What Music Should You Have at Your Wedding Ceremony?

The ceremony is the most emotional part of the day.

The music should be too. Everything else about a wedding can be adjusted, moved around, or recovered from. But the ceremony that's the one moment that can't be replicated. And the music you choose for it will live in your memory (and your guests') for a very long time. Here's how to think about it.

The three musical moments in a ceremony

Most ceremonies have three distinct musical moments, each with a different job: The processional is what plays as you walk in. It sets the emotional tone for the whole ceremony and it's the one your guests will feel most. Choose something that genuinely means something to you not just what sounds 'right' for a wedding. The signing is the quieter in-between moment while you sign the register. This is often where couples choose something a little more personal or unexpected. It's a lovely place to take a musical risk. The recessional is your exit song usually something joyful, celebratory, and high-energy. This is where you get to have fun with it.

Most requested ceremony songs

If you're looking for a starting point, these are the ones couples come back to again and again:

1. Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley. Timeless, emotionally loaded, and works in virtually any ceremony setting.

2. Perfect - Ed Sheeran. Consistently one of the most requested songs I play. There's a reason for that.

3. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley. Beautiful for a signing or a quieter processional moment. Genuinely moving when played well.

   
   

Think outside the obvious

Some of the best ceremony moments I've been part of have come from couples who went left of centre with their song choices. 2000s pop classics translate surprisingly well to acoustic because there's something about hearing a familiar song reimagined that catches people off guard in the best way. And if you want something completely unexpected? Ask. I've done acoustic versions of Slipknot and Taylor Swift for the same couple in the same ceremony. Anything is possible.

Can't decide? Here's what I suggest

Start with the artists and genres you both love, not the songs you think you should play. From there, browse a full set list for inspiration with over 400 songs listed, something will click. If you're still stuck, I'm always happy to jump on a call and work through it together. The right song is the one that feels like you. That's it.