It was on March 4th and it already seems like so long ago! As I’ve mentioned in a previous entry, being part of a family full of musicians, il was really important for my (now) husband and I that music would be a major part of our wedding. It was essential for us that our musical choices be meaningful and shape a ceremony that reflected us. Therefore, we asked my father, my kids and my wonderful friends from the Collectif that were all there to join us and create a happy mix of string instruments, piano, accordion, guitar and voice that went like this…
The bride’s entrance (me!)
I chose to go down the aisle with our 3 girls, while my groom was waiting for me nervously at the altar with his son. We chose the most romantic song there is : Neil Young’s Harvest Moon and I asked my father to play it. My friends at the Collectif from the Quebec team (Marie-Noëlle, Marie-Christine and Pascale) made this moment even more emotional by joining him with a string trio arrangement written by the wonderful Frédérick Desroches. When I told our celebrant (and friend) that I wanted the whole song that lasts 6 minutes, he thought I was the slowest walker on Earth! Obviously, I didn’t walk for 6 minutes, but I wanted to be able to listen to this song and allow our guests to enjoy or discover this gorgeous song. As soon as I heard the first notes played by the violin and my father’s first phrase, I started bawling. It went on for the FULL six minutes. Ladies, I’m never going to be the one judging you for getting emotional on your wedding day!
After the celebrant’s introduction…
… (my husband’s best friend) during which he teared up a little, we listened to Glen Hansard’s Falling Slowly played by a string quartet including my two girls and my friends from the Collectif. My daughter Flavie started the cello when she was 3 years old and my daughter Héloïse started the violin when she was 4 years old. It was moving to see them playing so well, alongside my friends, after so many years of practicing (and thorough follow-up from their mom, might I add)!
The musical choice that followed our vows…
... was inspired by a couple that we played for last year. They requested a string quartet arrangement of a Patrick Watson song : Je te laisserai des mots. I remember getting goosebumps when we played their special arrangement for their gorgeous wedding in North Hatley. On a side note, the first artist I saw in a live show with my partner was Patrick Watson. Therefore, it only made sense that this was the perfect choice for this moment. At first, I thought about playing it myself, but I ended up asking my daughter to play the cello part.
During the tattoo session.
My partner and I both have 2 children. Our wedding had a very special meaning for our family because of this reason. We addressed vows to our children and chose to each get matching (temporary) tattoos of pretty flowers hearts to symbolize our union. Our friend, an electronic music creator and DJ, had invited guests to bring percussion instruments to accompany one of his musical creations during the tattoo session. It added just the right amount of lightheartedness to a ceremony that was filled with tears!
The « Kid’s song ».
We wanted to involve the kids as much as possible in our celebration. We suggested that they perform a song all together and they were so happy to prepare something. The little pianist in the family learned a piece during his lesson and I wrote a string accompaniment for the 3 other kids. We had such a good time watching them rehearse in the living room, waiting for pizza on Friday nights!
The « Couple’s song ».
Finally, we crowned the musical performances of our wedding ceremony with La Complainte de la butte (popularized in the movie Moulin Rouge by Rufus Wainwright), played as a duet on accordion and cello by none other than the newlyweds. My partner had only been learning the accordion for a few months, but we thought it would be a good idea to play our first duet together. My dear now-husband worked hard, but he was amazing. We had a lot of fun taking some time as a couple to play music in the months leading up to our wedding!
You’re probably thinking : « Well this is all very nice, but I’m not a musician! How can I leave all this space in my ceremony for music? How can I use the power of music to make my ceremony reflect my personal story and create something special? » I will tell you all about it in my next entry!
