The order of service for my last wedding had on it a thank-you ‘for the beautiful music’.
Oops, I thought, that’s a bit premature. So even though it was only W & M*, I became rather nervous. However, yesterday I was actually sent pictures of the wedding, something that has never happened before. So I can only assume that they did like the music after all …
On the subject of weddings, here’s a snippet of a telephone conversation I once had with a bride:
Bride: … and can you play ‘The Marriage of Figaro’?
Me: That’s a whole opera. Which bit?
Bride: er … Track 8.
I’m sure there are lots of anecdotes out there from wedding organists. Please comment if you would like to share one.
Evelyn
*W&M = Wagner, Bridal March from Lohengrin (‘Here comes the bride’) and Mendelssohn, Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In other words, the two usual ones.
To post a comment or a question, click the link below. You’ll be asked for your email address for security, but it will not be published. You can use your own name or a pseudonym. If you’d rather not comment publicly but would like to get in touch, please feel free to email the blog editor directly (evelyn.stell@forthinpraise.co.uk).
A W&M wedding: Is that a bit like a C&A funeral? (Crimond and Abide with me.)
Comment by Simon N. — October 23, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
Thanks, Simon, for kicking off the comments. In the same vein, I must mention those old wedding stalwarts BUT and GAM (Bind Us Together and Gounod’s Ave Maria). The wedding in question did have BUT but instead of GAM they had what they called ‘Bach’s Air’ (from Suite No.3 in D, once unforgettably appearing on my order of service as ‘Air on a G-string’!)
Comment by evelyn — October 24, 2009 @ 7:30 pm