Prelude Music For Wedding Ceremony

prelude music for wedding ceremony

Wedding Songs for a Traditional Wedding Ceremony

Choosing your wedding songs for your ceremony should be done wisely. Your choice of music throughout your wedding day is your own personal soundtrack and will set the tone and mood for you and your guests.

Your wedding songs for your ceremony need to be appropriate to the occasion and for a traditional wedding ceremony chances are you are getting married in a religious establishment. Often a religious venue can provide the services of a choir and/or organist to sing and play your choice of songs.

But choosing suitable songs for a traditional ceremony can be tricky. You know what you like but knowing if they are suitable or not is a different matter. In some cases you may know a song that you feel is perfect but can only remember snatches of it and have no idea what it is called!

At this point a CD of classical and traditional wedding songs is a useful tool. Try your local library, family and friends and even search online for song libraries on websites. You can then hopefully narrow down the list of possible songs and draw up a shortlist.

Where a religious ceremony is concerned you will need to run any wedding songs past your officiant for approval. Not only to gain overall approval of your choices but also to ascertain that the organist can play the songs you want and can source the appropriate sheet music.

Within a traditional ceremony there is usually space for two or three hymns. Where you place the singing of these hymns within the service can dictate whether or not they are quiet, reflective hymns – usually at the beginning of the ceremony, or joyful hymns – after you have said your vows.

You may have some favorite hymns that you would like to sing, but always discuss them with your wedding officiant first who can advise you as to their suitability. You must also consider whether or not your guests will know them. Hymns which are too obscure could result in a congregation mumbling their way through the entire hymn – not the full of gusto performance you were hoping for!

Here are a few suggestions for wedding songs for your traditional wedding ceremony:

The Prelude:

‘A Rose is Gently Blooming,’ Op 122, No 8, Johannes Brahms

Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber

Air on a G String, J S Bach

‘Aria, Bist du bei mir’ (Be thou near me), BWV 508, Johann S. Bach

The Processional

‘Air’ from Water Music Suite, George F Handel

‘Bridal Chorus’ (aka ‘Here Comes the Bride’) from Lohengrin, Richard Wagner

Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel

Procession of Joy, Hal Hopson

The Recessional

‘Allegro Maestoso’ from Water Music Suite, George F Handel

Brandenburg Concerto No 1, Allegro, J S Bach

‘Coronation March’ from Crown Imperial, Sir William Walton

‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from The Messiah, George F Handel

The Interlude

Adagio, Felix Mendelssohn

All Things Bright and Beautiful, traditional hymn

Andantino, Cesar Franck

Arioso, J S Bach

About the Author

Mae Andrea is a professional writer who collects wedding favors and wedding related articles. Another interesting part of her collections is the list of wedding songs especially gathered for all couples out there.

Wedding Ceremony Music – Prelude – Strings – NYC