Guidelines for Wedding Music

This page will provide you with information about the musicians at St. Mary's and different musical options available as you plan your wedding. 

For a rundown of the wedding ceremony, and to download sample programs, please click here: Music For Your Wedding

Church Accompanist:
Our  Church Accompanist, Carrie Stewart, will serve to help you plan the music for your wedding. She is entrusted with the task of judging the suitability of musical selections within the context of the Catholic wedding liturgy and must approve all music and musicians chosen for the ceremony. 

Please contact Carrie  at least two months prior to your ceremony to review your music.

Cantor/Vocalist:
At St. Mary's we maintain a staff of professional singers who are available for your wedding. They are versed in the standard musical repertoire for Saint Mary's weddings and are familiar with the liturgical practices of the parish. Cantors can be heard at weekly masses. The fee for a cantor is included in your church wedding fee  and you may hire more than one cantor at additional cost ($150.00). 

Please Note: If you are considering hiring your own singer (or having a friend or family member perform), the  Music Director must approve all guest performers in advance. Generally guest performers will be limited to one song during the prelude, with the remainder of the ceremony sung by one of our cantors.

Instrumentalists:
We love having musicians (guitar, trumpet, etc.) join us for weddings, they add a very special and personal feel to the ceremony. If you'd like to hire an instrumentalist the Church Accompanist will secure their services. In general you should budget about $200-250 per player (trumpet, violin, or flute) hired through St. Mary's. Harpists generally receive a slightly higher fee to cover cartage of their instrument. A string quartet, trio or other ensembles are contracted independently of St Mary's and each ensemble sets its fee independently. For more information, please see contact us.

House Band:   
For a truly joyful musical experience, you may wish to have the Sunday morning house band present for your wedding. Please contact us for additional information.

Music fees for the Church Accompanist, and one cantor are included in your Wedding Fees.  Any additional musicians fees are paid two weeks prior to the Wedding date.  Payments for musicians that are not St. Mary's staff will be paid directly by the Bride and Groom. Checks can be mailed to  to St. Mary's c/o Wedding Fees ( your name and date)31 Pompton Ave. Pompton Lakes NJ 07442