Wedding reading

Music as people arrive

The venue

“Music as people arrive” (the venue) is a piece of music read at weddings and funerals alike. It takes about 8 minutes read aloud, usually by a musician. We do not reprint the words here — the note below says why, and what to bring instead.

Why the words are not printed here

The venue plays this and you say nothing. Its only job on your run-sheet is to hold the clock so the start time is honest — a service that says it starts at eleven starts when the music stops, not when people arrive.

Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.

What it says

Music played by the venue as people arrive and find their seats, before the ceremony starts. Nothing is said and the officiant does nothing during it. Its job on the run-sheet is to hold the clock honestly: a ceremony that says it starts at eleven really starts when the music stops and the officiant stands, not when the first guests walk in. Planning it makes the opening of the ceremony feel deliberate rather than accidental.

You say nothing. It is on the run-sheet so the clock tells the truth. Read at weddings and funerals alike. Themes: before the service · people finding seats · nothing said · the officiant does nothing.

Who it suits

Every ceremony that has guests arriving over time, which is nearly every wedding and funeral. At a wedding it can be classical, acoustic, or a playlist of the couple’s songs. At a funeral it is usually quiet and instrumental, or the person’s favorite music played low. Lyrics are less important here than anywhere else, but avoid songs that are loud or upbeat at a funeral, since people will be greeting each other quietly.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Before the ceremony starts, for as long as it takes people to arrive and sit. The venue, a musician or the funeral director runs it. It ends when the processional starts at a wedding, or when the coffin is brought in or the officiant begins at a funeral.

Reading it aloud

Allow about 8 minutes on the run-sheet, and trim it to the track or set actually chosen.

Agree with whoever runs the music exactly how it will end: a fade, a final track, or a cue from you.
Decide what signals the start of the ceremony, such as the music stopping, the officiant standing, or a change of music for the processional.
Use the time to check your papers, the microphone and the readers, not to talk to guests at the front.
If the ceremony must start late, the music keeps playing; let the venue know who will tell them when to stop.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Music as people arrive” take to read aloud?

“Music as people arrive” takes about 8 minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “Music as people arrive”?

A musician rather than a reader. “Music as people arrive” runs about 8 minutes, and whoever is running the sound needs the exact cue point agreed in advance.

Can “Music as people arrive” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. The venue plays this and you say nothing. Its only job on your run-sheet is to hold the clock so the start time is honest — a service that says it starts at eleven starts when the music stops, not when people arrive.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.

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