Congratulations! You booked Around Town Entertainment for your wedding, and now it’s time to pick out the music. We happen to like the sound of music around here, so we’re going to start at the very beginning – we hear it’s a very good place to start. The beginning, of course, is your ceremony music! While your cocktail hour gets a lovely jazz trio, and your reception will, we’re sure, be full of lots of danceable tunes; the ceremony can be tricky because this moment, more than most, is one where your creative license can truly run wild.
The music for your ceremony can be the most instrumental (pun intended) part of setting the tone and telling your guests precisely who you are as a couple and what’s important in your relationship. Your ceremony also presents the unique opportunity to create a story arc – your procession can begin with a song or songs that remind you of how your relationship began, and by the end the two of you can exit to a song that conveys your hopes and intentions for the future! Today, we’ll be diving into this idea a bit more, since it’s a little less conventional.
Since there are three main sections of music – your bridal party procession, the bride’s entrance, and the recessional – we’ve broken each of them down in their own section of this blog and filled them with questions & suggestions to get you started in building your perfect ceremony!
Seventy-Six Trombones Led the Big Parade
The procession of your grandparents, parents, and bridal party likely won’t come with 76 trombones, but depending on the size of your bridal party, the length of the processional music can vary greatly! That’s why it’s often important to choose multiple songs, and maybe even one more than you’ll think you’ll need, just in case (though when you make the list, put the most essential songs in the top 2, knowing you may not need the songs after that).
Now we come to the big questions:
What is the overall vibe of your wedding? Are you looking for something classic and romantic? How about something sweet and simple?
Do the two of you have a favorite film? Some popular wedding procession choices include “Concerning Hobbits” from ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’, or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in the style of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.
Is there a TV show you both love? Consider using the theme song or a song from a meaningful moment in the show. “The Office” is a great example of a show with a beautiful theme song that is well suited to a piano or guitar cover, and recent smash hit “Bridgerton” is full of stunning orchestral arrangements of more modern pop songs that could be perfect for your bridal party’s entrances.
How about a favorite band or artist? Was there a concert you attended together that made a certain song all the more meaningful?
Use this time to tell your love story! Your procession music can tell your story from start to present – In three songs or less, do you think you can tell the story of how you met, how you first fell in love, and the love you came to when you decided to spend the rest of your lives together?
At Last, My Love Has Come Along
Mark Gordon and Harry Warren really nailed it with the lyrics to this classic popularized by Etta James – and it’s how we hope you feel when you see each other from opposite ends of the aisle as the bride’s part of the procession begins! This is another moment to really tell your guests the story of your love, while all their eyes are on you. Is there a song that immediately comes to mind as one that always makes you think of the moment you truly knew you loved your partner? Stop reading for a moment to think!
Ok, now that you’ve thought about it, if you’re stuck or coming up empty, we do have a few ideas to get the ball rolling for you. Consider songs like Sara Bareilles’ “I Choose You” or Train’s “Marry Me”! A little too on the nose? Other popular choices include Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” John Legend’s “All of Me,” or Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
This Will Be An Everlasting Love
We and Natalie Cole just know it will! And, conveniently, this song remains one of the most popular song choices for a couple’s recessional back down the aisle after being pronounced as married! But there are other choices, too, and most couples seize this opportunity to pick a song that stays consistent with the theme of telling their guests just how much hope they have for their future together. Disney lovers have been known to use “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams” is an eternally fun bop (Even if their partnership didn’t survive the test of time, we’re sure yours will so don’t let that deter you from using the song!), and Stevie Wonder remains quite a king of the wedding music scene with the ever-so-apt “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
For this moment more than any other in the ceremony, we recommend something truly celebratory – it’s the start of your life together, and, more immediately, the start of the party!
No matter what music you choose for your ceremony, our live musicians will have the perfect touch to bring your ceremony, be it intimate or grand.
