When it comes to choosing music for your wedding ceremony there are several things to consider. Getting the music right for the beginning (when guests are arriving and taking their seats) as well as the Processional (entrance of the Bride and Bridesmaids) will set the tone for your whole Ceremony.
The most important thing to remember is that it is your big day and therefore the music must be your choice and personal to you. We realise of course that not all wedding couples have a particular song or list of songs they want. If that’s the case then even a rough idea of musical style is helpful.
For example do you like Classical music (the likes of Pachelbel’s Canon for example) or do you want something more contemporary – Ed Sheeran’s Perfect is extremely popular nowadays.
How to Choose Your Wedding Ceremony Music
The key sections of your wedding ceremony that you require music for are:
- Prelude
- Processional
- Signing of the register
- Recessional
- Post-wedding music, to move between the ceremony and reception
For each section, think whether you want calming or upbeat music? Will you have songs or just instrumental? Will you have gentle background music while the register is being signed or it is hymns all the way for you? Do you want something playing while you say your vows?
JAM Duo will usually play for ten to fifteen minutes before the start of your ceremony to entertain your guests as they arrive and take their seats. In most cases we will choose a selection of 4 or 5 songs which best fit in with the mood and theme of your wedding.
For the Processional (entrance of the Bride and Bridesmaids) and similarly for the Recessional (exit of the newly weds) we will usually play one song for each of these. This is very much a personal choice. We have an ever growing repertoire of music we play for weddings but we are always happy to learn new songs.
Music During the Ceremony
When it comes to music during the ceremony there are usually a couple of places where this might happen. The most common is whilst the wedding couple are signing the register.
At this point in your ceremony we will usually play three or four pieces to entertain your guests whilst you sign the register. As well as the signing process, it is common for the photographer to take several group photographs of the couple and their witnesses. In most cases signing the register will take between 5 and 10 minutes.
As well as during the register signing, sometimes we are asked to play a piece of music as part of the ceremony. This might be in place of a reading (depending on whether you are in a church or civil venue) and usually takes the form of a favourite song played for the Bride and Groom.
In Summary
Aside of relgious text in civil ceremonies there are no particularly hard and fast rules about what music you can or can’t have during your wedding ceremony.
The most important thing is to have music which means something to you. If you really don’t have a favourite song or style of music then you can leave it to JAM Duo to choose something appropriate.
