Wedding Music Guidelines

The Music Director is happy to work with you to enhance your wedding liturgy through reverent, beautiful and prayerful music. Please contact Lyndon Meyer at lmeyer@churchofsaintmary.com at least 3 months before the wedding date to schedule an in-person consultation. Some weddings take place in the context of the Mass (with the Eucharist) and others take place as a separate wedding rite, without the Mass. Please meet with your priest and have already made this decision before contacting the Music Director. During the consultation, the Music Director will guide you through selecting appropriate music for the liturgy and will answer any questions you may have.

According to parish policy, there are a number of guidelines to keep in mind:

• The Music Director has “right of first refusal” to play all weddings at the Church of Saint Mary. Even If you wish to use an outside musician to play for your wedding, you must contact the Music Director for approval. A$200 bench fee is required to be paid to the Music Director.
• Absolutely no pre-recorded music is allowed in the church at anytime.
• The wedding or Mass is sacred liturgy that takes place in the presence of God, in a sacred space. Any vocal music must be sacred in nature (i.e. no pop songs or songs that focus solely on the material nature of love, without mentioning God, etc.). Instrumental selections (including those in a popular idiom) are allowed, as long as they aren’t arrangements of pop songs or movie tunes that are widely known and would otherwise be inappropriate.
• In general, the Music Director does not attend the wedding rehearsal. If you wish the Music Director to attend the rehearsal, there will be an additional $200 fee.

 

The Music Director can assist with a number of options to enhance the music at your wedding, including:

Vocal soloists or Cantors

The preferred option is to have the Music Director act as cantor and organist, unless you specifically request one of our parish cantors. Outside singers are generally not allowed, unless they are close family or friends, and have experience as a cantor and vocal soloist.

Vocal Ensembles

A quartet of singers can add greatly to the beauty of the liturgy. Sample recordings can be provided if you are interested. Please inquire for pricing.

Instruments or instrumental Ensembles

The Music Director can contract instrumentalists for you. Options include trumpet, violin solo, string quartet, harp, or any combination of the above. Average prices for instrumentalists range from $125 to $200 per person. If you wish to provide your own instrumentalist, there will be an additional fee for rehearsal time (see below).

In addition, the Music Director is happy to design and create a custom congregational program for your wedding. This service is free of charge and sample programs are available.

Starting in April 2023, the base fee for the Music Director is $250 for a simple wedding (outside of Mass) and no additional instruments. The following surcharges will apply:

• Wedding Mass (with Eucharist): add $50
• Additional vocalists/instrumentalists: add $25 per musician (contracted by Music Director)
• Outside vocalists/instrumentalists: add $50 per musician (NOT contracted by Music Director)

All fees, including those for musicians contracted by the Music Director, must be paid by check at least one week prior to the wedding.