Traditionally, wedding ceremony music has largely drawn upon classical music to fill sections of the wedding ceremony – and these timeless musical gems are still very much in use for today’s modern wedding ceremonies. That’s not to say that you can’t use modern songs for your wedding ceremony; a special song or two are can be effectively incorporated if planned in advance and discussed with your ceremony musicians.
Pro Tip: Depending on the type of wedding ceremony you plan to have, and particularly for more religious settings in places of worship, you may want to check with your minister, rabbi or other ceremony official for recommended musical selections and/or to review any special requests you’re considering.
For most other ceremonies, you can use the suggested pieces below as a starting point and then incorporate any other special songs into the ceremony as it makes sense; just be sure to run any special requests by your ceremony musicians first. 😉
Working with Wedding Ceremony Musicians
If you’ll be hiring musicians to perform at your wedding ceremony and/or cocktail hour, they will be a great resource for you throughout your planning. They will likely have an outline of music that they typically perform for wedding ceremonies, with space to fill out your own musical choices based on their recommendations.
When thinking about the timing, make sure to hire your musicians to begin performing at least 15-30 minutes before the slated wedding ceremony start time. That way, your guests will be greeted with beautiful music when they arrive and wait, rather than silence.
Pro Tip: If you’d rather not worry too much about the details and just select your bridal processional and the recessional music; go for it! Your musicians will be more than capable of filling in the other parts of the wedding ceremony with gorgeous music.
Wedding Prelude Music
During the prelude, your musician(s) will normally select a variety of classical music such as selections by Mozart, Bach and Handel to play
while your guests arrive and are seated.
Some prelude selections we love include:
- Allegro from The Water Music Suite, George Frederick Handel
- Andante from Brandenburg Concerto #2, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Andante from The Water Music Suite, George Frederick Handel
- Bouree from The Water Music Suite, George Frederick Handel
- Clair de Lune, Claude Debussy
- Finale from The Water Music Suite, George Frederick Handel
- Gigue from Suite #3 in D Major, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Gymnopedie No. 1, Erik Satie
- Largo from Xerxes, George Frederick Handel
- Pavane, Gabriel Faure
- Prelude in Db Major, Frederic Chopin
- Salut d’Amour, Op. 12, Edward Elgar
- Sicilienne, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Sonata, George Philipp Telemann
- The Swan from Carnival of the Animals, Camille Saint-Saens
- To A Wild Rose, Edward MacDowell
Wedding Processional Music
As the prelude wraps up, the bridal party takes their places and the processional can then begin. Typically couples will choose two pieces for the processional: a wedding ceremony song for the parents entrance and bridesmaids, and then the main processional piece for the bride.
Pro Tip: If you will be planning for a very large bridal party, you may wish to use three processional selections (parents, bridal party and bride.)
Here are our top choices for traditional wedding processionals:
- Bridal Chorus (“Here Comes the Bride”), Richard Wagner
- Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel
- Dodi Li, Traditional Jewish
- Erev Shel Shoshanim, Traditional Jewish
- Jerusalem of Gold (Y’rushalayim Shel Zahov), Traditional Jewish
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata #208, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Simple Gifts, Shaker Hymn
- Sonata Pathetique, Ludwig van Beethoven
- Trumpet Tune, Henry Purcell
- Trumpet Voluntary, Jeremiah Clarke
- Wachet Auf from Cantata #140, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Yedid Nefesh, Traditional Jewish
Ceremony Interlude Music
While not required, you may wish to incorporate a minute or two of music before or after readings during the wedding ceremony. This can be an elegant way to fill any awkward pauses as your readers walk to the front or back to their seats.
Another common use of interlude music is to accompany a unity candle lighting, if you will be having one during your ceremony.
Here are some suggested wedding interlude songs, chosen for their softer and beautiful qualities:
- Air from Water Music Suite, George Frederick Handel
- Air on the G String from Suite #3 in D Major, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Arioso from Cantata #156, Johann Sebastian Bach
- Ave Maria, J.S. Bach/Gounod
- Ave Maria, Franz Schubert
- Be Thou My Vision, Traditional Irish Melody
- Greensleeves, Traditional
- Largo from The New World Symphony, Antonin Dvorak
- Meditation from Thais, Jules Massenet
- Nocturne from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Felix Mendelssohn
- Winter from The Four Seasons (Largo), Antonio Vivaldi
Wedding Recessional and Postlude Music
And you’re married! 🙂 It’s common to select one recessional for you and your new spouse as you walk back down the aisle, and should definitely be upbeat and triumphant. Unless you specify other music, your musicians will continue to play similar joyous postlude music until all of your guests have left the ceremony area.
Popular choices for wedding recessional music:
- Autumn from The Four Seasons (Allegro), Antonio Vivaldi
- Hornpipe from The Water Music Suite, George Frederick Handel
- La Rejouissance from Royal Fireworks Music, George Frederick Handel
- Od Yeshoma, Traditional Jewish
- Ode to Joy, Ludwig van Beethoven
- Rondeau from Sinfonies de Fanfares, Jean-Joseph Mouret
- Simon Tov and Chosen Kalle Mazel Tov, Traditional Jewish
- Spring from The Four Seasons (Allegro), Antonio Vivaldi
- Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Felix Mendelssohn
And that’s a wrap! Enjoy the beautiful music during your ceremony (or at least know that your guests will!) 😉
Next Steps in Planning
- Review a typical wedding ceremony order to help plan you music
- Choose your wedding reception songs
- Regroup and see where you’re at on your wedding check list