The Best Songs for the Postlude of the Wedding Ceremony

What are the best traditional and contemporary songs for the postlude of your wedding ceremony?

The postlude is any music that is played at the ceremony site after the recessional music is over. It should set a pleasant atmosphere as guests are leaving. Since guests can be known to linger, expect it to last anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. In general, the music used during the postlude will not vary that much from the music used during the prelude, except that postlude music tends to be livelier with a faster tempo, but not as lively as the recessional.

If your ceremony and reception are being held in the same location, the postlude will serve as an interlude between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the reception. The music will serve as entertainment while photos are being taken and while guests go through the receiving line.

Musically, many different styles are appropriate for the interlude, from soft jazz, popular love songs, classical selections or other favorites of the couple. The postlude can be more informal than the wedding ceremony because it serves as a transition between the ceremony and the reception.

Here are some wonderful examples of Postlude songs. For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.

Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.

Please note, rather than repeat all of the songs listed on our Best Processional Songs page and Best Recessional Songs, we have tried to select what we figure is the best of these songs for the postlude. However, if you cannot find something you like on this page, check out those two pages for more songs that will work for the postlude.


A few songs you might consider for the postlude are:

  1. "A Whole New World" (Aladdin's Theme) performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Bell
     Find it on:  Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle - Aladdin (Original Soundtrack) - A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) [Soundtrack Version]   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Sheetmusicplus
  2. "Alleluia" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
     Find it on:  A Brides Guide To Wedding Music - A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music - Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, Alleluia   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  3. "All My Life" performed by K-Ci & Jojo
     Find it on:  JoJo & K-Ci - All My Life / Tell Me It's Real - Single - All My Life   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  4. "At Last" performed by Etta James
    Extremely popular for weddings and receptions, it works well anywhere you place it.
     Find it on:  Etta James - At Last! - At Last   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  5. "Beautiful in My Eyes" performed by Joshua Kadison
     Find it on:  Joshua Kadison - Painted Desert Serenade - Beautiful in My Eyes   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  6. "Because You Loved Me" performed by Celine Dion
     Find it on:  Céline Dion - Falling Into You - Because You Loved Me   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  7. "Eine Klein Nachtmusik," Serenade No. 13 in G major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
     Find it on:  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner - Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik & Pachelbel: Canon - "Eine kleine Nachtmusik", Serenade in G Major, K. 525: II. Romanze   Amazon CD   Amazon MP3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  8. "From This Moment On" performed by Shania Twain
     Find it on:  Shania Twain & Bryan White - Come on Over - From This Moment On   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  9. "Allegro Moderato" from Harp Concerto in B Flat Major performed by George Frideric Handel
     Find it on:  Jeanne Lamon & Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra - A Baroque Feast (Festin Baroque) - Concerto for Harp In B-Flat Major: III. Allegro Moderato (Handel)   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  10. "How Sweet It Is" performed by James Taylor
     Find it on:  James Taylor - James Taylor: Greatest Hits - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  11. "I Got You Babe" performed by Sonny & Cher
     Find it on:  Sonny and Cher - The Essentials: Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  12. "I Knew I Loved You" performed by Savage Garden
    A very popular rock song that works well anywhere during the ceremony or afterwards.
     Find it on:  Savage Garden - Affirmation - I Knew I Loved You   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  13. "It Had To Be You" by Harry Connick, Jr.
     Find it on:  Harry Connick, Jr. - When Harry Met Sally... - It Had to Be You (Big Band and Vocals)   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  14. "Kind and Generous" by Natalie Merchant
     Find it on:  Natalie Merchant - Ophelia - Kind and Generous   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  15. Mandolin Concerto in C Major, "Allegro" by Antonio Vivaldi
    Find it on:  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Iona Brown - The Four Seasons - Mandolin Concerto C Major, I. Allegro   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  16. "Ode To Joy" from The Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven
     Find it on:  The Complete Wedding Music Resource - Traditional - The Complete Wedding Music Resource - Traditional   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  17. The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
    Consider using "Spring" from this piece.
     Find it on:  Antonio Vivaldi, Gerard Schwarz   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  18. "Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351 by George Frideric Handel
    Lengthy song good for processional or the recesssional.
     Find it on:  Jordi Savall & Le Concert Des Nations - Handel: Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks - Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: I. Overture   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus
  19. "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," Op. 43, by Sergey Rachmaninov
     Find it on:  A Brides Guide To Wedding Music - A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music - Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini   Amazon CD   Amazon mp3s   Rhapsody   Sheetmusicplus


The Best Wedding Song Music Line

For more ceremony songs, go to Best Wedding Ceremony Songs or select one of the pages below:


For more reception songs, go to Best Wedding Reception Songs or select one of the pages below:


The Best Wedding Song Music Line