Ready to take your Gothic wedding ceremony to a fever pitch? Read on for tips to make your wedding music search the simplest undertaking of all.
Music for a wedding - Since the otherworldly sound of the pipe organ is practically a universal wedding requirement, your gothic ceremony music is a no-brainer. Remember Lurch from The Addams Family? Grandpa from The Munsters? Phantom from, well, Phantom of the Opera? Not only were all three gloriously strange and demented - they were also crackerjack organists! Of course, you don't have to stop there. Here are some monster jams, from ancient to contemporary, we'd hate for you to miss.
If it's haunting you're after, get thee to a monastery. Gregorian chant, the Latin plainsong dating back to the Dark Ages, is the most soulful, sorrowful body of music around. In particular, we like recordings music for a wedding by the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz and The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos. If you like the sound, you might also check out the chant-based works of Petrus de Cruce and Guillaume de Machaut developed in the ars antiqua and ars nova periods of the Middle Ages.
For the neo-goth at heart, head straight for the cutting edge with the epic, minimalist compositions of Phillip Glass. Not only has he released dozens of CDs and published plenty of sheet music, but he also composes for every instrument you can imagine, from the piano to the timpani - so whether you're hoping for a rich violin solo or a polyphonic organ piece, Glass likely has just the thing for you.
On the more theatrical side, Danny Elfman, longtime friend of Tim Burton, scored the music in The Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. His album, Music for a Darkened Theater, features bewitching ballads that have become gothic staples. Elfman's eerie-but-romantic songs are the perfect accompaniment for your walk down the aisle or your first kiss as husband and wife.
If you looking for an unique music for a wedding, French composer Yann Tiersen wrote and recorded the music for the film Amelie. Defined by his unconventional use of typewriters and toy pianos, Tiersen will add an element of haunting beauty to your wedding celebration.
Scottish instrumental band Mogwai definitely belongs in your Gothic wedding ceremony - and not just because their name means “ghost” or “devil” in Chinese. Mogwai cites goth kings Joy Division and The Cure as their major influences, and they're known for lengthy melodies and bizarre guitar distortion. Try Mogwai for an alternative music for a wedding to the light jazz you might find at a more traditional wedding ideas.
If you prefer something more timeless for your playlist, classical composers like Bach, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, and Mozart will play up the brooding, melancholy side of your gothic weddings.
