This information has been prepared for you by Emmelia van der Walt, Director of Music at All Saints’, Springfield.

I hope you will find this information a help when you come to choose your music for the service. I have met so many brides-to-be who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety in the few months before the big day. Please don’t go through agony. We are all here to help you.

All Saints’ Church is blessed with many talented people who can help in any way you wish. Just make your wish or problems known to me or to Raymond, our Rector. We will point you in the right direction or put you in touch with the person or people who can help, whether it is organising flowers or choosing music. Don’t feel you are on your own. We want to celebrate your wedding with you by helping in any way we can.

First of all, I can help with ideas for hymns and music before and after the service. You are more than welcome to ring me, or come to the organ after a service; I will play through the music that you may wish to hear before you make any decisions.

We have a hymn book with a wealth of songs, so I will only list the most popular wedding hymns here:

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
O perfect love
Now thank we all our God
Guide me, O thou great Redeemer

The following hymns are normally chosen because couples remember them from school and they like the joyful melodies:

Lord of the dance (I danced in the morning)
All things bright and beautiful
Give me joy in my heart (Sing Hosanna)
Morning has broken
One more step along the world I go

The following hymns have been chosen in the past due to footballers or rugby players attending the wedding, and also because of the beautiful music:

‘Jerusalem’

‘I vow to thee my country’; the words have nothing in common with a wedding, so in our new hymn book the words are: ‘O God beyond all praising’, which is much more acceptable as far as I am concerned. Couples like this melody because it comes from the Planet Suite by Gustav Holst (very nationalistic or British, in my opinion)

Here follows an example of an order of service for couples who wish to produce their own:

Order of Service

Bridal March – Wagner

Hymn 1
(Words can be typed from the hymn book, or you may use hymn books instead)

The Marriage

Readings

Thought for the day by the minister

Hymn 2
(During this hymn, the couple proceed to the altar where they kneel for prayers)

Prayers
(followed by the Lord’s Prayer said by everybody)

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
for thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

Notices by the Minister

Hymn 3

The blessing

Signing of the Register

Wedding March – Mendelssohn

You are kindly requested not to use photographic equipment during the service. Thank you.
(This is printed in small or italic print at the bottom of the last page of the order of service)

Choir’s repertoire for weddings:

Rutter – Gaelic Blessing
Rutter – The Lord bless you and keep you
Franck – Panis angelicus
Prayer of Richard of Chichester
Elgar – Ave Verum
Mozart – Ave Verum
Byrd – Ave Verum

We have other anthems in our repertoire, including Gospel songs. Anything else you would like us to sing, we are willing to learn. We have done a Beatles’ number before for a bride when she walked up the aisle, so we try to oblige, and like to think we are versatile!

Examples of alternative Music suitable for the entrance of the bride:

Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke (even though we haven’t got a trumpet stop on the organ!);
Trumpet Tune – Purcell;
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel;

Examples of alternative Exit Music:

Toccata – Widor
Fanfare – Lemmens
Sortie – Lefebre-Wely

Much more available – come and see me at the organ.