Music plays a huge role in your wedding. From the moment your day begins to the moment everyone stumbles home at the end of a long night celebrating, there aren’t many parts of your wedding when music isn’t playing in some capacity.
And this goes for your wedding ceremony, too. Of course, one of the most important pieces of music at your wedding is the music you walk down the aisle to. But, there are plenty of other songs that will play during the ceremony itself.
But, exactly what songs play at a wedding ceremony and what songs should you pick to feature in your big day? There’s almost an endless choice out there, so narrowing it down can be a pretty tricky decision.
In this article, we’re going to run through the 200 best wedding ceremony songs, to make sure your ceremony is memorable, romantic and full of your personalities.
When are songs played during your wedding ceremony?
Songs play at various points throughout your wedding ceremony. They’ll play to welcome your guests into the venue while they find their seats and they’ll play as you and your new spouse leave alongside the applause of your elated guests. Music plays a big part in your celebrations and is woven into some of the most important moments.
Here are when songs are usually played during a wedding ceremony:
- Prelude: Usually between 15 and 30 minutes before the ceremony begins as guests begin to enter and take their seats.
- Processional: As the members of the wedding party enter. A separate song may then play as the bride walks down the aisle.
- Hymns/religious songs: In a religious ceremony, hymns and songs may be performed at certain points.
- Interludes: Music will often play as the couple signs the wedding register to provide background sound and entertain guests.
- Recessional: Once the couple is declared married and they leave the ceremony, an upbeat song will usually accompany them.
- Postlude: Music will often play as guests leave the ceremony venue.
How many songs do you need to choose for your wedding ceremony?
The number of songs you need to choose depends on the length of your ceremony and at what points you would like music to play.
- During the prelude, there will often be between 6 and 12 songs, depending on the length and how soon before the start of the ceremony you’d like the music to begin.
- During the processional, there will be a maximum of two songs, including the song you walk down the aisle to.
- If you have a religious ceremony, there are usually approximately two songs or hymns.
- During an interlude, such as when you’re signing the register, there will be time for one or two songs.
- During the recessional, one song will play.
- During the postlude, one or two songs will play, as this is usually enough time for your guests to leave the ceremony venue after you.
In total, there are usually between 10 and 15 songs that will play during your wedding ceremony.
How to choose the perfect wedding ceremony songs
Choosing the perfect wedding ceremony songs will depend on your taste and the style, formality and format of your wedding. Here are some things to think about to make sure you choose the best songs for your ceremony:
- Think about the key moments in your ceremony when music will help add romance, emotion and entertainment for your guests.
- Try to match your musical choices with the overall theme and style of your wedding. For example, with a movie-centric theme, you’ll likely want to choose music used in your favourite movies.
- Think about the acoustics of your venue and how different genres of music will sound.
- Try to choose music that reflects both your personalities and holds special meaning for you as a couple.
- Ensure there’s variation when it comes to tempo and tone. Try and tell a story with a beginning, middle and end.
- Consider your guests and what sort of songs they might like to listen to as well.
- Test your choices together and make sure they complement each other.
200 of the best songs to include in your wedding ceremony
When it comes to your wedding ceremony, you call the shots. And when it comes to the music at your ceremony, there are so many options available to you that it can be a rather daunting task to whittle your choices down to just a handful.
That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve run down our picks for 200 of the best wedding ceremony songs to help ensure you have a memorable ceremony.
50 best guest arrival songs
Before the ceremony begins, music will play as your guests enter the venue and take their seats. The music that plays helps set the scene for what’s to come, so here are our picks for 50 of the best guest arrival songs.
Classic love songs
Key lyrics: ‘Take my hand, take my whole life too / For I can’t help falling in love with you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Oh, my love, my darling / I’ve hungered for your touch.’
Key lyrics: ‘My love, there’s only you in my life / The only thing that’s bright.’
Key lyrics: ‘At last, my love has come along / My lonely days are over.’
Key lyrics: ‘With each word, your tenderness grows / Tearing my fear apart.’
Modern romantic songs
Key lyrics: ‘We were just kids when we fell in love / Not knowing what it was.’
Key lyrics: ‘Cause all of me loves all of you / Love your curves and all your edges.’
Key lyrics: ‘I have died every day waiting for you / Darling, don’t be afraid.’
Key lyrics: ‘I’d climb every mountain / And swim every ocean.’
Key lyrics: ‘I knew I loved you then, but you’d never know / ‘Cause I played it cool.’
Acoustic and indie songs
Key lyrics: ‘Yours was the first face that I saw / I think I was blind before I met you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart.’
Key lyrics: ‘Home, let me come home / Home is wherever I’m with you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Tell the world that we finally got it all right / I choose you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Lucky I’m in love with my best friend / Lucky to have been where I have been.’
Instrumental songs
- ‘Meant to Be’ – Steve Petrunak
- ‘Canon in D’ – Johann Pachelbel
- ‘Moon River’ (Instrumental) – Henry Mancini
- ‘River Flows in You’ – Yiruma
- ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ (Instrumental) – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Pop and contemporary hits
Key lyrics: ‘I can see your halo / You know you’re my saving grace.’
Key lyrics: ‘Baby, it’s you / You’re the one I love.’
Key lyrics: ‘Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Well, you done, done me in; you bet I felt it / I tried to be chill.’
Key lyrics: ‘I swear to God, when I come home / I’m gonna hold you like I’m never gonna let you go.’
Soul and R&B classics
Key lyrics: ‘Ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough, baby.’
Key lyrics: ‘For once in my life, I have someone who needs me.’
Key lyrics: ‘What I want, you’ve got / And it might be hard to handle.’
Key lyrics: ‘This will be an everlasting love / This will be the one I’ve waited for.’
Key lyrics: ‘I’m so in love with you / Whatever you want to do is alright with me.’
Feel-good songs
Key lyrics: ‘Here comes the sun, and I say / It’s alright.’
Key lyrics: ‘You can count on me like 1, 2, 3 / I’ll be there.’
Key lyrics: ‘Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?’
Key lyrics: ‘Because I’m happy / Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.’
Key lyrics: ‘Cause when you love someone / You open up your heart.’
Timeless instrumental classics
- ‘Arioso’ – J.S. Bach
- ‘Marry Me’ – United Guitar Players
- ‘Spring’ from The Four Seasons – Vivaldi
- ‘Air on the G String’ – J.S. Bach
- ‘Serenade’ – Franz Schubert
Soft rock and folk
Key lyrics: ‘Where do we go? Where do we go now?’
Key lyrics: ‘May the good Lord be with you / Down every road you roam.’
Key lyrics: ‘So darling, darling stand by me / Oh, stand by me.’
Key lyrics: ‘Some things just go better together / And probably always will.’
Key lyrics: ‘I belong with you, you belong with me / You’re my sweetheart.’
Romantic songs
Key lyrics: ‘Kiss me beneath the milky twilight / Lead me out on the moonlit floor.’
Key lyrics: ‘I am the luckiest / What if I’d been born fifty years before you in a house on a street where you lived?’
‘Better Together’ – Us The Duo
Key lyrics: ‘Mmm, it’s always better when we’re together.’
Key lyrics: ‘You’re just too good to be true / Can’t take my eyes off of you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Seems that all I really was doing was waiting for love.’
25 best wedding processional songs
Set the mood and let your guests know that your special moment is about to begin with a processional song that hits home as your nearest and dearest walk down the aisle. But what sort of vibes should you go for? Here are 25 of the best wedding processional songs for you to consider.
Romantic classics
Key lyrics: ‘And I wish you all the love in the world / But most of all, I wish it from myself.’
Key lyrics: ‘I want her everywhere / And if she’s beside me I know I need never care.’
Key lyrics: ‘Something in the way she moves / Attracts me like no other lover.’
Key lyrics: ‘That’s why, darling, it’s incredible / That someone so unforgettable thinks that I am unforgettable too.’
Key lyrics: ‘When you kiss me, heaven sighs / And though I close my eyes, I see la vie en rose.’
Modern love songs
Key lyrics: ‘I’m scared to death that she might be it / That the love is real, that the shoe might fit.’
Key lyrics: ‘Can I go where you go? / Can we always be this close forever and ever?’
Key lyrics: ‘You make my heart feel like it’s summer / When the rain is pouring down.’
Key lyrics: ‘Not talking about a year, no, not three or four / I don’t want that kind of forever in my life anymore.’
Key lyrics: ‘And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times / It’s you, it’s you, you make me sing.’
Instrumental covers of pop songs
- ‘The Book of Love’ (Instrumental) – Peter Gabriel
- ‘You Are So Beautiful’ (Instrumental) – Joe Cocker
- ‘Wildest Dreams’ (Instrumental) – Taylor Swift
- ‘Yellow’ (Instrumental) – Coldplay
- ‘Latch’ (Acoustic Instrumental) – Sam Smith
Indie and folk
Key lyrics: ‘Just know you’re not alone / ‘Cause I’m gonna make this place your home.’
Key lyrics: ‘Can I be close to you?’
Key lyrics: ‘Come with me, my love / To the sea, the sea of love.’
Key lyrics: ‘And the world’s a little bit brighter with you.’
Key lyrics: ‘I get to love you / It’s the best thing that I’ll ever do.’
Instrumental film soundtracks
- ‘Time’ – Hans Zimmer (from Inception)
- ‘A Million Dreams’ – The Piano Guys (from The Greatest Showman)
- ‘Dawn’ – Dario Marianelli (from Pride & Prejudice)
- ‘Portals’ – Alan Silvestri (from Avengers: Endgame)
- ‘Falling Slowly’ (Instrumental) – Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová (from Once)
50 of the best songs to walk down the aisle to
The song you walk down the aisle to is probably the one song you’ll think about the most throughout your wedding planning process. It’s likely to be a song that you and your partner never ever forget and will always be something that raises a smile whenever you hear it.
Because this is such a big decision, it’s hard to narrow it down. Below are 50 songs you may want to walk down the aisle to, but for even more inspiration, read our complete guide to the best songs to walk down the aisle to.
Classical instrumentals
- ‘Canon in D’ – Johann Pachelbel
- ‘Clair de Lune’ – Claude Debussy
- ‘Ave Maria’ – Franz Schubert
- ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’ – J.S. Bach
- ‘Air on the G String’ – J.S. Bach
- ‘The Four Seasons: Winter’ – Antonio Vivaldi
- ‘Largo’ from Xerxes – Handel
- ‘Trumpet Voluntary’ – Jeremiah Clarke
- ‘Ode to Joy’ – Beethoven
- ‘Wedding March’ – Felix Mendelssohn
Modern instrumentals
- ‘Turning Page’ – Sleeping at Last
- ‘A Thousand Years’ (Instrumental) – Christina Perri
- ‘All of Me’ (Instrumental) – John Legend
- ‘Perfect’ (Instrumental) – Ed Sheeran
- ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ (Instrumental) – Elvis Presley
- ‘Marry Me’ (Instrumental) – Train
- ‘Here Comes the Sun’ (Instrumental) – The Beatles
- ‘Halo’ (Instrumental) – Beyoncé
- ‘Thinking Out Loud’ (Instrumental) – Ed Sheeran
- ‘Marry You’ Canon – Wedding Mashup
Acoustic versions of pop songs
- ‘I’m Yours’ (Acoustic) – Jason Mraz
- ‘Make You Feel My Love’ (Acoustic) – Adele
- ‘You Are the Reason’ (Instrumental) – Calum Scott
- ‘Stand by Me’ (Instrumental) – Ben E. King
- ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ (Instrumental) – James Arthur
- ‘Love Story’ (Acoustic) – Taylor Swift
- ‘Ho Hey’ (Instrumental) – The Lumineers
- ‘Best Day of My Life’ (Acoustic) – American Authors
- ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ (Instrumental) – Aerosmith
- ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ (Instrumental) – Elton John
Indie instrumentals
- ‘Young and Beautiful’ – Lana Del Rey
- ‘To Build a Home’ (Instrumental) – The Cinematic Orchestra
- ‘First Day of My Life’ (Instrumental) – Bright Eyes
- ‘Your Hand in Mine’ – Explosions in the Sky
- ‘Reverie’ – Claude Debussy
- ‘The Ludlows’ – James Horner
- ‘Love Me Tender’ (Instrumental) – Elvis Presley
- ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ (Instrumental) – Keane
- ‘Heartbeats’ (Instrumental) – José González
- ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ (Instrumental) – The Verve
Movie soundtracks
- ‘Concerning Hobbits’ – Howard Shore (from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
- ‘Glasgow Love Theme’ – Craig Armstrong (from Love Actually)
- ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ (from Pinocchio)
- ‘Comptine d’un autre été’ – Yann Tiersen (from Amélie)
- ‘Bella’s Lullaby’ – Carter Burwell (from Twilight)
- ‘Now We Are Free’ – Hans Zimmer (from Gladiator)
- ‘My Heart Will Go On’ (Instrumental) – James Horner (from Titanic)
- ‘Hoppípolla’ – Sigur Rós
- ‘The Heart Asks Pleasure First’ – Michael Nyman (from The Piano)
- ‘Married Life’ – Michael Giacchino (from Up)
25 of the best hymns at a church wedding
If you’re having a religious ceremony, you may want to include some hymns or songs and encourage your guests to sing along. Here are 25 of the best hymns to include at a church wedding.
Key lyrics: ‘Love divine, all loves excelling / Joy of Heaven to earth come down.’
Key lyrics: ‘All creatures of our God and King / Lift up your voice and with us sing.’
Key lyrics: ‘Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven / To His feet your tribute bring.’
Key lyrics: ‘Come, Thou Fount of every blessing / Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.’
Key lyrics: ‘Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee / How great Thou art! How great Thou art!’
Key lyrics: ‘The King of love my Shepherd is / Whose goodness faileth never.’
Key lyrics: ‘Bind us together, Lord / Bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.’
Key lyrics: ‘Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart / Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.’
Key lyrics: ‘When love is found and hope comes home / Sing and be glad that two are one.’
Key lyrics: ‘In Christ alone my hope is found / He is my light, my strength, my song.’
Key lyrics: ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee / God of glory, Lord of love.’
Key lyrics: ‘Morning has broken, like the first morning / Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.’
Key lyrics: ‘Give me joy in my heart, keep me praising / Keep me praising ’til the end of the day.’
Key lyrics: ‘All things bright and beautiful / All creatures great and small.’
Key lyrics: ‘Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer / Pilgrim through this barren land.’
Key lyrics: ‘Great is Thy faithfulness! O God my Father / There is no shadow of turning with Thee.’
Key lyrics: ‘Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy / Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy.’
Key lyrics: ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me.’
Key lyrics: ‘O perfect Love, all human thought transcending / Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne.’
Key lyrics: ‘May the mind of Christ my Saviour / Live in me from day to day.’
Key lyrics: ‘Take my life, and let it be / Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.’
Key lyrics: ‘Come down, O Love divine / Seek Thou this soul of mine.’
Key lyrics: ‘One more step along the world I go / One more step along the world I go.’
Key lyrics: ‘For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies / For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies.’
Key lyrics: ‘Blest be the tie that binds / Our hearts in Christian love.’
25 best songs while you sign the wedding register
While you and your partner sign the wedding register to make things official, you might like to play a song or two to keep your guests entertained. This can continue with the theme of romance, or could be a way to inject something a little more upbeat into your ceremony. Here are 25 of the best songs to play while you sign the wedding register.
Key lyrics: ‘And I think to myself / What a wonderful world.’
Key lyrics: ‘My girl, my girl, my girl / Talkin’ ’bout my girl, my girl.’
Key lyrics: ‘Something in the way she moves / Attracts me like no other lover.’
Key lyrics: ‘L is for the way you look at me / O is for the only one I see.’
Key lyrics: ‘I said, ‘I love you just the way you are.’’
Key lyrics: ‘When you dance down the street / With a cloud at your feet, you’re in love.’
Key lyrics: ‘Love is a verb / It ain’t a thing, it’s not something you hold.’
Key lyrics: ‘Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof / You saw her bathing on the roof / Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.’
Key lyrics: ‘You got me feeling like I’m walking on sunshine / And it’s all because of you.’
Key lyrics: ‘And I hope life treats you kind / And I hope you have all you’ve dreamed of.’
Key lyrics: (Instrumental, but conveys deep emotion and romance through music.)
Key lyrics: (Instrumental, known for its beautiful, expressive melodies.)
Key lyrics: ‘Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.’
Key lyrics: (Instrumental, evoking feelings of beauty and hope.)
Key lyrics: ‘I believe in a thing called love / Just listen to the rhythm of my heart.’
Key lyrics: ‘And I’d give up forever to touch you / ‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow.’
Key lyrics: ‘Just let me adore you, oh honey / I’d walk through fire for you.’
Key lyrics: ‘And all I know is you held the door / And you’ll be mine and I’ll be yours.’
Key lyrics: ‘You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess / It’s a love story, baby, just say, ‘Yes.’’
Key lyrics: ‘It’s always better when we’re together.’
Key lyrics: ‘There is no fear now / Let go and just be free.’
Key lyrics: ‘You make me smile like the sun / Fall out of bed, sing like a bird.’
Key lyrics: ‘The smile on your face lets me know that you need me / There’s a truth in your eyes saying you’ll never leave me.’
Key lyrics: ‘In your eyes, the light, the heat / In your eyes, I am complete.’
Key lyrics: ‘And you can tell everybody this is your song / It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done.’
25 best wedding recessional songs
Once you and your other half have tied the knot, it’s time to let out a sigh of relief and switch things into party mode. So, while you and your new spouse leave the ceremony venue, you might want to switch things up with something upbeat and joyful. Here are 25 suggestions for the best wedding recessional songs.
Key lyrics: ‘It’s always a good time.’
Key lyrics: ‘You know you make me wanna shout!’
Key lyrics: ‘Got me looking so crazy right now, your love’s got me looking so crazy right now.’
Key lyrics: ‘Looks like we made it, look how far we’ve come, my baby.’
Key lyrics: ‘And it’s too late to start over / But it’s not too late to start again.’
Key lyrics: ‘Celebrate good times, come on!’
Key lyrics: ‘I see, alone we stand, together we fall apart / Yeah, I think I’ll be all right.’
Key lyrics: ‘I’ve had the time of my life / And I owe it all to you.’
Key lyrics: ‘Let’s get it on / I’ve been really trying, baby.’
Key lyrics: ‘You are the best thing / Ever happened to me.’
Key lyrics: ‘I’m signed, sealed, delivered, I’m yours.’
Key lyrics: ‘My baby don’t mess around / Because she loves me so / And this I know fo sho (uh)’
Key lyrics: ‘I’m walking on sunshine, whoa-oh! / And don’t it feel good!’
Key lyrics: ‘We are family / I got all my sisters with me.’
Key lyrics: ‘A B C it’s easy as 1 2 3 / As simple as do re mi A B C / 1 2 3 baby you and me girl.’
Key lyrics: ‘Oh, this has gotta be the good life / This has gotta be the good life.’
Key lyrics: ‘Shut up and dance with me / This woman is my destiny.’
Key lyrics: ‘I feel so close to you right now / It’s a force field.’
Key lyrics: ‘So raise your glass if you are wrong / In all the right ways.’
Key lyrics: ‘I, I love the colourful clothes she wears / And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair.’
Key lyrics: ‘I can’t see me loving nobody but you / For all my life.’
Key lyrics: ‘You thought you’d found a friend / To take you out of this place / Someone you could lend a hand / In return for grace.’
Key lyrics: ‘I got a feeling (woohoo) that tonight’s gonna be a good night.’
Key lyrics: ‘Cheer up, sleepy Jean / Oh, what can it mean / To a daydream believer / And a homecoming queen.’
Key lyrics: ‘Oh, you’re the best friend that I ever had.’
Should you have live music at your wedding ceremony?
Whether or not you decide to have live music at your wedding is entirely up to you, your preferences and your budget. Couples spend an average of £1,800 on their wedding music, which can be a large cost on top of everything else.
That being said, if you can and want to have live music at your wedding, it can certainly make things special and memorable. There’s nothing quite like a live harpist playing while you walk down the aisle, or having a live singer entertain your guests while you sign the register.
But, it all comes down to your budget, the logistics and the sort of music you’d like to include.
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You Might Also Like…
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Happy Planning!
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