WEDDING MUSIC SUGGESTIONS



WEDDING MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

Processional (Going in)

Air from Water Music Suite – Handel

Air on a G String – J.S. Bach

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel

Bridal March from Lohengrin - Wagner

Canon in D – Pachelbel

Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring – J.S. Bach

Trumpet Voluntary – Jeremiah Clarke

Recessional (Going out)

Brandenburg Concerto #2 - Bach

Hornpipe in D from The Water Music Suite - Handel

Toccata from the 5th organ Symphony - Widor

Trumpet Tune & Air – Purcell

Wedding March from a Midsummer Night’s Dream – Mendelssohn

The above is by no means a comprehensive list – just the popular ones.

The following website has MP3 files of wedding music to listen to.



An Article on Wedding Music from the net:

The Prelude is an interval of music starting 20 to 30 minutes prior to your ceremony. During the Prelude, your wedding music provider establishes the mood for your wedding. The choice of appropriate mood is entirely up to you, and you may use vocal or instrumental music to create it. A string ensemble playing violin concertos by Vivaldi will create an elegant mood. An organist playing liturgical selections will create a religious mood. A vocalist singing contemporary love ballads will create a romantic mood. Or perhaps, you may desire ethnic selections, creating a variety of different moods.

One general rule applies to your Prelude selections: the music should not be dance oriented, and should be played at a volume that creates suitable background for prayer, reflection, and light conversation.

The following works create the following moods:

Elegant

Violin Concerto #8 (Vivaldi)

Rondo (Mozart)

Air (from Water Music by Handel)

Concerto #1 (from The Four Seasons; Spring; by Vivaldi)

Religious

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach)

Largo (from Xerxes by Handel)

God is my Shepherd (Antoni Dvorak)

Festive/joyous

Brandenburg Concerto #2 (Bach)

Hornpipe in D (from The Water Music by Handel)

Rondo for Flute and Orchestra (Mozart)

Romantic

One Hand, One Heart (from West Side Story by Sondheim/Bernstein)

All I Ask of You (from Phantom of the Opera by Webber)

Pavane (Faure)

Greensleeves (Traditional)

While the Prelude music plays, the ushers escort your guests to their seats. The groom's mother, father, and finally the bride's mother are the last people escorted to their seats. Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke) or Trumpet Tune and Air (Purcell) due to their strong march rhythms are an ideal choice to attract the guests' attention and begin the ceremony. The music should continue until the aisle carpet has been unrolled.

Your ceremony begins with the entrance of the wedding party. Normally, the ushers lead the procession, followed by the bridesmaids, maid of honor, the ring bearer, and the flower girl.

The wedding music should have a clearly audible cadence for the party to keep time while walking. If the same selection is also used for the bride's entrance, there must be a noticeable increase in volume when she is ready to enter.

The haunting melody and driving rhythm of Pachelbel's Canon or Air on a G String (Bach) are a very popular Processional piece.

The bride's entrance is the most important moment of the wedding day. The music announces the bride and focuses all attention on her. The volume must be significantly louder than the music played for the attendants. Bridal Chorus (from Lohengrin by Wagner), Arrival of the Queen of Sheeba (Handel) or Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke) are a good choice.

The end of the ceremony is usually marked by the bridal kiss or the announcement of the newly married couple. The bride and groom exit arm in arm, followed by the flower girl and ring bearer, the maid of honor and best man, and bridesmaid/usher pairs.

This time the wedding music should be majestic and played with a quick tempo. Ode to Joy (from 9th Symphony by Beethoven) or Wedding March (from A Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn) are recommended.

The Postlude begins after the Recessional, it should be fast and triumphant. If you form a receiving line after your ceremony, music should be played until all guests have been greeted. The following melodies will be quite matching here: Overture (from Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel), Rondeau (Mouret), Le Rejouissance (from Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel), Trumpet Tune and Air (Purcell), Suite in F Major (Handel).

The wedding music is an essential part of the wedding, but still you do not want to spent too much money on ordering an orchestra or a band. Here are some money-saving ideas for you to consider.

Contemporary wedding music - if you want a more modern sound at your ceremony, just consider playing the CD of the song or songs that you like. This is extremely cost-effective. However, some churches will not allow you to hook a CD player into their sound system and others simply will not allow contemporary music or possibly certain songs. Make sure to find it out before making plans.

If you want live wedding music, search some local cover bands. There may be a band in your area that would agree to play just one or two songs at your wedding for a reasonable price.

Classical Music - having a small symphony or professional trios or quartets at your wedding can be pretty expensive. If you are not a perfectionist, call your local high school and see if the symphony director would recommend you some students. You could even hold auditions for trios and quartets, asking them to play a certain piece of wedding music. You may be surprised at how professional and impressive these students can be, when money is on the line.

Another resource for wedding music is the organist or music director. Church music directors in general have assisted in many weddings and will know what works and what doesn't. Certainly, you will have to pay a fee, if they agree to coordinate the music for your ceremony.

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