Table of Contents

Get inspired!

Receive a free wedding planner and tools by registering

Set small photo albums, notecards and a disposable camera at each table. Create a sign asking each guest to write some words of wisdom on the notecards and put the card into the photo album. Make sure they take a photo of everyone at the table. After the wedding you can combine the notecard on the same page as the photograph and you’ll have a special keepsake of every guest at your wedding.

Dancing Fools
Include a request for your guest's favorite song with their reply card so they are sure to want to dance the night away at your event!

Planning the Music for Your Wedding Ceremony

It's safe to say that out of all the events for which you will gather your friends and family to celebrate your marriage, the wedding ceremony itself will be the most meaningful and, hopefully, memorable. In the United States, music plays many vital roles in the wedding ceremony, from providing flow and ambiance to highlighting the deeper emotional meaning. Many former brides and grooms remember the songs played at their weddings for the rest of their lives, and they can relive that romantic day when hearing those songs again.

Since music is so important to your wedding ceremony, I always advise hiring one or more live, experienced, professional musicians to handle it. Qualified, well-researched musicians will be able to tailor the music in real time to fit what is going on in your ceremony, which will help one part flow effortlessly into the next. Also, you'll find it truly ties together all of the visual and verbal elements, from the flowers to the vows, with timeless style and class.

For the music, most American wedding ceremonies have six major parts, each with their own special requirements:

1. The prelude

2. The wedding party's processional

3. The bride's processional

4. The interlude

5. The recessional

6. The postlude

If you do not want to choose individual songs for your ceremony, experienced wedding musicians will be able to play appropriate songs in the right places. But picking out your own music can be more meaningful and satisfying. The first decision you should make that will guide you in your choices is whether you want your music to be traditional and classic or lesser-known but unique. The professional wedding musicians you hire should have a supply of music from both categories in their repertoire.