How to Build the Perfect Wedding Ceremony Playlist With Strings

Tips for Choosing Ceremony Songs

Some couples come to us with it all figured out; they have had a vision since childhood of walking down the aisle to Canon in D played by a string quartet, or they watched Crazy Rich Asians and want to recreate the (iconic) scene with an ensemble playing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love.” But with so much wonderful music out in the world, it can be hard to choose the perfect song for your perfect day! We’ll give you some ceremony song ideas for your processional.

Credit: Melissa Hailey Photos | Jorgensen Farms

First, a breakdown of the terms we’ll use in our contract and in general to talk about what’s going on:

Prelude 

The music that we play in the half-hour before the ceremony. This is usually gentle string covers of pop songs or love songs, or classical music depending on your preference.

Processionals

The entrance songs. Usually, the Entrance of the Family song is first. Honored family members like grandparents and parents are escorted in to this song, and usually the groom joins them. Often, though, this is omitted or combined with the bridal party’s song.

Next, the Bridal Party Processional. This traditionally starts with the bridesmaids/groomsmen and ends with the flower girl.

Finally, the Bridal Entrance. The big moment that needs no introduction.

Occasionally, there are additional processionals for the groom or some other groups. Keep in mind, though, too many quick song changes in a row can sound disjointed to the audience – I think our record was a processional of 6 songs (not including the bride), and we only played 30 seconds of each! Though we are professional musicians with nerves of steel, I admit that made us sweat a little. We recommend 3 processional songs.

Mid-Ceremony Songs

These are optional, depending on the structure of your ceremony. If you are doing some kind of ritual like a cord tying or a sand ceremony, occasionally you will need music to fill the silence. This is not necessary if someone is speaking, or if the moment lasts less than a minute or so. Couples usually choose a contemplative classical piece, a religious song or hymn, or something soft and sweet like “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran.

Recessional

Your walk-out song! We hit this cue after the officiant announces you as a couple for the very first time. It’s usually a loud, celebratory song to compete with all the cheering!

Postlude

This is usually a short little song as your guests clear the area. My go-to choices are short, upbeat, and sweet, like “Married Life” from Up or “You are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne.

How do I choose my ceremony songs?

I’ll start with the advice we give everyone: choose songs you like. Bonus points if they’re meaningful to you and your person. It’s our policy to let our clients dream big and take the lead on song choices, so their ceremony playlists truly reflect who they are. Three custom songs from off the repertoire list come free, so let your imagination run wild! Some tips below to start:

Don’t worry too much about things not matching

Fear of genre whiplash is understandable! But there have been many times we’ve played some Guns n’ Roses or Nirvana followed by Bach with zero consequences. Your song choices will all be unified by the string quartet sound, which is uniformly elegant. If you’re concerned about having potentially jarring transitions, the main thing to watch out for is differences in tempo – but even then, we usually slow things down to walking speed for processionals. So, choose anything you’d like, unbounded by genre! But, on the other hand…

Consider a theme

If it helps you think of songs, or if it’s your planning style, consider linking your song choices with a theme. We have certainly done full playlists of one artist, like Taylor Swift, or around themes of video game, Disney, or movie songs (see real clients’ playlists below for some examples). We’ve also played a really lovely ceremony with “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles as a bridal party entrance, and a custom mashup of “You are My Sunshine” and Canon in D for the bride. The recessional was “Another Day of Sun” from La La Land. The only limit is your creativity! We custom-arrange songs all the time, and would love to hear your ideas.

When in doubt, look to the classics

There’s nothing wrong with picking the classic choice; it’s classic for a reason. When all else fails, Canon in D will be there for you. It is, from a musical perspective, the perfect choice for a wedding – and I say that as a cellist stuck with the same eight notes for eternity! It is beautiful, timeless, and endlessly loopable. Songs like “A Thousand Years” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” also fall into this category. “At Last” and the Mendelssohn wedding march fill this slot for recessionals.

Can’t decide? Mash it up

The truly custom option, and my personal favorite. We’re known over on Instagram and YouTube for our mashups, where we show off frankenmusic like “Can’t Help Falling in Love” x Canon, “Lover” x “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “Welcome to the Black Parade” x Canon, and other successful hybrids. We’re always down to try your ideas! If you’re between two songs, it’s definitely an option.

Sample wedding ceremony playlists for live strings

Here are some real playlists from our clients over the years! Hopefully it provides some inspiration and proves the sky really is the limit when choosing wedding songs for strings.

C+A’s Lakeside Wedding – Timeless Choices for String Duo

Prelude: Classical and pop mix

Seating of Parents: What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong

Bridal Party: Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper

Bridal Entrance: Can't Help Falling in Love

Songs During Ceremony: none

Recessional: Siman Tov u Mazal Tov

Postlude: Married Life

S+R’s Garden Wedding – A Taylor Swift String Duo Wedding Playlist

Prelude: Pop selection, heavy on the TSwift

Seating of Parents: none

Bridal Party: The Alchemy, Taylor Swift

Bridal Entrance: Lover, Taylor Swift

Songs During Ceremony: none

Recessional: Style, Taylor Swift (starting at chorus)

Postlude: Love Story, Taylor Swift

L+S’s Art Museum Wedding – Ethereal Video Game Faves for String Quartet

Prelude: Selections from video games and Studio Ghibli films

Seating of Family: Undertale from Undertale

Groom + Bridal Party: Undertale from Undertale

Bridal Entrance: Great Fairy Fountain Theme from The Legend of Zelda

Songs During Ceremony: none

Recessional: Ballad of the Goddess from The Legend of Zelda

Cocktail Hour: Hand-picked playlist of video game soundtracks

G+B’s Countryside Wedding – Reverent and Sacred Choices for String Trio

Prelude: Hymns and classical music

Seating of Family: The Blessing, Kari Jobe

Bridal Party: Goodness of God, Cece Winans

Bridal Entrance: Gratitude, Brandon Lake

Cord Tying (~2 min): I Get to Love You, Ruelle

Recessional: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Cocktail Hour: pop selections

M+M’s Farm Wedding – Eclectic Selections for String Quartet

Prelude: pop selections

Seating of Parents: Your Song, Elton John

Bridal Party: Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows

Bridal Entrance: I See the Light from Tangled

Songs During Ceremony: none

Recessional: Everlong, Foo Fighters

Postlude: You Shook Me All Night Long, AC/DC