Beginning Today

The hundredth post on this blog calls for something special!
To usher in the wedding season, here's a hymn that is popularly used as an entrance hymn at wedding masses.
There is also version that is done by the Dameans. You could listen to it here.

Here's a simple arrangement that you could use. Couple that with a 4/4 on your keyboard and you're good to go!

I also came across the chords that I had penned down a while back.  Adding the chords below, in the hope that some of you may find it handy!

Beginning today

                 C                   G               Am                     G

Beginning today , my mornings are yours

F                           G                         C     G

The hopes that dawn in their light

C                 G               Am                       G

Beginning today my evenings and dreams

       F          G              C

My gift to you is my life

C                            F                     C                        Am

I will always remember the time you first called me

F                              C

Out of my empty sleep

        Am                          F                 Am

To awaken in me the hope of a new day

        F                                G  G7

The love I wanted to seek

Give it a listen here :

Bridal Marches PlayList

A collection of the most popular marches/tunes to be used while the bridal entourage enters/exits the church.

Bridal Marches 

1. Mendelssohn's Wedding March 

2. Pachelbel Canon in D

3. Prince of Denmark March

4. The Bridal March

5. The Wedding Song - Ave Maria (Instrumental)

6. Water Music - Handel

Nuptial Hymns Playlist

A quick and easy way to listen to all the nuptial hymns catalogued here! Listen to all the nuptial hymns here and if you need to the music/lyrics any specific wedding hymn/song, click on the links below!

Nuptial Hymns : (To be sung after the exchange of rings/Lighting of the Unity candle)

1.Each for the Other
2. I Accept You

3. The Glory of Love

4. The Marriage Prayer

5. The Wedding Song

6. This Is The Day
7. We Celebrate your Love

8. Wherever you go (Song of Ruth)

9. With This Ring

Water Music - George Frideric Handel

Another fantastic number to choose whilst the bridal entourage is entering and exiting the church.
This one's called Water Music. A fantastic piece of music, composed by Handel!

Give it a listen here :

The Wedding Song

This wedding song has got to take the cake, when it comes to choosing some of the best wedding songs, to be sung at church. It was first written way back in 1970, by one of my favorite singers/song-writers/musicians Paul Stookey, of the famous folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary.

The best part about this trio is that they use biblical references to create an impact and influence the community at large. Likewise, there are a few references to scripture in this song, which drew me to it immediately. 

Here are the lyrics to it :

The Wedding Song

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. There is Love.

Well a man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now (and) until the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love. There is Love.

Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it Love that brings you here or Love that brings you life?
Or if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there's Love, there is Love.

Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. Oh there's Love.

Give it a listen here :
I'm quite certain you'll add this song to your list of favourites!

The Marriage Prayer

And yet another wonderful song, to be sung at a wedding mass! This one's called the Marriage prayer.
The song is composed by John Waller. A beautiful prayer indeed!

The Marriage Prayer 

Father, I said till death do us part

I want to mean it with all of my heart

Help me to love you more than I love her

Then I know I can love her more than anyone else

And bring her in Your presence today, 

Make her what You want her to be

I pray to hear her heart, 

I pray she'll love you more

I pray to cherish and serve her 

And we'll bring you glory today, I pray

Father, I said till death do us part

I want to mean it with all of my heart

Help me to love you more than I love him

Then I know I can love him more than anyone else

And bring him in Your presence today

Make him what You want him to be

I pray to hear his heart, 

I pray he'll love you more

I pray to strengthen and serve him, 

We'll bring you glory today, I pray

Lord help me love her as you love the Church, Your bride

Help me to submit to him as I submit to You, my life

I pray (I pray) to hear her heart, 

I pray (I pray) he'll love you more

I pray (I pray) to cherish and serve her, 

and we'll bring you glory today, I pray

I pray to hear her heart, 

I pray she'll love you more

I pray to cherish and serve her, 

and we'll bring you glory today, I pray

This is my prayer. 

Amen .

Give it a listen here :
I am sure you will love this number!

This Is the Day

This is another one of my favourite nuptial hymns. This is one of the hymns we sung at my cousin A's wedding to M. The words and the music for this song are by Scott Wesley Brown. I must admit it's a wonderfully written song, with beautiful lyrics and an equally lovely tune.

Here are the lyrics:

This Is The Day

This is the day that the Lord hath made

And I'm so glad he made you

With each rising sun you are here by my side

You are more than a dream come true

Ohh, to have you, to hold you, to love you, to pray

To share with, to care with, to hold hands and say

This is the day that the Lord hath made

And I will rejoice, I will rejoice, I will rejoice with you

This is the love that the Lord hath made

That you and I, we are one

Love's mystery is unfolding today

Written for us in the sun

Ohh, for better, for worse, for rich or for poor

Each day that passes, I love you more.

'Cause this is the day that the Lord hath made

And I will rejoice, I will rejoice, I will rejoice with you

This is the day! (4)

Give it a listen here! It truly is a beautiful song. 

The Glory of Love

This is another lovely song that we sing at wedding masses, usually as the recessional hymn, just before the couple exits the church. It's called "The Glory of Love", originally sung by Bette Midler.
I love the lyrics to this song, aptly summarizing what Love is all about.

Here are the lyrics:

The Glory of Love

You've got to give a little, take a little,

and let your poor heart break a little.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

You've got to laugh a little, cry a little,

until the clouds roll by a little.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

As long as there's the two of us,

we've got the world and all it's charms.

And when the world is through with us,

we've got each other's arms.

You've got to win a little, lose a little,

yes, and always have the blues a little.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

That's the story of, that's the glory of love.

Give it a listen here:

The version here is too slow for my liking:). When we sing it, we generally speed up this version by three times!Hopefully, if I'm able to lay my hands on an older recording from one of the wedding's we've sung at, I 'll be able to upload it here for you to listen to.

In the meanwhile listen to the original here :

I Accept You

Here's another popular hymn that is generally sung at wedding masses, immediately after the couple takes their vows.

Here are the lyrics to it :

I Accept You

I accept You from the hands of my God

You are God's gift to me, a beautiful gift

This gift of love, God has given me

I'm sorry I caused You pain

I'm sorry I offended You

May God wipe those tears from your eyes

May the God heal the hurt within You

From this day we live in love

together in the love of our God

You are precious to me, You're my guide

In your joys and your grieves, I'm with You

And if you haven't heard it yet, give it a listen here :

Song Of Ruth (Wherever you go)

Another lovely tune , that is generally done at weddings as the nuptial hymn

Here are the lyrics :

 Song Of Ruth

Wherever you go, I shall go

Wherever you live, so shall I live

Your people will be my people,

And your god will be my god, too.

Wherever you die, I shall die;

And there shall I be buried beside you

We will be together forever,

And our love will be the gift of our life

Give it a listen here :
This version is a little too slow for my liking. The singing is beautiful though, especially the part where they break into voices.

The Wedding Song - Ave Maria Instrumental

Another lovely bridal march.

Give it a listen here :

The Prince of Denmark's March

Presenting to you another truly majestic tune! Full of royal grandeur .

Give it a listen here :

Here Comes The Bride

Another perfect tune to welcome the bridal couple as they walk down the aisle!

Give it a listen here :

Pachelbel Canon in D

This has got to be my all time favourite when it comes to choosing bridal entrance tunes.
I absolutely love everything about this tune , the introduction , the bridge, absolutely every tiny portion in this song. Hopefully, when it comes to my wedding, I'll be able to have a choir that does justice to this tune. :)

Give it a listen here :)

Mendelssohn's Wedding March

A truly majestic tune, for that long awaited moment where your bride walks down the aisle.

Give it a listen here :

 

Kuxal Sodanch

This is my first post in Konkani! And I am glad about it.
This is again from the same Silver Wedding of J am M , many many years ago.
Am so grateful we'd saved the hymn sheets.

Here are the lyrics :

Kuxal sodanch amim ravchem,
Kuxal dhados amim bhonvchem,
Moga jivit ekuch dorem,
Bhavbhoinnam-jivit hem khorem.

Amchim kallzam khoxe nadar,
Nitoll anvdde, bore udgar,
Amcho Bapui asa sorgar,
Amchem to sukh, Amchem Bhanddar

Here is the tune :
 

With this ring - T Carter

Below is one of my favourite wedding songs. We sung this at my cousin A's wedding to M.
It was a beautiful moment. This song is truly lovely. The words and music for this song are by Anthony W. Carter.

Here are the lyrics :

With This Ring

I've been waiting for this moment for so long

An answered prayer, I know you are the one

I give to you my heart and soul

With a love that will never grow old

In my life, I can see

That you were made for me

You'll be there to catch me if I fall

All the days, I have prayed

And the love that I have saved

With this ring, I'm giving you my all

I thank God for the gift He has given me

A love that's strong for all of eternity

I give to you all of my days

With a love for all of your ways

In my life, I can see

That you were made for me

I'll be there to catch you if you fall

All the days, I have prayed

And the love that I have saved

With this ring, I'm giving you my all

iIn the days that we grow old

The times may change but our love will remain

As we look back on this day now

We stood the test of time

Living the promise of our vow

In my life, I can see

That you were made for me

I'll be there to catch you if you fall

All the days, I have prayed

And the love that I have saved

With this ring, I'm giving you my all...

Give it a listen here :

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

There have been multiple renditions of this hymn, composed by Amy Grant and M.W. Smith based on Psalm 119. However, I particularly enjoy the version below by the Maranatha singers. The beauty of their singing is that they keep the accompaniment very minimal and capture you with the perfect blend of their voices!

This hymn can be sung at a responsorial psalm during mass if it goes with the theme of the readings. Additionally, we've also sung the same during wedding masses as well.
Read on to get the lyrics, the audio and also the sheet music for the same!

Here are the lyrics to it :

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

When I feel afraid

Think I've lost my way

Still You're there right beside me

And nothing will I fear

As long as You are near

Please be near me to the end

Now I will not forget Your love for me and yet

My heart forever is wandering

Jesus, be my guide and hold me to Your side

And I will love You to the end

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path

Give it a listen here.



Sheet music :

Here's a very basic arrangement that I wrote with the right hand accompaniment. You could use it for a regular Sunday mass!

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet