Event Planning | Four Strings

Classical Wedding Ceremony Programs

June 20, 2023 by david

1. Ultra-Traditional

Seating of Honored Guests: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach)
Bridal Party: Canon in D (Pachelbel)
Bridal Processional: Bridal Chorus from “Lohengrin” (Wagner)
Recessional: Wedding March from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Mendelssohn)

2. Traditional II

Seating of Honored Guests: Trumpet Tune from “The Island Princess” (Clarke)
Bridal Party: Air from Suite 1 in F (Handel)
Bridal Processional: Prince Of Denmark’s March [Trumpet Voluntary] (Clarke)
Recessional: Alla hornpipe from Suite 2 in D (Handel)

3. Traditional III

Seating of Honored Guests: Air from Orchestral Suite 3 (Bach)
Bridal Party: Air from Suite 1 in F (Handel)
Bridal Processional: Canon in D (Pachelbel)
Recessional: Trumpet Voluntary (Stanley)

4. All-Handel

Seating of Honored Guests: Largo from “Xerxes” (Handel)
Bridal Party: Air from Suite 1 in F (Handel)
Bridal Processional: March from “An Occasional Oratorio” (Handel)
Recessional: Alla hornpipe from Suite 2 in D (Handel)

Venues | Chapel at Ana Villa

March 18, 2015 by david

Name: Chapel at Ana Villa

Location: 5921 Stone Creek Dr, Lewisville, TX 75056

Website: https://waltersweddingestates.com/venues/chapel-at-ana-villa-the-colony/

Description: A beautiful space with excellent live sound. According to the website, it accommodates up to 275 guests. There is enough space at the front for the ensemble to sit without interfering with a larger bridal party.

Recommended Ensembles: Any

Amplification: Not required. The space is naturally resonant; even the smallest ensemble can fill the room with sound.

Venues | First United Methodist Church-Fort Worth

March 16, 2015 by david

Name: First United Methodist Church – Fort Worth

Location: 800 W 5th St, Fort Worth, TX 76102

Website: www.fumcfortworth.org

Description: The large sanctuary provides plenty of space for guests, and the broad front means no crowding of ceremony participants. Multiple seating areas for musicians are available. The space is very resonant, so acoustic ensembles are amplified naturally.

Recommended Ensembles: Any

Amplification: Sound is available on-site (venue provided), but is not necessary. The room is very resonant and even the duo can be easily heard.

Venues | First National Bank of Tom Bean

February 16, 2015 by david

Name: First National Bank of Tom Bean

Location: 109 S. Britton, Tom Bean, TX 75489

Website: www.fnbtb.com

Description: The First National Bank of Tom Bean features a Grand Community Room, a large rectangular room with a fireplace at one end and an attached kitchen. The room is hard-surfaced, so acoustics are resonant. As regular readers will know, this is both helpful and challenging, depending on your event. For a wedding or quiet dinner, musicians and speakers are easily heard by guests. In a more lively or crowded reception, guest sound can overwhelm acoustic musicians, though those closer to the music will still hear without problem.

Recommended Ensembles: Any

Amplification: Not required

Planning Your Wedding Music: Traditional 2

January 6, 2015 by david

Traditional 2 represents an alternative legacy to the pieces in the Ultra-Traditional set. While not heard as often today, all are well-established wedding favorites. If you desire recognizable wedding music for your ceremony, but feel that the most common selections have become a bit cliché, this set may be just what you want!

Seating of Honored Guests

Clarke – Trumpet Tune from ‘The Island Princess’
Originally written as dramatic music for the semi-opera “The Island Princess” and frequently misattributed to Henry Purcell, the “Trumpet Tune in D” was featured in the first televised English royal wedding, the 1960 nuptials of Princess Margaret to Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. In that ceremony it was used as the recessional music.

Processional of the Bridal Party

Handel – Air from Suite 1 in F
Composed in 1717 and premiered as part of the first suite of Handel’s “Water Music”, the “Air in F” is a contemplative piece well-suited for any processional.

Bridal Processional

Clarke – Prince Of Denmark’s March
Sometimes called “Trumpet Voluntary” and for many years mistakenly attributed to Henry Purcell, this music is perhaps most famous as the bridal processional for Lady Diana Spencer in her internationally-viewed 1981 wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales.

Recessional

Handel – Alla hornpipe from Suite 2 in D
Our second most-frequently requested recessional, the “Alla hornpipe” also belongs to the “Water Music” suites of Handel. The lively nature of the music is well-suited for exit music!