Music

Selecting Music for a Wedding Ceremony

These are times chamber music will add ambiance and sophistication to your wedding ceremony:

Preludes: 15 minutes during guest arrival and seating
Wedding Party: Bridesmaids and groomsmen processional and placements
Bride Processional: Entrance of the bride
Interludes: Music for reflection, communion, and lighting of the unity candle, or accentuate readings
Recessional: Exit of the bride, groom, wedding party, and guests

Program from a traditional wedding:

Preludes: Mouret: Rondeau, Bach: Air on the G string, Vivaldi: Largo from Winter, Pachelbel: Canon in D
Wedding Party: Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bride Processional: Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary
Interlude: Bach: Aria, Bist Du Bei Mir
Recessional: Purcell: Trumpet Tune
Postlude: Handel: Allegro Maestoso from Water Music

Wedding ceremony sections and appropriate styles:

Preludes: Slow lyrical lines of music such as slow movements from Mozart or Haydn string quartets, or flowing passages of notes such as Pachelbel's Canon in D

Wedding Party: More moderate tempos such as Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Bride Processional: A more robust or stately selection such as Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary, Wagner: Bridal Chorus.

Interlude: An uplifting selection, anything by Bach.

Recessional: A lively piece, which is cheerful, and bright, such as Handel: Trumpet Tune, Handel: La Rejouissance, or Wagner's Wedding March.