Planning Your Wedding Music - A Practical Guide
, by Kevin Duncan, 5 min reading time
A practical walk-through of the four musical moments in a wedding service - voluntary, processional, service music, and recessional - with bestseller picks for each.
Wedding season is almost here. Across the country, couples are sitting down with their vicar or priest to talk through the service, and somewhere in that conversation comes the big question: what music?
Whether you are the couple, the organist, or the member of clergy helping a couple plan their big day, the choices can feel overwhelming. There are four musical moments to think about - the voluntary before the service, the processional as the bride enters, the hymns and interlude pieces during the service, and the recessional as the couple leave. Get the balance right and the music lifts everything. This guide walks you through each stage, with practical suggestions from our bestselling wedding music collections.
Before the Service - Voluntaries
The voluntary is the music that plays as guests arrive and find their seats. It sets the tone for everything that follows. You want something reflective but not sombre, something beautiful enough to be enjoyed but unobtrusive enough to allow conversation.
Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba is a perennial favourite, as is the slow movement from Bach's Air on the G String. For something a little different, the transcriptions in Five Puccini Pieces for Organ work beautifully - the Chrysanthemums movement is particularly suited to this moment. At £9.99 for the complete set, it is a straightforward addition to any organist's library.
For organists looking for a broader collection, Favourite Movements For Organ gathers some of the most-requested classical pieces in expert arrangements by Colin Hand. Elgar, Schubert, Mozart and more, all under one cover for £16.99.
The Processional - Here Comes the Bride
This is the moment everyone is waiting for. The traditional choices remain traditional because they work - Wagner's Bridal March from Lohengrin, Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary, or Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba all do a splendid job of announcing the bride.
If you are looking for something slightly different, the Trumpet Tune by Purcell or Mendelssohn's Wedding March (often used for the recessional) can work beautifully for the entrance too. The key is to match the piece to the bride's pace and the length of the aisle. A short aisle in a village church needs a different piece to a long cathedral nave.
Our Wedding Music for Piano collection brings together twenty of the most popular wedding pieces in a single affordable volume, arranged for piano or manuals-only organ. At £13.99, it covers everything from Clarke and Handel to Bach and Puccini. For organists who want the comprehensive collection, Essential Wedding Music For Organ (£33.99) offers over one hundred pieces including last-verse arrangements of well-loved hymns.
During the Service - Hymns and Signing of the Register
Most weddings include two or three hymns, typically one after the entrance, one before or after the vows, and one before the recessional. The best hymns for weddings are ones that most guests will know and be able to sing - congregations at weddings are famously quiet, and a familiar tune gives everyone permission to join in.
Safe choices that rarely disappoint include Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, Lord of All Hopefulness, and Give Me Joy in My Heart. If you want to include a modern hymn, One More Step Along the World I Go and Shine, Jesus, Shine are widely known.
A comprehensive hymn book makes planning much easier. Hymns Old & New - One Church, One Faith, One Lord contains 793 hymns across traditional and contemporary styles and is a standard across thousands of UK churches. One Family Hymns Old & New offers a similarly broad collection with sensitive use of inclusive language.
While the register is being signed, you need about five to seven minutes of beautiful music. This is often where a soloist or small ensemble can shine - a choir anthem, a Schubert Ave Maria, or a gentle piano piece like Elgar's Salut d'Amour. If you are using the organ alone, our Favourite Movements collection provides several ideal candidates.
The Recessional - A Joyful Exit
The recessional needs energy. The couple have just been married, the congregation is full of joy, and the music should match that mood. Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream is the classic choice for good reason. Widor's Toccata from the Fifth Symphony is the other great choice, though it demands a confident player and a decent instrument.
For something slightly less standard but equally uplifting, Handel's Hornpipe from the Water Music or Stanley's Trumpet Voluntary both work beautifully. Again, the collections mentioned above contain all of these pieces in playable arrangements.
A Practical Note for Organists
If you are the church organist helping a couple plan, remember that the best wedding music is music you play well. Couples often arrive with requests based on films or family recommendations, and part of your role is to gently guide them toward pieces that will sound fantastic on the day. A familiar piece played beautifully will always beat an ambitious piece played nervously.
Our collection for church organists spans beginner through to professional, and many of our bestselling wedding titles are designed specifically for manuals-only playing. Funeral Music for Manuals (£17.99) is worth a mention too - the reality of parish life is that weddings and funerals often go hand in hand, and having the repertoire for both close at hand saves time and worry.
Everything You Need in One Place
We have been publishing music for church organists since 1976, and wedding music has always been one of our most-requested categories. Whether you are planning your own wedding, playing for someone else's, or supporting a couple as their priest or vicar, we have the resources to make the music side of things straightforward.
Browse our full wedding music collection and remember that free delivery applies to all orders over £40.