Music is a big part of most weddings, your wedding ceremony music can set the entire tone of your event. It is important to take the time to consider how to choose music for a wedding ceremony so you are setting the right tone for your wedding day. Whether you decide to hire a band or a DJ or provide the wedding’s soundtrack with your own iPod, take your time and follow these suggestions to help you choose the appropriate musical selections for you and your partner.
The wedding songs that you choose to play throughout your big day will truly have a much bigger impact on your event than most people realize. Music sets the ambiance for your event, wedding music will enhance the emotions felt by you and your guests throughout every stage of the day.
Have you ever noticed that when a movie has a terrific soundtrack it just makes the movie so much better? That is because music truly tells us what to feel and while choosing appropriate wedding songs is one thing, choosing the perfect wedding songs to convey not only the emotion of the moment but the underlying message that you want to express to your bride / groom, friends and family is truly an opportunity to enhance the overall experience for everyone.
That is why at WeddingWire.com we have created one of the most incredible tools available anywhere to help you choose wedding songs take your atmosphere to the stratosphere.
Many people approach the selection of wedding music considering all of their favorites, however there are some events where popular music simply won’t do. For instance, wedding ceremony songs. Typically these are classical or at least somewhat outside what most consider everyday listening. To get some great ideas of wedding ceremony songs click the category of wedding songs that you want to explore, then click any song in the list to listen and view a video featuring that song.
Many popular wedding songs have simply endured the test of time because of the timeless message they convey and classic style they bring to the moment when they are played. Of course most couples have some very specific wedding songs that they already know they want played at very specific times throughout the day. However, the typical wedding will have anywhere from 90 – 140 wedding songs that play throughout the reception alone.
The right wedding reception songs will let your guests know when to expect the grand entrance of the wedding party, when it’s time for cocktails, food, mingling and of course when it’s time to dance.
Below, you’ll find all the major categories for music you’ll need to figure out, as well as other parts of the day you may not have thought of yet.
suggestions to help you choose the appropriate musical selections :
Decide what type of wedding ceremony suits you best as a couple.
For more traditional ceremony music you could choose time-honored classics such as “Here Comes the Bride” or Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” These are instrumental classical pieces that have been played at wedding ceremonies since before your great-grandparents were married.
It is becoming increasingly popular to select more contemporary songs for the wedding ceremony. Soft tempo songs such as Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” or “The Luckiest” by the Ben Folds Five can set the mood you are looking for and may be more your style.
Consider the setting of your nuptials.
You may want to tailor your choices towards more religious selections if you are getting married in a church or other religious environment.
It is important to consider the way sound will travel in your venue. Vocal songs may be harder to understand in an outdoor setting, while some musical instruments may echo in large, indoor settings.
Evaluate how many songs you will need to cover the entire ceremony.
You will need, at minimum, music as guests arrive, a song for the seating of the mothers, the processional, the entrance of the bride, lighting of the unity candle and music for any other special moments you choose to include in your ceremony such as a rose ceremony for mothers or the recognition of lost loved ones.
Decide if you want any musical solos.
Perhaps you have a very talented friend or relative that is a vocalist or plays an instrument. Asking him or her to do a solo is a great way to incorporate more loved ones into your wedding ceremony.
Choose a main instrument for your wedding ceremony music.
Perhaps the church has an organ or maybe you want to hire a string quartet for your garden wedding. You may still have a vocalist and a flute solo, but you’ll need to choose who will be performing the majority of your wedding music.
Make the time to practice the timing prior to the wedding rehearsal.
Often the wedding rehearsal isn’t done until the night before the big day. If you wait until then to make sure the timing is right, there won’t be enough time to iron out the kinks without some added stress. Save yourself the upset and do a music run-through before the wedding to allow for any changes you may need to make.
Decide whether or not you would like professionals to make your decisions for you.
If you decide everything, and you are not a musician, the likelihood that you may be making a musically uninformed decision may interfere with the fluency of your event. If you are sure of your decision (song choice, music genre/type), be sure to check up with your musicians before hand, as they have a lot of experience in this area.Decide how you are going to go about hiring/finding musicians.
Certain websites like wedding wire or herdmycattle will have vendor selection services which you can use, but not all musicians can make your entertainment enjoyable.
Ask for music samples from specific vendors.
If they don’t offer samples (CDs or videos of their playing, either online, or by mail), then don’t use them!
Suggestions to select songs for different segments in wedding :
Processional.
This is the music that accompanies the walk down the aisle. You’ll need to pick a song for your bridesmaids to walk down the aisle to, and then a song for the bride’s entrance. There are traditional choices like “Here Comes the Bride,” of course, but you can do other classic alternatives like Pachelbel’s Canon in D (like in Father of the Bride) or something totally different to personalize it. Love a song but not the lyrics? Have an instrumental version played.
Recessional.
The recessional is like the opposite of the processional — it’s when you walk down the aisle, but the other way. For your big exit, you could go with something more upbeat because the pressure is off now that you’ve gotten through the vows. (Think the scene in Love Actually when the band plays “All You Need Is Love.”)
Cocktail hour music: If you choose to host a cocktail hour between the ceremony and reception, it’s good to have a playlist of songs to set the mood. The music should be low-key but convivial — you’re not trying to get anyone to dance yet, but you don’t want to put anyone to sleep either.
Reception entrance.
This is a song to mark the bride and groom’s entrance into the reception, usually with the wedding party in tow. It should be celebratory, not unlike the recessional song, and it’s a good chance to set the tone for the party. If you want to introduce your wedding party first, you’ll also need a separate song for them.
The first dance: Yes, everyone knows they need a first dance, but most people struggle trying to find the perfect song. If you don’t already have “your song,” we have plenty of first dance song suggestions.
Father/daughter dance.
Traditionally, the father of the bride takes a spin with his daughter on the dance floor after the first dance. It can be something personal or traditional, and if you need some father/daughter dance song ideas, we’ve got them. Similarly, some couples also have a mother/son dance or simply integrate that into the father/daughter dance at the end.
Reception music.
Whether you pick all, most, or some of your dance music depends on how in control of the playlist you want to be. Even if you give your DJ free rein, you may want to make a Do Not Play list — a list of songs that you really don’t want to hear for whatever reason (you might not want your reception to be remembered for trying to bring back “The Macarena”). For songs you do want, though, we have lots of ideas, from fun pop hits to ’80s songs. To end the evening, some couples also opt to have one song close out the event (doesn’t The Wanted’s “Glad You Came” seem perfect for this?).
Cake-cutting.
If you make your cake-cutting a ceremonial event, pick out an upbeat song since it is usually a cute, sweet part of the evening. (Tip: if you have a first dance song that you rule out because it’s too fast-paced, it might be perfect for cake-cutting.)
Bouquet toss.
For this fun part of the wedding, another upbeat song is in order, and since you’re commanding the wedding’s single ladies to the floor, you can go literal (“Single Ladies”) or just pick another fun, romantic song. And if you choose to have a garter toss, the same rules apply.
To simplify the process for you of choosing the perfect soundtrack to your wedding day, here are some of the most popular wedding song websites and have set out below a brief review of some of the best. Most of the websites here recommended contain large libraries of wedding songs to choose from and some of them have broken the lists down into categories and sometimes even sub-categories, such as processional or ceremony music and then celebratory or reception music. You might also want to consider having a look at these websites to select music to include on your wedding video. Have a browse through the websites and have some fun! Good luck with selecting your wedding music!
http://www.ourweddingsongs.com/
http://www.wedalert.com/
http://www.weddingmusiccentral.com/
http://www.wedding-music-help.com/wedding-music-blog.html
websites for Indian wedding songs :
http://mp3hungama.com/music/genre_albums.php?id=16
http://www.sayshaadi.com/wedding-songs
https://sites.google.com/site/premsoni4u/Root/Hindi_Wedding_Songs
http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com/articles/best-indian-wedding-songs-of-bollywood-1548
