Setting the “Tone” for Your Ceremony


Ceremony music is often viewed as a minor detail, an afterthought, among all the details that must be attended to when planning a wedding day. But this approach is really an opportunity lost. Music touches people on a visceral level, and careful music selections, especially foe the ceremony, can support and enhance the entire wedding experience.

First, consider including some thoughtful prelude music. These selections, played while your guests are being seated can foreshadow the ceremony and day to come. The genre of the music – country, rock, classical – can give your guests a piece of information about you as a couple. If you choose songs including lyrics, you can communicate how you view love and marriage.

Next consider your processional music. Usually one or two pieces of music are selected to accompany the entrance of your parents (and possibly grandparents), and your attendants (bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls and/or ring bearers). Again, genre, tone and lyrics can be used to share your values here.

Then comes the song for the bride’s entrance (or in the case of a same sex couple, the couple’s entrances). While Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” is one of the most popular choices here, this is an opportunity to show more of your personality as you enter your ceremony.

In the custom ceremonies I write for couples, the kiss is always the last moment of the ceremony. As the kiss breaks, the music swells and you lead the way out of the ceremony space and on to the rest of the wedding festivities. Again, a commonly used classical piece like “Trumpet Voluntary” provides a strong, jubilant exit, but other options like “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, or “You Make My Dreams Come True” bring a contemporary, upbeat vibe.

Music touches people in ways the spoken word alone cannot. So spend some time making meaningful music selections for before, during and after your wedding ceremony to enhance the message, tone and emotion the ceremony itself evokes.