3 Tips for Picking Your Wedding Ceremony Songs
Some of us have had out weddings planned since we were children. Others of us… not so much! When it comes to picking music for your wedding ceremony, it can seem like a daunting task. You’ll remember what you walked down the aisle to for years to come, so the selection is important! Here are three tips for choosing songs for your wedding.
1.) Know Your Musicians
Are you going to have live music for your ceremony, or will your DJ be playing something? Whoever is playing the music for your ceremony is important to consider. If you have a solo instrumentalist, or even a duet, there are just some songs that aren’t going to translate well. If you’re hoping to have your favorite electronic, hip hop, or metal song played for your ceremony, it’s not going to sound the same on solo violin or a violin and cello duet. This is because there are a lot of things going on in those kinds of songs, and we won’t have a drum set or a backing track to play with. There are some melodies that I can work with and make really beautiful, but it will be different. If you are having a hard time picturing your song being played on the ensemble you hired for your wedding, I suggest looking up covers of the songs online. This will help you get an idea of what to expect. If you can’t find a cover played by your instrumentation online, it’s likely because, unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. I would consider having your DJ play those songs if you are attached to them – then it will be exactly how you pictured it!
2.) Consider the Timing for the Processional
The trickiest thing to plan is the processional. The timing is pretty key here and you’ll need to take that into consideration when choosing songs. Be thinking of things like, how big is your wedding party, if you have one? Do you want a separate song for when your party walks and when you walk? How long is the aisle at your venue? These will all play a part in the timing for your wedding. For this reason, it’s a good idea to pick a song that is easy for your musicians to stop if they need to. My suggestion is to find a song with a repeated or repetitive melody in the chorus. A couple of great examples of this are Perfect by Ed Sheeran and A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. This makes it easy for your musicians to stop early if they need to or repeat a section if they need more time.
Some couples have different songs for the party and the bride, and some couples have one song for everyone to walk down to. That part is up to you! Just keep in mind that if you have live music, your musicians will likely need to reset after each song (meaning they will need to take their hands off their instruments to turn the page in their music!). If you have a different song for the mothers, one for the bridal party, one for the ring bearer, another for the flower girl, and finally one more song for the bride, it’s probably going to sound a little choppy.
If you are struggling to find a song, ask your musician what they reccomend! They will be able to provide you with a list of ideas.
3.) The Recessional Song(s) Should be Special
The songs you choose for the processional will likely not be played all the way through. However, the song for your recessional will be. If you have a song that you absolutely love, I highly suggest choosing that for the recessional rather than the processional! You’ll likely be too overwhelmed to hear the processional music anyway!
What do you think of these tips? I’d love to hear what songs you’ve chosen for your ceremony below!