CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING MUSIC

Ceremony Music

During your prelude, you will want to use wedding music which is not obtrusive. This will be played while your guests are arriving and taking their seats. Start this music as early as possible so that wedding music is playing when the first guests arrive. Consider using light pieces such as Bach's Air on a G String or Debussy's Claire de Lune.

While important family members, such as the mother-of-the-bride, are being ushered to their seats, you will need to choose a pre-processional. While the choice is yours, keep in mind the tempo of the piece and how it will fit in with the other wedding music you've chosen for your ceremony. Try Jeremiah Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary or Handel's Air from the Water Music suite.

When the wedding party appears at the top of the aisle, the wedding music should switch from the pre-processional to the processional. This piece should have a tempo which allows your bridesmaids and groomsmen to walk down the aisle at a measured pace and heightens the suspense for the wedding guests as they wait to see the bride. When choosing wedding music, keep in mind how the piece be played. A piece that is perfect in full orchestral form may not have the same presence if performed by an organist. A piece such as Vivaldi's Winter, Largo or Handel's Oboe Concerto will work nicely here.

As soon as the bride appears at the top of the aisle, the wedding music should switch to the piece you have chosen for the bride's entrance. This is the moment that you, and all your guests have been waiting for. Your wedding music should be dramatic and sweeping. A traditional piece is Wagner's Bridal Chorus, but many brides prefer something a bit less stereo-typical, such as Pachelbel's Canon in D.

After you are pronounced husband and wife your recessional will begin. This is the moment in which you and your new spouse walk down the aisle. You should choose wedding music that is joyous and conveys your feelings of excitement and happiness. A traditional favorite is Mendelssohn's Wedding March. Many people like to use something beautiful and vibrant like Handel's Hallelujah Chorus or Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Reception Music

Other wedding music you will need to choose include the father-daughter dance, mother-son dance, songs to be played during the toasts, bouquet toss, garter removal and toss, cake-cutting, money dance (if you have such a thing), and the last dance. You will also want to consider playing traditional wedding music from your cultural backgrounds.

Don't forget, when choosing your wedding music, to make a list of songs that you absolutely want to have played at your reception and provide this to your dj or band. If they don't have it, you will want to obtain a copy yourself of anything you just need played. This way you are sure the chicken polka or Ice Ice Baby don't get skipped!