From the blog
Wedding Ceremony Songs: Processional, Recessional + Song Order
Most couples spend weeks picking their first dance song and about ten minutes on their ceremony music. That makes sense, but the ceremony is where music does the most work. It tells guests to take their seats, it brings in your wedding party, it gives everyone chills when you walk down the aisle, and it sends you back out as a married couple. As a Fargo wedding DJ, we run ceremony sound as well as receptions, so here’s how ceremony music works, the order it goes in, and our favorite songs for each moment.
The Order of Wedding Ceremony Music
Most ceremonies follow this order, from the moment guests arrive to the moment you walk back up the aisle:
- Prelude: soft background music for 20 to 30 minutes while guests find their seats.
- Family seating (optional): a song for grandparents and parents as they’re walked to their seats.
- Wedding party processional: the officiant, groomsmen, bridesmaids, ring bearer and flower girl walk in.
- Bride’s entrance: the music changes, everyone stands, and you walk down the aisle.
- Interlude (optional): a soft song during a unity candle, a sand ceremony, or signing the marriage license.
- Recessional: the upbeat song that starts right after the kiss, as you walk out married.
- Postlude: a few more songs while guests head out to cocktail hour.
Not every ceremony uses all seven. A short backyard ceremony might only need a processional and a recessional, and that’s perfectly fine.
How Many Songs Do You Need for a Wedding Ceremony?
For most ceremonies, you’ll pick four to six songs yourself:
- One for the wedding party processional (or two, if you want a separate song for the flower girl and ring bearer)
- One for the bride’s entrance
- One for the recessional
- One for the interlude, if you’re doing a unity ceremony or signing at the altar
- One for family seating, if you want it
The prelude and postlude don’t need to be picked song by song. A 30-minute prelude is about eight to ten songs, and most couples just give their DJ a style (“soft acoustic,” “classical,” “piano versions of our favorite songs”) and let us build it.
Prelude Songs
The prelude is mood music, not a performance. Guests are finding seats, hugging relatives and taking pictures, so pick something soft enough to talk over. Instrumental versions work best here.
- Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy
- Married Life by Michael Giacchino (from Up)
- Bloom by The Paper Kites
- Make You Feel My Love by Adele
- A Thousand Years by Christina Perri (piano or string version)
- Better Together by Jack Johnson
A tip for any part of the ceremony: almost every popular song has an instrumental version. Search the title plus “piano” or “string quartet” and you’ll find covers from groups like Vitamin String Quartet, The Piano Guys and Brooklyn Duo. It’s an easy way to work your favorite pop or country songs into the ceremony without the lyrics.
Wedding Processional Songs
The processional brings in your wedding party. Classical pieces are popular here for a reason: they’re steady, easy to walk to, and they build. Modern and country songs work just as well, with lyrics or in an instrumental version.
Classic processional music:
- Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
- Air on the G String by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Spring from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
Modern processional songs:
- Marry Me by Train
- Perfect by Ed Sheeran
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
- Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
- Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles (great for a bridesmaids processional with a little bounce)
Country processional songs:
- Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts
- From the Ground Up by Dan + Shay
- Then by Brad Paisley
- Die a Happy Man by Thomas Rhett
Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
If you only know one piece of classical wedding music, it’s probably this one. It’s calm, it builds slowly, and it stretches to fit a wedding party of any size, so it never feels rushed or cut short. If you want something classic that won’t feel dated, start here.
Flower girl and ring bearer songs
If you want a separate song for the littlest members of the wedding party, try You Are My Sunshine, Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder, or Count on Me by Bruno Mars. Keep it simple: they’re usually down the aisle in 20 seconds (or wandering toward Grandma), and your DJ fades out as soon as they reach the front.
Bride’s Entrance Songs
This is the big one. The music changes, the doors open, everyone stands up, and the whole room turns around. Pick something that builds.
- Bridal Chorus (“Here Comes the Bride”) by Richard Wagner
- Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke
- Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel (if you didn’t use it for the wedding party)
- A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
- Turning Page by Sleeping at Last
- Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley (or the softer cover by Haley Reinhart)
Start the song where you want it. Most songs have a 20- or 30-second intro, and the walk down the aisle usually takes a minute or less. Pick the part you want playing when the doors open (usually where the song starts to build) and tell your DJ. We’ll cue it to that exact spot so your favorite moment of the song lands on your favorite moment of the day.
Wedding Recessional Songs
The recessional is what the whole ceremony builds up to. The officiant introduces you, you kiss, and the music should hit right away with something that makes everyone want to cheer. This is not the time for a slow song.
- Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours by Stevie Wonder
- You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates
- Best Day of My Life by American Authors
- This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole
- Love on Top by Beyoncé
- Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
- Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups
- Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis
- You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn
The traditional recessional, and the one everyone recognizes the second it starts. If you walked in to the Bridal Chorus, this is its natural partner.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours by Stevie Wonder
The title says it all. It’s upbeat from the first note, every generation knows it, and it’s hard to walk back up the aisle to this one without grinning.
You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates
That opening keyboard riff is basically a starting gun for the celebration. It works just as well a few hours later on the dance floor.
Best Day of My Life by American Authors
Exactly the right message at exactly the right time. It’s bright, stomping and impossible to hear without clapping along.
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole
A joyful 70s classic built around one big promise. Older guests will light up, and younger ones will be moving too.
Love on Top by Beyoncé
Pure joy from start to finish, and the key changes near the end give you a built-in crescendo as you reach the back of the room.
Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
A folky sing-along for couples who want something a little less expected. The whistled intro sounds like a party getting started.
Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups
A song about heading to the chapel to get married. Technically you just did, but nobody will mind. It’s short, fun and a little retro.
Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis
Our country pick. It’s a cheerful promise of a lifetime together, and the country fans in the crowd will be singing along before you reach the last row.
You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
Horns, soul and a big chorus. It’s upbeat without being silly, so it suits couples who want joyful but not cheesy.
Planning a send-off at the end of the night? These same upbeat songs work for a sparkler exit or a last-song send-off. If you love two songs on this list, save one for the end of the reception.
Tips From Behind the Board
A few things we’ve learned from running ceremony sound:
- Tell your DJ who walks in last. The switch from the processional to your entrance song should happen the moment the last person reaches the front. Give your DJ the order of your wedding party so the cue is clean and nobody is standing in silence.
- Songs don’t have to finish. A wedding party of five or six pairs takes about two minutes to walk in. Your DJ fades the song out once everyone is in place, so pick the song you love, not the one with the right length.
- Start the recessional on the kiss. The best recessionals hit right as the officiant introduces you. Let your officiant and your DJ know the exact line so the music is right on time.
- The microphones matter as much as the music. If guests in the back can’t hear your vows, it doesn’t matter how good the processional was. Your officiant needs a microphone, and so does anyone doing a reading.
- Outdoor ceremonies need more planning. There are no walls to help carry sound outside, so an outdoor ceremony needs more speaker than the same crowd indoors. Find out where the power is near your ceremony site, and have a rain plan, because a North Dakota forecast is more of a suggestion. If you’re getting married at a barn or farm venue like Milt’s Barn or Lone Oak Farm, ask about power at the ceremony site before the big day.
- Check with your church first. Many churches have their own organist or pianist, and some have rules about recorded music. If you’re getting married in a church, ask before you plan around a pop song.
In Conclusion
Ceremony music comes down to five choices: something soft while guests arrive, a song for your wedding party, the song you walk in to, something upbeat to walk out to, and a little music to send everyone to cocktail hour. Pick those, and let your DJ handle the rest. Once the ceremony is done, the next songs on your list are your grand entrance and your first dance. And if you’re still weighing a DJ against a live band for the reception, here’s how the two compare.