usic plays an important part in thewedding ceremony. It sets themood and tone of the event andexpresses the personality of thebridal couple. But it's not just amatter of preference. Where theceremony will be held is a majorfactor in what kind of music tochoose.

Most couples choose traditionalmusic if they're being marriedin a house of worship,according to Cynthia Edmunds, associate editor of Bride's magazine.

Some houses of worship may not allow secular music and havestrict policies as to instrumentation and types of music.

"Get a guideline from the church to find out what it will allow,"Edmunds advised. "Some churches will only allow an organist, inwhich case you should meet with the organist to listen to the differentselections that are available."

Music isn't just a matter of preference, according to Ingram.

"You need to map out the ceremony, choreograph it so themusic will fit," she said. "You have to figure out if the tempo orlength of the song will fit the ceremony."

Typically there are three musical parts to a ceremony: the prelude(the music that plays while guests are being seated and whilethey are waiting for the ceremony to begin), the processional (oneselection when members of the wedding party walk down the aisleand, of course, Wagner's classic wedding march when the bridewalks down the aisle) and the recessional (the triumphant musicthat plays as the bridal party exits and continues as guests leave).

Some couples want music between sections of the rite or for thedevotional part of the ceremony to be sung rather than spoken.These are choices and decisions that need to be made well inadvance so music can be woven into the ceremony, according toEdmunds.

For the prelude, Ingram suggests choosing music that "blendsseamlessly into the background, although you could have someonesing a song like 'Ave Maria.'" Classics such as George FridericHandel's "Water Music Suite," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Adagio,"Johann Sebastian Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G" andthe summer or autumn section of Antonio Vivaldi's "The FourSeasons" are all appropriate for the prelude.

Popular traditional choices for the processional include JeremiahClarke's Trumpet Voluntary from the "Prince of Denmark Suite,"Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D, the "Spring" section of the "FourSeasons" (also a popular choice for music between sections of theceremony's readings) and Richard Wagner's "Here Comes theBride."

For the recessional you can't go wrong with Felix Mendelssohn's"Wedding March" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Handel's"Arrival of the Queen of Sheba," "Pomp and Circumstance" byEdward Elgar, "Trumpet Tune" by John Stanley or "Bassoons,Trumpets and Percussions" (the theme from "Masterpiece Theatre").The main thing about the recessional is that it should be triumphantand uplifting.

If the wedding is to be held outdoors - especially at theseashore - consider the fact that sound tends to dissipate in theopen air and crashing waves can drown out sound.

"Harp music seems to work well in outdoor weddings,"Edmunds said.

Budget is another consideration. If you can't afford live musicians,Ingram says there's nothing wrong with using compact discs.

"There are a lot of wedding CDs available at book and musicstores. You can even order them from Amazon.com. They're alsouseful for researching the music you want to play at your wedding.Or you can burn your own CD with songs that are meaningful toyou," Ingram said.