers amongst our guests (my sister included; she's great value in any hymn-singing situation! 😁) so they sounded amazing. We got married in a small chapel, so there wasn't much space to fill with sound either!

I'm not religious, and when DP and I finally get around to getting married it'll just be a quick registry office do (we've been together 10+ years and 2 kids, so it's mainly just to simplify paperwork!) but I was sent to church my whole childhood, and love the rousing ones - 'Tell out my soul' is fantastic, and in a similar vein, 'Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven' - I just love how it jumps around - great choices!

I actually feel sorry for my kids who've only been to church for special occasions and have therefore largely missed out on rooms full of people plus organ belting them out.

Golden re nonreligious people having church weddings, a lot of Church of England vicars will take the view that as the established church, it is their job to marry anyone who asks and isn't excluded due to being related or, at the moment, same sex. Not quite sure what the law is but I have a feeling they are required to do so. It used to be that you had to live in the parish and some vicars still stick to that I believe.

I sat in a music shop for hours browsing through organ music - so it's highly likely that my processional and recessional were unknown to anyone before and have never been heard since. The organist didn't know them either.
Signing the register was a favourite anthem that only my musical friends would know - and they were singing it.
My hymns were a bit more mainstream because I needed the congregation to sing them!

I love I Was Glad!

We had Jerusalem, DH was insistent on that and a male voice choir.
He was horizontal about everything else.
Definitely agree all too samey nowadays.

We had colours of day being sung before leaving the church. The DSSs chose it. It was also one of my favourite hymns at school.

@GrumbleBumble yes it was, which was a bit funny as it's starts with "I might not always love you" - I'm sure it turned a few heads!