Songs from Musicals suitable for weddings

cailinoBAC

Do many people use songs from musicals in church weddings? I know we have to be careful about some of the songs we use, so that they are ok with the priest. I love musicals and while I don't want a 'musical only' wedding, I would like one or two numbers, but when I think of any and then think of the lyrics, I'm not sure that they would be suitable. But maybe I'm just being paranoid?

I think I might take 'sunrise/sunset' just as an instrumental.
Also, the one I've come across a lot as a suggestion is 'one hand, one heart' from West Side Story. Can this be sung as a female solo?

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Nervous Wreck

This is a great one. For me, the best version of this was done by Peter MacNicol on an episode of Ally McBeal but youtube doesn't seem to have the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gf1I86kAIk

Also, this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CYI5bKZMes

Ilovelucy

What about something from godspell?

Paul.M92

What about secret love from calamity jane? its a nice song and can be done really well

clunked

:D:D:D:D:D:D Sorry, couldn't resist

STAR2011

The wedding song from The Beautiful Game (believe the musical is called the boy in the photograph now) is a beautiful wedding song

Silvics

My Best Girl from Mame-the best version is from Angela Lansbury but is impossible to find on YouTube...this is the only complete version I found and the second vid is a truncated version of the song by Connie Francis

Of this from Camelot

or this one

Markiemarkso

All I ask of you from The Phanton of the Opera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h43VhgiYQgI

Think we will be using this ourselves

athtrasna

None of the music I wanted was approved by the church, broke my heard. Really wanted One Hand One Heart...and it was in the book of wedding prayers our own priest had given us but the Parish Priest of the church we were getting married vetoed it. Don't set your heart of stuff without finding out official policy.

fataltragedy

OP, did the priest give a reason why?? Usually in the majority of Irish churches (I'm speaking Catholic though, wouldn't be sure on Protestant so maybe that's what happened here) at the signing of the register, they are usually pretty easygoing as to what the couple have done music-wise because that's not a 'churchy' part of the wedding.

I play music at weddings - and have done so for the last eight years or so, and very rarely encountered problems unless people wanted like a pop song for the psalm or ridiculous requests like that. Have played (with a singer) Pie Jesu, All I Ask Of You, Music of the Night, & so on & so forth for countless weddings so it seems quite odd of the priest to not allow any - especially at the signing?

That said, I do always encourage brides to set out the list of music they feasibly want and get it a-ok'd by the church first before settling on it. It sucks when you find out you can't use something you really want for your wedding with no way around it Unless - of course - you're having some instrumental music for the lighting of the candles, and have a musician play it then, just with no singer?

athtrasna

fataltragedy wrote: »

Have played (with a singer) Pie Jesu

Really?? People wanted music from Requiem at their wedding? A bit like She Moved Through the Fair...not really wedding music IMO

fataltragedy

athtrasna wrote: »

Really?? People wanted music from Requiem at their wedding? A bit like She Moved Through the Fair...not really wedding music IMO

Sure they do. Pie Jesu is one of the more popular pieces actually - again, at the signing of the register. That, and The Prayer would be two of the regular 'duetty' ones done.

For many people it doesn't really matter as to the meaning of the song, or the background of it, or what it's about etc. Some people like the music. For others it holds memories. I've done She Moved Through the Fair at weddings before. I also did a Braveheart-music-themed wedding ceremony in a church, along with many other random selections including songs like 'When You Say Nothing At All' and 'O Happy Day' as people walk back down the aisle after getting married.

Some priests can be strict, but I'm genuienly surprised to hear of one (again, presuming this is a Catholic wedding which it may not be) that won't allow a song from the musical at all during the entire thing.

athtrasna

We got a 3 page document of rules and dos and don'ts for our church. The priest insisted that their organist had to approve all the music and as I said, she vetoed some. If I recall correctly she also insisted that we swap where two of the hymns were in the programme, one of them being Ave Maria and I can't remember the other one.

That same priest had been known to turn up at weddings he wasn't presiding over and stop music which hadn't been approved. It was a risk we weren't willing to take. Only 7 years ago, not in the dark ages.

fataltragedy

athtrasna wrote: »

We got a 3 page document of rules and dos and don'ts for our church. The priest insisted that their organist had to approve all the music and as I said, she vetoed some. If I recall correctly she also insisted that we swap where two of the hymns were in the programme, one of them being Ave Maria and I can't remember the other one.

That same priest had been known to turn up at weddings he wasn't presiding over and stop music which hadn't been approved. It was a risk we weren't willing to take. Only 7 years ago, not in the dark ages.

Ah - so it was the organist, not the priest? If you're not getting in your own musicians (and thus know how flexible they are etc) then I would understand a church-provided organist saying no to music they weren't comfortable in playing?

Otherwise, if it was a case of you getting in your own musicians but the residing organist who wasn't even taking part in the wedding day at all was saying yes or no to the music, that genuienly seems ridiculous and totally disrespectful to ye as the couple getting married!

athtrasna

It was the latter. We didn't want their organist/dragon but she still had to approve the music using guidelines from the PP. After all of that then the organist tried to get us to pay her anyway seeing as she had first call on the organ. Luckily I knew she was playing a wedding elsewhere that day so called her bluff.

But like I said, the PP had been known to stop music during weddings when it hadn't been approved. Hopefully not too many like him but I would certainly advise running the music by the priest before setting your heart on it.

Moonbeam

I like some enchanted evening as a wedding song.

cailinoBAC

Well we still haven't got the music set in stone, but at the moment the only music I have on the list from musicals is 'Sunrise Sunset' and 'Til there was you'. Sunrise sunset is not exactly very happy and wouldn't really fit in anywhere, so I am thinking of basically having it played by string quartet before the procession. Fiddler on the Roof was probably the first musical I ever went to, I was about 5, my Dad was in the chorus and we learnt all the songs. I suppose if you think of the lyrics, there is a whole Father Daughter thing, though it's probably a good thing that there won't be any lyrics because I'd probably end up crying!
Til there was you, well no great story to it, I like the song and I'm thinking of having it at signing of the register.

cailinoBAC

Does anybody know where I can find a score for Sunrise Sunset for a string quartet? Only seem to be able to find voice and piano or full orchestra or choral.

Captain Beyond

"One Hand, One Heart" is a classic love song from the popular musical West Side Story. Here's "One Hand, One Heart" from Dionne Warwick On Stage and At The Movies, you can check the lyrics.