I played my first wedding ceremony while I was in high school, for young friends in love who hired me to play Pachelbel’s Canon on harp. It was a traditional church wedding, and since then, I can estimate I’ve played over 500 weddings. It certainly is something I enjoy offering to others and I feel honored to be invited to play music for these ceremonies.

The first thing I always ask my clients when they are choosing wedding music is: what is the general feel of your wedding? A wedding theme can help a bride and groom pick out songs, and it can help me better understand who they are as a couple. Is the ceremony rustic? Is it upscale? Boho? A traditional church ceremony? Is there a cultural theme?

Answers to these questions help narrow in the vibe that the music will create. A rustic farm wedding might call for Americana or Irish folk songs. An upscale downtown hotel might call for classical pieces or jazz. A traditional church wedding will likely involve Bach and pieces you might think of synonymous with weddings (Here Comes the Bride/Bridal March) as well as religious. Finally, a culturally themed wedding will include songs from that nationality or region of the world. For instance, a Chinese wedding might include old world folk songs like Cherry Blossom, with a modern flair like video game songs, or movie theme music. For a traditional Indian wedding, I improvised a lot in Eastern keys.

The next question I ask a couple, and perhaps more obvious, is what kind of music do you like?

I like learning new songs. I’m happy to take requests. (I offer to learn up to three new pieces.) Many brides request special songs for their ceremony and I’m always happy to accommodate. But before I learn a bunch of new music, I point clients toward my suggested songlist.

After picking out a few wedding songs, I recommend deciding where in the ceremony you need/want music. After a couple has chosen their wedding theme, picking out songs you each like is much easier.

In general, a wedding ceremony has three main songs, in addition to prelude and postlude music. There are some variations:

Variation #1
– Processional (same song for everyone)
– Interlude (optional)
– Recessional

Variation #2
– Processional (song for bridal party)
– Bridal Entrance
– Interlude (optional)
– Recessional

Variation #3 – for large wedding parties
– First Processional (song for parents and grandparents to be seated)
– Second Processional (entrance of groom and officiant)
– Third Processional (song for multiple bridesmaids)
– Bridal Entrance
– Interlude (optional)
– Recessional

…and for the very simple event:
Variation #3
– Processional
– Recessional

Fun fact: I have yet to play harp at a courthouse wedding!

If a couple has special requests, I do my best to make that happen. Suggested wedding songs and popular choices are listed on my wedding webpage.