You’re getting married!!! Congratulations! Enjoy this exciting time!
If you’re here, you’ve started wedding planning, and both you and I know how many decisions are involved in that process. I’m a future bride (5 months to go!) and can sympathize with the frustration of researching and sorting through the myriad of tiny details involved in being wed. I want to help cut down on the amount of research you have to do – you have enough on your plate, dear!
This guide is full of wonderful classical pieces perfectly suited to a wedding of any type – micro, vow renewal, outdoor, Catholic Mass, you name it! The guide is designed to help you find the perfect pieces and atmosphere for your day.
Don’t see your favorite piece? Reach out to me – I’d love to help you realize your vision.
Ready to dive in?
Background Music: Setting the Mood
Background music sets the tone of your wedding before you even make your first appearance. It should be conducive to conversation or recollection for your guests, depending on the type of wedding you are celebrating. Background music should not be loud, sad, overbearing or jarring – you want your guests to feel welcomed and joyful.
Obvious PSA that needs to be stated: please do not program a traditional “bridal processional” selection here. If your guests are in the middle of getting seated 15 minutes before the wedding is supposed to start, it would be really confusing for them to hear Wagner’s Bridal Chorus and wonder where the bride is!
Most of the below pieces can be used as background music for while the guests are gathering, chatting and getting seated. A couple pieces NOT to use here (but feel free to program these for when you walk down the aisle!):
- Bridal Chorus (Wagner)
- Canon in D (Pachelbel)
- Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (Handel)
- Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
- Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
This is the perfect time to include pieces that might not fit elsewhere in the ceremony, your dad’s favorite song, even an arrangement of a pop song you and your spouse-to-be love.
Good classical wedding music options:
- Any of the non-bridal processional pieces, mentioned below
- Blue Danube (Strauss)
- Berceuse from Jocelyn (Godard)
- Amazing Grace
- Humoresque (Dvorak)
- Minuet (Boccherini)
- Claire De Lune (Debussy)
- Estrellita (Ponce)
Processional: The Big Entrance
Your big entrance is the time to include those traditional bridal processional pieces! Depending on what kind of statement you want to make as you and your bridal party walk in, you can opt for a grand, dramatic piece, like one of these:
- Bridal Chorus (Wagner)
- Canon in D (Pachelbel)
- Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (Handel)
- Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
- Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
- Alleluia from Exultate Jubilate (Mozart)
- Le Rejouissance from The Royal Fireworks Music (Handel)
- Bourree, Hornpipes 1 and 2 from Water Music Suite 1 (Handel)
- O God Beyond All Praising (Holst)
- Hallelujah Chorus (Handel)
- Prelude from Te Deum (Charpentier)
- Wedding March from Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn)
Or more contemplative pieces, like these:
- Arioso (Bach)
- Air on the G String (Bach)
- Ave Maria (Schubert)
- Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)
- Amazing Grace
- Flower Duet from Lakme (Delibes)
- Adagio from Winter (Vivaldi)
- Air from Water Music Suite 1 (Handel)
- Andante from Piano Concerto #21 (Mozart)
- Largo from New World Symphony (Dvorak)
- Sonata in D Major (Handel)
- Sonata III in F Major (Handel) – mvt 1
- The Swan (Saint-Saens)
- Rondeau (Mouret)
- Theme from Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)
- Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
- Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
- Salut D’Amour (Elgar)
- Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach)
- Serenade (Schubert)
- Meditation from Thais (Massenet)
- Wachet auf (Bach)
- Waltz (Brahms)
The bridal processional can be the same or a different piece than the one the wedding party walks in to.
Offertory or Exchange of Rings + Vows:
If you are having a traditional wedding Mass or ceremony, you will have some time at Offertory to have music. Alternately, some couples enjoy having quiet, reflective music during the exchange of vows ceremony.
- Arioso (Bach)
- Air on the G String (Bach)
- Sonata in D Major (Handel)
- Meditation from Thais (Massenet)
- Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach)
The Recessional
The recessional piece should reflect the joyful mood everyone will be in as they celebrate the happy new couple!
- Air, Bourree, Hornpipes 1 and 2 from Water Music Suite 1 (Handel)
- Alleluia from Exultate Jubilate (Mozart)
- Le Rejouissance from The Royal Fireworks Music (Handel)
- O God Beyond All Praising (Holst)
- Hallelujah Chorus (Handel)
- Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke)
- Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
- Prelude from Te Deum (Charpentier)
- Wedding March from Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn)
- Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (Handel)
- Now Thank We All Our God
- Rejoice, the Lord is King!
I hope you enjoyed this guide! Remember that it isn’t comprehensive, so if you don’t see a piece here that you love, definitely ask your musicians if that piece is possible. I’ll be posting another blog about more uncommon pieces that are perfect for weddings!