Wedding Ceremony Music Inspiration You Can’t Beat
Considerations When Deciding the Song that will Play when Walking Down the Aisle
Above all, remember it’s all about you and your partner. It’s a way to incorporate your personalities; and maybe you want to show just how you feel about your partner, or perhaps you want a song that is meaningful to them (or you both as a couple), Debbie Cormier with Arpeggio Wedding Entertainment reminds us. “Keep in mind the ceremony is more than just a song you walk down the aisle to,” she notes.
Wedding Ceremony Framework
With over 20 years of experience, Arpeggio Wedding Entertainment has found breaking the ceremony music selections up is the best way to do it. Cormier has broken it up for us into three parts: the prelude music, the processional, and the recessional.
The Prelude Music
“We start to play music 30 minutes prior to the start of your ceremony for all those early-bird guests. When it is time to begin, we will make an announcement for everyone to get seated.”
The Processional
“This is usually where the parents walk into the ceremony followed by the wedding party then the guest of honor. The ceremony itself then begins. Most couples want the ceremony short and sweet; we find most ceremonies are roughly 30 minutes.
The Recessional
“After the first kiss, the celebration gets started. We’ve found a trend of couples picking more upbeat recessional songs to walk down the aisle to after saying ‘I do.’”
Ceremony Music and Song Inspiration
Whether you are looking for a timeless song, a more romantic song, or something instrumental or acoustic, there are plenty of options out there. However, we asked Cormier for some popular ideas to consider and she’s given us seven sweet songs you can listen to below.
No. 1 “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel
This romantic instrumental piece is a true classic. It’s popularity alone suggests how appropriate this song is for a wedding ceremony. We’ve even had a bride from a recent real wedding tell us this was her song.
Listen to “Canon in D” now
No. 2 “A Thousand Years” by The Piano Guys
Likely most remembered when performed by Christina Perri for Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight movie, this song has been covered more than a few times, and this piano and cello version absolutely takes your breath away.
Listen to “A Thousand Years” now
No. 3 “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles
The meaning and message of this song is evident from the title and lyrics—love is everything, period. What better sentiment to have at your wedding?
Listen to “All You Need is Love” now
No. 4 “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors
Again, look no further than the title, it’s right there…this is going to be the best day of your life. Seems appropriate, right?
Listen to “Best Day of My Life” now
No. 5 “Can’t Help Falling in Love” — any version
It is so true that any version of this song works beautifully! Although, we are particularly fond of the Elvis Presley version. That’s not to say the Kin Grannis version from the movie Crazy Rich Asians doesn't also make us swoon!
Listen to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” now
No. 6 “Marry Me” by Train
A popular proposal song, for sure, but also a perfect ceremony song because as the first line says, “forever can never be long enough.”
Listen to “Marry Me” now
No. 7 “Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
This version uses a ukulele and couldn’t be more romantic.
Listen to “Over the Rainbow” now
And if you’re looking for something a bit more trendy thanks to pop culture Cormier also notes, “Netflix’s Bridgerton has uncovered countless popular songs that have been transformed into classical or instrumental pieces [and] we see lots of couples use [them] for their ceremonies.”
For more ceremony music inspiration, check out Arpeggio Wedding Entertainment’s Spotify playlist.
Photos courtesy of Arpeggio Wedding Entertainment
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