Catholic Wedding Q&A

Can we use recorded music in our wedding?

The Church strongly discourages the use of recorded music during the liturgy, including during wedding liturgies. Some dioceses will allow recorded music to be used on rare occasions, such as when no musicians are available for the wedding.

That's because the whole wedding, including the music, is a prayer, and an essential element of any prayer is that it comes from the person who is offering it. Imagine using a CD or tape recording to replace a spoken prayer, like the Lord's Prayer—it just wouldn't be the same as saying it yourself. The same reasoning applies to musical prayer.

For more information

Choosing wedding music
Three principles for choosing good liturgical music; how to find and choose musicians; and how to find Catholic wedding songs and music.