Music has always been very important to us, and we wanted it to play a elevated role in our wedding. We strived for musical selections that meant a lot to us, conveyed and supported the message being presented, and broke from the traditional selections used in weddings today.

What does one do when the bride-to-be loves a piece of music and wants to include that into her wedding, yet sheet music for said arrangement cannot be found? This is a dilemna that Steve was faced regarding the George Winston arrangement of "Joy" that was featured at our wedding.

Winston's official collections of arrangements are few and far between in the music publishing world, especially arrangements from his popular December album, from which "Joy" was taken. However, Amy really loved this different, piano-based rendition of the song.

Steve then consulted the resource he knew best: the Internet. It took him a month, but he was able to find the transcribed sheet music on a Korean website (just for the record, Steve can't read Korean, so this feat is even more amazing!)

Jodi Rieger did an spectacular job adapting this work for use in our wedding. It made it that much more special.

Watch the live "Joy" segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)

What wedding isn't complete without a version of Pachelbel's Canon? Amy had her heart set on using the Canon, but to break from the norm, she wanted a unique version that hadn't really been performed much. Again we consulted George Winston's December album for his acclaimed rendition.

This time around, however, the hunt was a little easier for the sheet music. It was available in PDF format on the 20th Anniversary Edition of this album.

Watch the live "Variations of the Kanon" segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)

Rounding out our numerous instrumentalists, we added an organist and trumpet player just for this song. The end result was a very triumphant entry for the radiant Amy (that's an exact quote from Steve!).

Instead of starting down the aisle right as the song began, the bride was held back as the song built anticipation in the audience, and she finally entered upon a grand climax.

Watch the live "Trumpet Voluntary" segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)

It's no secret than Amy has long been an admirer of the music of Rich Mullins. Even after his passing in 1997, his music continues to inspire and draw closer those who listen to the subject of the songs: Jesus.

We were excited to include Rich's renditon of Fanny Crosby's classic hymn, "All the Way My Savior Leads Me," which he featured on his The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume 2 album. We felt it was appropriate as we looked ahead to the great unknown as a couple, struggling with uncertainties and worries. This song continues to remind us that God is in control and we just need to rest our apprehensions on Him.

Debbie Birkey's touching delivery of this song added to the element of worshipfulness that we desired for the ceremony. The text of the song is included below:

All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside
Can I doubt His faithful mercies
Who through life has been my guide
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort
Ere by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whatever fall me
Jesus doeth all things well

All of the way my Savior leads me
And He cheers each winding path I tread
Gives me strength for every trial
And He feeds me with the living bread
And tho my weary steps may falter
And my soul a thirst may be
Gushing from a rock before me
Tho a spirit joy I see

And all the way my Savior leads me
Oh the fullness of His love
Perfect rest in me is promised
In my Father's house above
When my spirit clothed immortal
Wings it's flight realms of the day
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way

"All The Way My Savior Leads Me," words by Fanny J. Crosby; music by Robert Lowery.
Arrangement by Rich Mullins.
Public Domain.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission.
CCLI License #84977

Watch the live "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)

It was our goal to stray from the traditional use of Steven Curtis Chapman love songs during our wedding (nothing against those who have used those in their weddings... good tunes, we just wanted something different!)

Amy had heard "Lord, I Want to Be Like Jesus" played elsewhere, and ended up finding the same arrangement on an old reissued album by Fernando Ortega titled In A Welcome Field.

Hunting down the sheet music for this arrangement was challenging, but thanks to one of Steve's groomsmen, John Craelius (who works as a church Director of Worship), the appropriate documents were obtained.

Two of our friends from Bible study, Laura Cook and Colleen Sahlas, are amazing vocalists, and we were honored when they agreed to share this song at our wedding. The text of the song is included below:

Lord, I want to be like Jesus
In my heart, in my heart
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart

In my heart, in my heart
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart

Lord, I want to be more holy
In my heart, in my heart
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart

In my heart, in my heart
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart

Oh, I want to be like Jesus
Oh, I want to be more holy
In my heart, in my heart
In my heart I want to be like Jesus

Lord, I want to be like Jesus
In my heart, in my heart
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart

In my heart (Lord, I want to be like Jesus)
In my heart (I want to be like Jesus)
In my heart (Lord, I want to be like Jesus)
In my heart

"Lord, I Want To Be Like Jesus," American Folk Hymn.
Arrangement by Fernando Ortega.
Public Domain.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission.
CCLI License #84977

Watch the live "Lord, I Want To Be Like Jesus" segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)

Just as Amy has always had her wedding music dreams, so has Steve, and this song is the result! "The Main Street Electrical Parade" has been the soundtrack to an evening event held as Disney theme parks around the world over the decades (it's currently running at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, CA).

It's actually funny that this song made it to our wedding. Over the years, Steve had teased Amy that he wanted to use it in their wedding, and she sort of brushed it off each time. Maybe he just wore her down after a while!

Weddings are a time for reverence, but they are also times of celebration and fun, and we both felt that this would be an ideal piece to capture that mood. When we discovered an orchastral version on CD, that sealed the deal.

With the help of those at the Disney Music Discussion Forum, Steve was able to track down sheet music for the original rendition. Our extremely talented group of live musicians then adapted this for use in our wedding.

It was decided that upon the announcement of man and wife, the prerecorded version would be played, as the feeling and excitement presented just could not be recaptured without a full orchestra. The wedding party would exit the church during this version, and upon completion our live musicians would start playing. They would perform their adapted version while a Microsoft PowerPoint-powered photo slide show started on the front screen of the church to entertain the audience while they waited to be dismissed by row. (You can see how this was accomplished by viewing our archived Internet Broadcast of the ceremony).

The audience enjoyed the different song, and our wedding party even got into it by deciding at the last minute to bow as each pairing left the stage. It was very fun, and a great end to the ceremony.

Watch the live "Main Street Electrical Parade" segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)

Watch the PowerPoint slide show and live music segment
(For help and info about the audio/video, visit our Internet Broadcast section)