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And The Bride Wore........


madorganist

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Black leather!

 

I thought I’d seen it all, I think I have now.

 

And for the curious, think Harley Davidson rather than dominatrix.

 

I had to stop playing before the service, I couldn't hear full organ against the multitude of "mean machines" in the car park. It turned out to be only two "mean machines", but never the less the organ lost!

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Reminds me of my very first organist's post and a wedding address given by the priest-in-charge. The bride had also chosen to wear something fairly untraditional (can't remember what). But, said the priest, that didn't matter. What mattered was what was in your heart, not what you wore. Why, at one wedding he had taken the bride and groom had worn absolutely nothing at all - not a stitch. He quickly added that this had been a tribal wedding in South Africa - but by then my teenage mind had already run riot!

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Reminds me of my very first organist's post and a wedding address given by the priest-in-charge. The bride had also chosen to wear something fairly untraditional (can't remember what). But, said the priest, that didn't matter. What mattered was what was in your heart, not what you wore. Why, at one wedding he had taken the bride and groom had worn absolutely nothing at all - not a stitch. He quickly added that this had been a tribal wedding in South Africa - but by then my teenage mind had already run riot!

 

 

=====================================

 

 

I've played for a lot of weddings, and some of the highlghts included the following:-

 

1) A "punk" wedding, when the bride suddenly appeared unexpectedly at the front of church from behind a forest of brightly coloured mohican hair-cuts, when I was unable to see the verger waving frantically at the West Door.

 

2) The wedding at which I was best-man and baby-minder for the bride and groom; both asylum seekers fleeing from Gen.Pinochet. Playing the organ whilst holding a baby in your left arm is quite a challenge, but I discovered that the wedding-march is possible one-handed, with the aid of pistons and sub-octave couplers. Thank heavens for nappies!

 

3) Perhaps the most fun event was playing a Lowrey electronic at a "Civil Partnership," where many of the "congregation" came cross-dressed as nuns.

To a man or woman, they stayed with me and sang every show-tune vigorously, complete with dramatic gestures; the "Sound of Music" medley a cross between "Sister Act" and "Nuns on the Run" with a hint of "The Pope must die" due to the fact that most of the real women, dressed in suits, looked and behaved like members of the mafia.

 

Perhaps the highlight was receiving a kiss on the cheek from the "Mother" Superior as I played the wedding march, "her" lyrical tenor voice heartfelt as she said, "Thanks chuck, that wer' smashin'."

 

4) The military wedding, at which the groom fainted as he marched his bride out of church. What made me chuckle, was the fact that as he lay there, no-one so much as flinched; the only muscles which moved being eye-muscles!

 

Ah! The joys of getting spliced.

 

MM

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Barry Williams
Black leather!

 

I thought I’d seen it all, I think I have now.

 

And for the curious, think Harley Davidson rather than dominatrix.

 

I had to stop playing before the service, I couldn't hear full organ against the multitude of "mean machines" in the car park. It turned out to be only two "mean machines", but never the less the organ lost!

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Guest Barry Williams

"And the Bride Wore Leather" Well she did actually and she was an organ builder's bride. See the article by June Williams in the IBO Newsletter No.36 December 2004.

 

Barry Williams

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Guest Barry Williams
"And the Bride Wore Leather"  Well she did actually and she was an organ builder's bride.  See the article by June Williams in the IBO Newsletter No.36 December 2004.

 

Barry Williams

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Two years ago I officiated at a mediaeval themed wedding. High points included:

 

§ Man in suit of armour, who could not sit and had to prop himself up against the font.

 

§ ‘Leper’ in rags with grotesque make-up (at least, I hope it was make-up).

 

§ ‘Jester’ with Blackadderesque comedy cod-piece.

 

§ Our rector realising, far, far too late, that he had made a terrible mistake in allowing the couple and their friends free-reign, and rather embarrassedly announcing, ‘Friends, before we start, please let us all try to be mindful of the fact that this is a serious occasion and not a theatrical event.’

 

§ The ceremony took place in December. A home-produced, inadequately proof-read service sheet included such gems as, ‘…to save us all from Santa’s power’ and ‘…they found him in a manager where oxen feed on hay’, to say nothing of ‘Hornpipe – Handle’.

 

§ The entire choir (adults and children alike) getting the giggles during ‘God rest ye merry, gentlemen’ for fairly obvious reasons, while I tried (with only partial success) to drown them out with large amounts of organ

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Guest paul@trinitymusic.karoo.co.uk
Two years ago I officiated at a mediaeval themed wedding.  High points included:

 

§ Man in suit of armour, who could not sit and had to prop himself up against the font.

 

§ ‘Leper’ in rags with grotesque make-up (at least, I hope it was make-up).

 

§ ‘Jester’ with Blackadderesque comedy cod-piece.

 

§ Our rector realising, far, far too late, that he had made a terrible mistake in allowing the couple and their friends free-reign, and rather embarrassedly announcing, ‘Friends, before we start, please let us all try to be mindful of the fact that this is a serious occasion and not a theatrical event.’

 

§ The ceremony took place in December.  A home-produced, inadequately proof-read service sheet included such gems as, ‘…to save us all from Santa’s power’ and ‘…they found him in a manager where oxen feed on hay’, to say nothing of ‘Hornpipe – Handle’.

 

§ The entire choir (adults and children alike) getting the giggles during ‘God rest ye merry, gentlemen’ for fairly obvious reasons, while I tried (with only partial success) to drown them out with large amounts of organ

 

 

Wonderful! I wish I'd been there.

 

Only one problem: if word gets out, there are bound to be others trying for this.

Unfortunately, some clergy just can't say 'no' -

well (more accurately) they can seem unable to say 'no' to outsiders.

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Guest Barry Williams
Wonderful! I wish I'd been there.

 

Only one problem: if word gets out, there are bound to be others trying for this.

Unfortunately, some clergy just can't say 'no' -

well (more accurately) they can seem unable to say 'no' to outsiders.

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Guest Barry Williams

 

Misprints in 'self-type' service papers can be funny. I once sang at a wedding when the hymn 'Lord of all hopefulness' was sung. Unforuntately, the line '.. be there at our homing..' was printed '..be there at our horning...'

 

The congregation were too inebriated to notice.

 

However, it did cause some unintended mirth on the top line when the two lead sopranos spotted it.

 

Barry Williams

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I did recently hear tell of a certain rather flat (and, in places, broad) county in England where priests fairly regularly refuse to marry people on the grounds they are too closely related. I thought it was all folklore, but it has happened that in the last 12 months a brother and sister have turned up on a vicarage doorstep requesting nuptials. Scary, innit. Wonder what the bride would wear to that one...

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Guest Lee Blick

:)

Two years ago I officiated at a mediaeval themed wedding.  High points included:

 

§ Man in suit of armour, who could not sit and had to prop himself up against the font.

 

§ ‘Leper’ in rags with grotesque make-up (at least, I hope it was make-up).

 

§ ‘Jester’ with Blackadderesque comedy cod-piece.

 

§ Our rector realising, far, far too late, that he had made a terrible mistake in allowing the couple and their friends free-reign, and rather embarrassedly announcing, ‘Friends, before we start, please let us all try to be mindful of the fact that this is a serious occasion and not a theatrical event.’

 

§ The ceremony took place in December.  A home-produced, inadequately proof-read service sheet included such gems as, ‘…to save us all from Santa’s power’ and ‘…they found him in a manager where oxen feed on hay’, to say nothing of ‘Hornpipe – Handle’.

 

§ The entire choir (adults and children alike) getting the giggles during ‘God rest ye merry, gentlemen’ for fairly obvious reasons, while I tried (with only partial success) to drown them out with large amounts of organ

 

Love it! :)

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Misprints in 'self-type' service papers can be funny.  I once sang at a wedding when the hymn 'Lord of all hopefulness' was sung.  Unforuntately, the line '.. be there at our homing..'  was printed '..be there at our horning...' 

 

The congregation were too inebriated to notice.

 

However, it did cause some unintended mirth on the top line when the two lead sopranos spotted it.

 

Barry Williams

Some years ago we were invited to sing 'Blest Pair of Sinners' - fitted well with the Vicar's standard 'already living together' sermon, whch began 'Well at least X and Y know what its like to wake up together' ....

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Misprints in 'self-type' service papers can be funny.
Or painful. Fortunately it was caught at proof stage, but a couple who recently got married at our RC cathedral produced a draft order of service containing "Processional hymn: Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)" At least they got the composer right. Sartorially the affair was most elegant - that the groom and his chums were marines helped.
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I did recently hear tell of a certain rather flat (and, in places, broad) county in England where priests fairly regularly refuse to marry people on the grounds they are too closely related.  I thought it was all folklore, but it has happened that in the last 12 months a brother and sister have turned up on a vicarage doorstep requesting nuptials.  Scary, innit.  Wonder what the bride would wear to that one...

 

===================

 

Speaking of Norfolk (?) there is the delightful story of the country vicar who was a bit hard of hearing.

 

"Name this child!" He demanded at the baptism, whereupon the unfortunate father said, "Lucy sir"

 

The vicar assumed a furious expression, raging at the man, "Lucifer! What sort of a name is THAT? I shall call him Matthew."

 

Hence, one assumes that there was little girl called Matthew wandering around Norfolk at some point!!

 

This further reminds me of the man who founded the "Thursford Collection" of steam-engines, fair-ground rides, fair-organs and the ex-Newcastle Paramount Wurlitzer. ( I think he was called Mr Cushing)

 

The old boy told me one day, "Aaaar....well when aye was 18, I boughts this old traction engin' see, and I dids it up nice an' proud. Then I boughts another, and the folks they started talkin' about me. So I bought two more, an' they all thought I's gone barking. Aye guess I didns't do too bardly out o' it!"

 

I think the collection was worth a few million!!!!!

 

What a delightful county Norfo'k is....sons of the sea and the soil.

 

MM

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