Wedding arrangements can be difficult when couples ask for inappropriate songs. Mgr Charles Pope looks at this question on his excellent blog for the Archdiocese of Washington. Mercifully, I don't face this too often; couples who have taken the decision to get married in Church can usually sense that there are things that might be rather tacky in that context even if they don't completely get the idea of sacred music. (This summer I am blessed to be celebrating a wedding for a practising Catholic couple who do get it, and have chosen some fine sacred music. Please remember them in your prayers.)
The dialogue in Mgr Pope's post Wedding music and other difficulties brings me out in a cold sweat. Unlike the "smart or lucky" priests in the US who have a paid music director, most English parish priests do not have the financial resources for that, and so it would be me trying to persuade Bridezilla that "Baby It's You" would really be better for the reception than the Church.
Mgr Pope closes his post with this funny video of Tim Hawkins speculating on some inappropriate wedding songs.
3 comments:
My niece came down the aisle to 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen...
I was at a wedding in Ireland in the Spring and the communion song was "You fill up my senses". Tacky, so tacky.
The idea of having an objective standard for the music at Mass is completely alien to us under-30s, especially at "my wedding Mass"..
I sent the English Nuptial Propers by Dom Samuel Weber to two couples I know who will marry next year. All four people are devout Catholics. One couple are basically having a 'Christian rock/praise & worship' Mass. I'll probably end up serving (with cotton wool in my ears). The other couple were really taken with them, and have asked the Cathedral choir to learn them. So there is hope!
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