Wedding Music

Last fall when I started planning this wedding, one of the first things I was looking into was music for the wedding ceremony. Given that we are getting married at an outdoor chapel, we originally wanted a string quartet or something similar. After some preliminary research, I found most instrumental groups to be quite expensive (~$500 and more). The cost of labour is probably appropriate but there was no way I was going to spend that much money for music. Then I got to thinking about how my parents invested so much money in piano lessons for me and my sisters as we were growing up. And what better way to personalize our wedding then by having my very own sister perform wedding ceremony music? So I asked my sister, Valerie to play piano for our wedding ceremony and she graciously accepted.

Early on, she pressed Colin and I to decide on the wedding music so that she could have ample time to practice. Initially, Colin and I had slightly different views about the type of music. He wanted classical music whereas I preferred something more contemporary. However, it really didn't matter to me too much. Here is what we have worked out so far:

Processional (Parents and Bridesmaids' entry): Pachebel's Canon in D
Processional (Bride's Entry): Bach's Air on the G String
Signing of the Registry: Bach's Prelude in C Major
Recessional: Handel's Water Music (Allegro Maestoso)

The timing of the pieces still need to be worked out. Colin and I have to do another site visit to Oakview Terrace before the pieces can be finalized; but it is more or less decided. Now, we have to agree on a song for our first dance...