Music at Your Wedding

Please Read This Section Carefully 

We consider every wedding conducted in the Sanctuary or Chapel a sacred event. Therefore, specific guidelines exist for selection of appropriate music for your wedding.  Your decision to use the facilities of Country Club Christian church implies that you have read and understood these policies and that you agree to follow them. If you feel strongly about the music to be selected for your wedding, you may wish to talk with your assigned organist before you make a final decision about the use of the sanctuary or the chapel.

Music is a very important part of your wedding and we are ready to help you plan that part of your service. You will be assigned an organist for your wedding. That person will be either the Minister of Music or the Associate Organist of the Church. It is the policy of the Church that only the Minister of Music or the Associate Organist is permitted to play the organ in either facility.  As soon as possible, you should contact your organist to answer any specific questions you might have about your wedding music, and to make arrangements for a music consultation.  Your consultation may take one of several forms:

1. You may meet your organist at the Church. There you will hear excerpts of many processional and recessional pieces that might be used, as well as plan the remainder of your wedding music.
   
   
2. If you live out of town, or have busy schedules, both organists stock CDs available for loan. You may email davidd@cccckc.org with your request to have a CD mailed to you. The CDs contain excerpts of processionals and recessionals as mentioned above. You may listen to the recording and call your organist with your choices.
   
   
3. You may also listen to sample music here. 

What music may be used?

Since we consider your wedding a sacred service, any music used at the wedding must be appropriate for a worship service. Since worship in various faith traditions may be different from each other, we define a worship service based on our worship traditions at Country Club Christian Church.

The most widely asked question about music at your wedding concerns the use of “popular” music for weddings. This type of music is often characterized as movie music, musical show tunes, Top 40, easy listening, Country, etc. These types of music are appropriate to be played and/or sung at the reception, but not often in the worship experience itself. This includes music played/ or sung before the wedding actually begins as well. There are, however, many possibilities of music that may be used.

Another question often asked is in regard to using recorded music. Our policy is that we do not use any recorded music for the wedding. Our belief is that in worship God is best served in the present, and with live musicians. You will find that many of the pieces you might like to have played are available as organ or piano music.

If you have questions regarding these policies, please contact the assigned organist well in advance of your wedding, avoiding any possible conflict.

Final approval of all music to be played and/or sung at the ceremony will be at the discretion of the assigned organist. It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to contact their organist well in advance of the wedding to discuss the music for the wedding. Failure to do so will empower the organist to select the pieces for the wedding.

Vocalists and Instrumentalists

Vocalists:  If you have a friend or family member you would like to have sing for your wedding, we welcome them.  However, if you would like to have a vocalist, but do not know someone to sing, both staff organists have a list of vocalists that we might recommend to you. In either case, please be aware of the following:

1. In planning your vocal music, we recommend no more than three songs, each of about 3 minutes in duration.
   
   
2. It is the responsibility of the couple to see that the vocalist contacts the organist in sufficient time to approve the vocal selections and to set up a rehearsal time. Vocalists do not generally sing at the wedding rehearsal. They will need to arrange some time other than then to practice with your organist.
   
   
3. It is the responsibility of the vocalist to provide copies of the music to be sung (in the appropriate key) for use at the wedding. These copies will be returned to the soloist following the ceremony. 
   
   
4. Neither the Minister of Music not the Associate Organist will transpose the keys of any vocal music without an additional fee. If transposing of a piece is needed, our music staff needs as much lead time as possible.
   
   
5. Also, please be aware that photocopies are illegal and therefore not acceptable for use!
   
   
6. See below for use of additional microphones.
   
   
7. Vocalists will be paid directly by the wedding couple.  It is understood that the church is in no way responsible for any legal obligations that may arise from the hiring of such persons.

Instrumentalists: The use of outside instrumentalists (brass, classical guitar, harp, etc) is certainly permissible in both the Sanctuary and the Chapel. As with vocalists, we maintain a list of many players in the area and would be glad to give you names, depending on your budgets and needs. If you have questions about what portions of the wedding might be played by instruments other than the piano and organ, please contact your assigned organist. Also, please be aware that only acoustic instruments may play for the weddings at Country Club. This means no electric or amplified instruments may be used in either facility.

Use of the Sound System

Both the Chapel and Sanctuary have excellent sound systems. In each venue there are two stationary microphones available for your readers and/or singers.  Because of the size of the Sanctuary, additional considerations apply.

1. If your singer needs to be close to the piano, and neither stationary microphone is close enough, we can arrange for no more than two additional microphones on stands. This option is not available in the Chapel.

2. Please be aware that we do not employ an audio person to monitor the sound board. Therefore, the sound system is run in automatic mode. This means, we can not do any mixing of vocal signals. This would apply particularly if you are having a duet sung.

3. No one from your wedding party, your personal wedding coordinator, or videographer may touch the sound board for any purpose. If your videographer requires a sound feed for the tape of your wedding, they may plug into the headphone jack (requiring a cable with a ¼ inch plug) on our recording deck.  It is the responsibility of the videographer to supply the necessary cable for this purpose.  In addition, should the videographer need this sound feed, they must make these arrangements in advance of the wedding date with the assigned organist.

4. You may not bring in any type of sound equipment (CD players, cassette deck, etc.) for the purpose of playing any recorded music during the wedding.

There are NO exceptions to any of the above music policies.