How to Pick Your Wedding Ceremony Music
One important detail that you might not think about until late into your wedding planning is the music. But the music is so important to setting the right tone for your wedding! There are so many sections of your wedding that need the perfect song, including your ceremony and your grand entrance. If you’re working on picking your wedding ceremony music and your grand entrance into the reception music, we’re here to help!
Wedding Ceremony Music
We recommend three songs for your ceremony (after your prelude), one each for your family/wedding party processional (when they walk down), your personal processional (your big moment!) & the recessional (what happens after it’s made official!).
Prelude
This should be soft, easy listening. The prelude happens as your guests are arriving and being seated. We recommend leaving this up to your DJ or ceremony musicians and allowing them to choose the lineup here. But we will say that we love instrumental versions of well-known love songs!
Wedding Processional
Once the parents or wedding parties begin walking down the aisle, your processional is beginning, and we suggest one song to play through this part. You can choose something soft and romantic for a longer aisle or something more upbeat for a shorter walk down the aisle. Our top three processional picks are upbeat yet instrumental. They are:
· “Wake Me Up,” Vitamin String Quartet (something everyone knows)
· “Marry Me,” Train (yes, we know it’s been done a billion times, but we still love it)
· “At Last,” Vitamin String Quartet (yes, they’re on this list twice, but in our defense, any song they touch turns to wedding ceremony music gold)
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our faves on Spotify!
Recessional
This is the song that plays right after you make it official and take your victory walk back down the aisle! We love classics and upbeat, fun songs for this! Our top three picks:
· “You’re My Best Friend,” Queen (classic!)
· “Now That We’ve Found Love,” Heavy D (Who wouldn’t get pumped listening to this?)
· “Good to be Alive (Hallelujah),” Andy Grammar (so underrated!)
We’ve got even more ideas for you on our playlist!
Grand Entrance Music
People always seem to get stuck on this song, which is the song that plays for the wedding party, family, and newly married couple as they enter the reception. You’ll need at least two songs here. You can choose more, but we like to keep it simple here at Verve.
Family and Wedding Party Entrances
First, you need to decide who is entering and how. Our favorite thing is having the grandparents/parents introduced first (or announced from their seats if they prefer). Then, we recommend having all the groomsmen come in together, followed by all of the bridesmaids. You can quickly run through their first names only. We support all of our couples’ decisions; however, we prefer skipping over any potential awkwardness or pressure by pairing the wedding party up. But you can also have the wedding party come in pairs and be announced - pressure is on to keep the crowd entertained!
You can do one song for family and one for the wedding party or one song for all. Whatever you decide!
Announcing The Newly Married Couple!
You will want a pumped-up song here or maybe something meaningful to you both. You can also just go with a song that you both jam out to! The goal is to get your guests hyped up for the grand entrance. Remember, you don’t need to start the song from the beginning, especially for grand entrances. You can have the DJ or band start at that beat drop. For grand entrances, we love:
· “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” Dropkick Murphys (yes, we know it’s not necessarily everyone’s favorite love song, but it sure does get people hyped!)
· “Bring ‘em Out,” TI (I don’t care how many times it’s been done; it’s such a great party song!)
· “Welcome to the Jungle,” Guns N Roses
When it comes to picking music for your wedding, choose songs that go with the vibe of your wedding. If you’re going for a party vibe, go with more upbeat and modern songs. If you’re looking for more timeless and classic, go with classics and instrumentals. Music adds to the ambiance and energy of the day, so really take the time to pick out the right wedding ceremony music and grand entrance music. Just be sure to have your song selections in to your DJ or band by their due date, usually fourteen days before.
Here at Weddings With Verve, we love bringing your vision for your wedding to life! We hope you check out our playlists, and we’d love to help you figure out your other details as well. Just reach out to us!
