Here Comes the Bride – To Her Own Beat

If you walk to the beat of a different drummer, it only makes sense that you’ll want to choose your own music for your wedding processional and recessional. While the classics like Pachelbel’s Canon in D, the Wedding March, and the Bridal Chorus are lovely, they are very much the norm. You can still have a traditional wedding with all the trimmings yet set the mood that matches your personality with alternative music selections.

Do you still want a classical selection, just one that hasn’t been played at every wedding of the season? Plenty of other classical choices exist including Tchaikovsky’s “Coronation March for Czar Alexander III”, Bach’s “Sinfonia”, Handel’s “Overture”, Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major”, or Vivaldi’s “Winter Largo” or “Spring Allegro” from the Four Seasons. When choosing classical selections, the processional music is generally a more subtle piece of music with a slower pace than the recessional. The recessional tends to be more upbeat and faster.

Want something from the last hundred years? How about the duet, “Unforgettable” with Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole? Consider Jeremy Lubbock’s “The Vow”, “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones, or “Storybook Love” from the movie titled “The Princess Bride.” Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is always beautiful and you can’t go wrong with Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

Okay, those are all terrific wedding songs, but you want to express yourself, right? There’s no rule against going against the grain. Is reggae your thing? How about “Here I am Baby” by UB40? For the rock and roll crowd, consider using an excerpt from Tom Petty’s “Here Comes My Girl.”

Before you choose a song that’s not a tried-and-true wedding song, make sure to check the lyrics carefully. For example, “Here Comes My Girl” also has lyrics talking about how hopeless the town is and how useless work is. For this reason, you might choose to play the more uplifting chorus and avoid the individual stanzas. Likewise, Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” is likely to elicit gasps of horror as people realize what the song is really about.

The recessional lends itself to more whimsical music choices such as “Hurts So Good”, “Pretty Woman”, or “Honky Tonk Woman”.

What’s perfect for one couple may be completely wrong for another. Spend some time listening to music, reading the lyrics, and you’re sure to find the perfect choice. When selecting alternative music for your wedding processional and recessional, seek out music that has a romantic twist and reflects your personality.