Music played during the wedding ceremony tends to be soft and romantic. While classical music has been traditional, more and more brides are choosing contemporary music for special moments of the wedding ceremony. You and your future spouse need to consider what type of music you would like played during the wedding ceremony while keeping in mind the tone and mood you want to set for your guests. Consider the music you select as part of a soundtrack for your wedding ceremony. The music should work well within the overall theme of your wedding and work well together.
Most people's first thought regarding wedding music is "classical." However, this is far from the case today. While classical music remains amongst some of the most popular choices, many contemporary songs are slowly gaining in popularity. If either the bride or groom is strongly opposed to classical music, consider using instrumental versions of popular songs such as "Can't Help Falling in Love" or "My Heart Will Go On."
However, before you start selecting music for your ceremony, you need to do a little bit of planning and homework. We've listed a few things below that should be done before you start selecting music for the ceremony.
Location of the ceremony: Not all churches will allow contemporary music. Other places might have vocalists and/or musicians that they are affiliated with while others, such as Catholic churches that require live music, have restrictions on the type of music that can be played.
Vocalist and/or Band: A vocalist and musicians will have a list of music that they traditionally play. While most are willing to learn special requests, you should consult with them first. You do not want to select a piece of music that is out of the range of the singer or that will not sound good when played on that instrument.
Elements of the Ceremony: How your wedding ceremony is laid out will be a determinant as to when and where music will be needed. While almost all of them have certain parts (exchanging vows and rings), some include optional ethnic or religious traditions. You can then decide which portions of the ceremony might need background music and where a solo might be needed.
Once you have taken care of those three things, brainstorm on what kind of music you and your future spouse enjoys. Decide what songs have special meaning to you and what ones you would prefer not to hear. With all the millions of songs out there, learn to be flexible until you find selections that both of you like. Once you have that done, it is time to start selecting music. For convenience sake, we have broken down the pages into the following parts:
Once you have decided on your selections for the ceremony you are ready to move on to the reception. There are plenty of songs you will need to decide on for all the wonderful celebrations. We explain more about this portion of the wedding on our Best Wedding Reception Songs page.
For more reception songs, go to Best Wedding Reception Songs or select one of the pages below: