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Making your wedding ceremony personal

I have performed at a LOT of weddings. They’ve all been different and most of them have been special in their own way. (The fact that the couple has thought about live music for the ceremony would, I suppose, guarantee that!) Some people however, might not have the confidence or the ideas to personalise the serious part of the day. Adding some easy and personal touches can make a big difference.

On my wedding day the actual ceremony was as important, if not more so than the party afterwards. I had a church wedding, for which the service was around an hour. It had readings, music during the signing of the register and a good few hymns, all carefully chosen by me and my husband. Without some of the more traditional aspects of the church wedding service, a civil ceremony or civil partnership ceremony can be over in the blink of an eye. But how do you include these in a secular ceremony?

I love it when friends or family members read out stories or poems specific to the bridal couple. A registrar will usually give their own thoughts or advice for a happy marriage, but it’s always noticeable (to me at least!) which readings and sentiments come from those closest to the newly-weds. These always add extra energy, tears, laughter and love to the room!

But onto music, which is obviously my topic of choice. Singing makes you happy. Singing as a group brings people together and can be really joyful. (It can be awkward too but I’ll come to that in a minute.) Group singing adds a sense of occasion and gets people involved in what’s going on. Just because the wedding ceremony is secular, it doesn’t mean that it can’t have congregational or group singing. The only obstacle is what to sing if hymns or religious song are a no-go?

I’ve come up with some ideas. Hopefully one of them might help you to add an extra personal touch to your day:

  1. Songs with special meaning to you as a couple or which represent your respective families: This might be “your song” or a popular song with lyrics that ring true for you both. It might be a song special to your families which will help them feel involved.
  2. A well-known folk song could do the trick. Popular ones are: She moved through the fair/ The riddle song (also known as I gave my love a cherry)/ Drink to me only with thine eyes/ Wild mountain thyme (also known Will ye go lassie, go?)/ I know where I’m goin’/ My love is like a red, red rose/ Red is the rose.
  3. Patriotic hymns might be allowed by your registrar. As long as the hymn makes no mention of God or Jesus these could be an option for you. Jerusalem is perhaps the best-loved patriotic hymn, closely followed by I vow to thee my country, but you may find others you like.
  4. Hymn tunes with alternative lyrics can also work: The melody Slane, a traditional Irish tune, is used for two Christian hymns Be thou my vision and Lord of all hopefulness. Londonderry Air has been used for the folk song Danny Boy but also the Christian hymn I cannot tell why He, whom angels worship. Why not write your own words to a well-known tune or ask a friend to help?

As I mentioned earlier, group singing can be awkward if the group in question is not used to singing. I’d strongly recommend using a backing track with guide vocal, or hiring a singer or choir to lead the song from the front. Given some support, you may find people really get into it! Hiring a singer for your wedding ceremony doesn’t just have to be for solos. Make the most of them being there and get them leading everyone in celebratory song!

Hire Jennifer for your Wedding, Reception or Event

Jennifer is an extremely versatile Singer and Violinist and is available to book for your event

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Jennifer Maslin
5.0
Based on 25 reviews
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Clare Narramore
Clare Narramore
12:11 09 Jan 24
Jenny played at a 70th birthday celebration in Tunbridge Wells and it was delightful. It set a perfect background atmosphere to the evening.Jenny was easy to communicate with, getting back to me very quickly, and her fees were very reasonable for her time. Thankyou!
Steven Peterson
Steven Peterson
15:18 25 May 23
Jennifer was a special part of our magical day. She was extremely patient with me changing my mind and switching music choices close to the wedding date and was very helpful and reassuring. Multiple guests told us how they really enjoyed listening to her play the violin with one moved to tears by a particular song played (A Thousand Years). It sounds very magical on the wedding clips and Jenny is just the loveliest person to have at your special day. I highly recommend Jenny for all your music needs.
marketing wfhythe
marketing wfhythe
09:19 11 May 23
Jennifer enhances our customer's dining experience with her dulcet tones. We are privileged to have her as one of our resident performers in the restaurant; she has a beautiful voice!
Mary Chandler
Mary Chandler
07:55 31 May 22
Jennifer played the violin and sang at our wedding and was absolutely brilliant. We received so many compliments from our guests on her stunning voice and lovely playing, and to top it off she's a really friendly and accommodating person. Thanks again, Jenny, for making our day extra special x
Susanna Busi Jacobsohn
Susanna Busi Jacobsohn
12:02 22 Aug 21
Jennifer was a perfect choice when we were planning for our event at our Vineyard Busi Jacobsohn. We had a pre-war car party with picnic and Jennifer was singing jazz songs which we all loved, and perfect match to the day. We would not hesitate to engage her again. Susanna Busi Jacobsohn
Vicki Thompson
Vicki Thompson
09:57 02 Jun 21
Jennifer has the most delightful personality and smile. Gracious and most off beautifully talented. Her voice is outstanding and her talent on the violin admirable. Jennifer dated to the personality of our group and dinner party. Mixing some traditional Italian themed violin and adding some jazz style singing. We al danced and sang with her. It made our Birthday dinner party absolutely perfect.
Luisa Santos-Stephens
Luisa Santos-Stephens
14:56 20 Nov 19
Jennifer is an incredible singer. We had her with Cafe Society to play at my 40th and it was everything I could dream off- they played beautiful music, and brought a very good vibe to the party. All the guests talked about how great they were, with a repertoire of very nice songs which we loved to listen to, but at the same time allowing us to keep the conversation going. I can’t recommend her enough.
Lisa Purcell
Lisa Purcell
19:34 03 Sep 19
Jenny sang beautifully at our wedding in August 2019! She moved many members of the congregation to tears with her amazing singing. We absolutely loved it and would highly recommend her. Each time we meet up with friends and family that were there, they all comment on how amazing her singing was and how much they enjoyed it! She sang a Maori love song perfectly - commented the relatives from New Zealand! X
Rachel McGuckin
Rachel McGuckin
16:06 27 Jun 19
Jenny was the absolute highlight of our wedding ceremony. We picked some tricky songs and she had the whole audience joining in at the chorus. Luckily they didn't join at all points because it gave everyone a chance to hear her beautiful voice as well! I can't recommend highly enough.
Kate McNamara
Kate McNamara
14:36 12 Jun 19
Jenny was amazing from the moment I enquired about her playing the violin at our wedding ceremony. So quick to respond, helpful, friendly, flexible & professional, and was able to recommend songs and even learnt a new song for the exit music.I was so confident that she had everything under control which was invaluable and it was something on the day that I knew I just didn’t have to worry about.Jenny is so talented and it really added to the ceremony, I am so pleased that I found her! Thank you so so much!
Aimee Curry
Aimee Curry
13:56 15 Feb 19
We highly recommend Jenny! She played amazing violin music beautifully at our wedding. Jenny was so lovely and was so approachable and helpful to plan our ceremony music which was a highlight of the day and also the drinks reception music.
T Whyte
T Whyte
19:17 30 Jan 19
Jenny sang at our wedding - her music set the tone and made for a truly special experience. She has a beautiful voice, is very easy to work with, and worked seamlessly with our (very exacting) venue to get everything just right. Thank you Jenny!
ZARA JONES
ZARA JONES
17:39 07 Aug 18
Absolutely beautiful! Jenny played at my wedding ceremony last week and it was stunning! She has a huge variety of songs to choose from and our guests loved them all! She was professional and came early to set up. We could not have wished for more. Added a lovely touch to our day!
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