Wedding Ceremony Songs: Playlist Guide

Wedding Ceremony Song selection and the placement of your choices throughout the ceremony will significantly impact the feeling of each moment. It’s worth sitting down with your fiancé and imagining the ceremony timeline unfold so you can curate the perfect experience during this intimate and emotional portion of your wedding.

We’re here to talk through some considerations for each segment of the wedding ceremony to make sure you’re prepared to choose the perfect songs for each moment and also communicate your choices to your team of wedding vendors.

****Remember to listen closely to the lyrics of your favorite songs and make sure they are aligned with the mood you’re setting****

Processional

The number of songs needed for the procession depends on how many people you’re planning to include in your wedding party. You’ll need one to three songs for this portion of the wedding ceremony but planning in an extra song for good luck could never hurt ;-)

Recessional

This song represents the kick off to the celebration! Here we’re transitioning out of the intimate, heart-felt environment established during the wedding ceremony into a more lively portion of the evening. Higher-energied songs with a slightly faster tempo work best for this moment. Choose 1-3 songs for this transition into the cocktail hour. The recessional length will also depend on the size of your wedding party.

Pre Ceremony Music

Most ceremonies include 15-30 minutes of music leading up to the start of the wedding ceremony to entertain guests while they arrive at the ceremony site and find their seats. Gentle instrumental music is a great fit for this segment of the wedding ceremony. Acoustic style love songs with vocals also work well for this portion of the ceremony.

Aisle

The moment we’ve all been waiting for and the most important choice of all the Wedding Ceremony Songs! The perfect Aisle Songs have been known to bring tears to eyes just at the thought of it all.

Acoustic Covers or Instrumental Covers of your favorite song are often a nice touch for the Brides Entrance Song, but a timeless classic like “Pachelbel’s Canon in D” or “Can’t Help Falling In Love” will also curate a heart melting experience.

Your loved ones will rise to greet you as you enter the space and this is your time to shine. Remember to walk slowly down the aisle to truly soak in this glorious moment! The more you take your time with your entrance, the more your get to rock out to your favorite song.

How Cues Work

If you hire a Live Musician or Wedding DJ to curate the music for your ceremony, they will probably have their own system for communicating about cues and ensuring seamless transitions between ceremony moments.

As your ceremony plans coalesce, the mappings of each moment will become clearer for all involved. Remember to share your Ceremony Document with your hired musicians so they can plan accordingly.

If you are DIYing the ceremony music, we recommend assigning someone in your wedding party to control the queue and ensure your song selections are aligning with the desired timeline of your ceremony.