Ceremony Music

Wedding music  for your ceremony will set the mood for your wedding and it will also make the event more pleasant for your guests. You may choose classical,  jazz,  blues,  rock and roll,  hip hop,  R&B,  reggae,  or country western.  The genre is entirely up to you since your personality, relationship, and wedding style will all play a part in dictating what details of the affair should stick to tradition or not. The bottom line is that you should think of it as a soundtrack, like one created for a movie. It sets the tone and flows together to create a musical story to go along with the events. The more meaningful it is, the more poignant it will be.

Here are the basic points in the ceremony that you will want to play music and for how long:

  • Prelude -- These can begin up to half an hour to 45 minutes prior to the ceremony, or as soon as guests start to arrive. It will play until the ceremony is about to start. It shouldn't be too extravagant as you want the anticipation to build with time.
  • Processional -- This is the music that plays as the bridal party enters and it usually switches to a different song when the bride enters. This is where the music gets stronger and more impressive. You don't want it to be the peak though.
  • Interludes -- An hour long ceremony riddle with stagnant moments of silence is hardly appealing and can make things drag so musical interludes are added to give the ceremony some energy and are perfect for accompanying moments such as the lighting of the unity candle and the signing of the ketubah.
  • Recessionals -- This music plays as the bride and groom begin to exit the ceremony site. It continues until the rest of the bridal party has exited. This is the big hoorah, the most exuberant music of the ceremony, the pinnacle if you will. The joy of the marriage should be expressed in the recessional music.
  • Postlude -- This is the last music played. It typically plays while the guests are leaving the ceremony site, but it the case that the ceremony and reception site occur in the same location, it is the music that will play while the bride and groom go to take their wedding photos, or while the guests wait to begin the reception. It is usually happy and upbeat but not as exciting as the recessional music.

How to Choose

Choosing ceremony music is mostly a matter of personal taste. Some brides will love entering a church with Wagner's Bridal Chorus playing and running out under a shower of rice to the sound of Mendelssohn's Wedding March. However, these classics are not everyone's cup of tea. You and your spouse need to seriously consider if you want to be traditional and use classical music or if you'd prefer giving things a little twist with some contemporary music.

With modern songs that include vocals, be sure that the lyrics are fitting for the ceremony and not suggestive or profane, especially if you are having a religious ceremony. Also plan to select the appropriate number of songs for the length of your ceremony.

Traditional -- Classical

Prelude

Processional

Bride's Entrance

  • “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach 
  • "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven 
  • "Wedding March" by Mozart 

Recessional

Gospel -- Religious

Prelude

Processional

Bride's Entrance

Recessional

Modern -- Rock and Roll, R&B

Prelude

Processional

Bride's Entrance

Recessional

Hip -- Alternative, Indie

Prelude

Processional

Bride's Entrance

Recessional

Related Guides

Ceremony Checklist

Readings

Ceremony Decorations

Writing Your Vows

Reception Music

External Links