Your Definitive Guide to Wedding Music

Wedding Music

If you are planning a wedding then I hope you'll find this guide a useful reference guide.

Whether you are a Bride or Groom and Wedding Planner of DJ this guide will help you develop a music soundtrack that reflects the personality and wishes of the couple and helps take the guests on a musical journey that complements any wedding day perfectly.

Bridal Party Dance at Blagdon Parlour Northumberland

Marriage Facts

The latest available figures from the Office of National Statistics reveal some interesting facts about marriage and weddings in England and Wales during 2016

• In 2016, there were 249,793 marriages in England and Wales, 1.7% more than in 2015, but 1.0% fewer than in 2014.
• 97.2% of all marriages were between opposite-sex couples and 2.8% were between same-sex couples.
• There were 7,019 marriages between same-sex couples in 2016, an increase of 8.1% from 2015; of these marriages, 55.7% were between female couples.
• Marriage rates for opposite-sex couples in 2016 were lower at all ages compared with 2006, except for men aged 60 years and over and women aged 50 years and over.
• For the first time ever, less than one-quarter (24%) of all marriages in 2016 were religious ceremonies.
• 30 July was the most popular day to get married in 2016, with 4,742 marriages on this day.

Whether you plan to get married in a church with a religious ceremony a Registry Office or a licensed wedding venue this guide will help you think about the music you need.

Prelude Music

Your guests will start to arrive for your ceremony from around 30 minutes to 45 minutes before your Ceremony. The more remote your

What music would you like to have playing to help create the mood and atmosphere  you want at the start of the day?

It may be better to stylize the music rather than just including a mix of songs or different types and styles.

Some examples of the type and styles of music that you may wish to consider could include:

• Classical music. This can be very powerful and just perfect in very traditional venues for examples a Castle or very old building including many churches.
• Acoustic music by cover artists. These are often more stripped back and calm than the original versions of songs. Take a look at artists like Boyce Avenue, Beth and Jasmine Thompson. There are many other excellent artists who perform in this  style.
• Acoustic instrumental piano music from artists such as the Piano Guys. Piano Girls and the O'Neill Brotherr
• Acoustic instrumental guitar music.
• Church Organ music. Liaison will be required with the organist to ensure they know the music you'd like played and the style and tempo of the music you would like.

As an alternative to playing recorded music you could as an alternative book a singer, piano player or string quartet for example the cost may well be a consideration when weighing up your options with prices starting from around £150 for the Prelude and Ceremony Music 

Wedding Ceremony Music at Horton Grange Northumberland

Wedding Ceremony Music

If you are having a civil ceremony and getting married in a wedding venue or Registry Office rather than in a Church there are some rules about the music you can play.

You are not allowed to play any religious songs or have an bible or religious readings during the ceremony.

This does not just cover traditional Hymns but can extend to songs with religious connations in them for examples Angels by Robbie Williams or Ava Maria by Beyonce. If you are in any doubt then please discuss your music choices with the Registration Service.

The wedding ceremony normally takes around 30 minutes. Ceremonies in a church can take slightly longer as you may be able to choose some Hymns for your guests to sing and there are often some readings from the bible included in the service.

• Waiting Music – You’ll need around 3 songs immediately before your ceremony to play as your guests are seated and awaiting the arrival of the Bridal Party. These can be a continuation of the style of music used within the prelude or some carefully chosen music to complement the music chosen for the ceremony. One thing that can heighten the excitement and grab the attention of your guests is for there to be a short pause in the music just before the Bridal Party arrives. This alerts your guests to the imminent arrival of the Bride.
  

• Processional Song – You will need a song or piece of music for the Bridal Party to walk into the Church or Ceremony Room to. This is normally a calm   Have a think about the song you pick and how it works with the size of the Bridal Party and the distance you have to travel. Listen to the song and at what point you would like the song to gently fade out and stop. Work back from this point and how much time you have and roughly how that works with the number of bridesmaids, flower girls, page boys etc before the Bride enters the room approach the Registrar, Vicar or Priest, stand for a moment and look briefly at your husband to be before the song ends.
  

• Signing the Register – You will need up to 3 songs to play in the background when you sign the register. These are usually pretty laid back and chilled. This is normally the point that your photographer and guests when invited get the opportunity to take some photographs. The policy on this will vary between different Registrars and Churches
  

• Recessional Song – At the conclusion of the Ceremony the Registrar, Vicar or Priest will ask your guests to stand and congratulate you as they set you off back down the aisle as Husband and Wife.  The recessional song is normally upbeat and celebratory to encourage spontaneous applause from your guests as you go back down the aisle. You’ll have a maximum of around 10 seconds before you disappear out of the room or church so you need the song chosen to have an instant “Bang” as there would be little point in choosing a song with a long introduction before it gets going. Some careful thought about the song and some careful editing can transform many songs so they work perfectly for the occasion.
  

The Drinks Reception

The drinks reception is the time when your guests are enjoying their first drink.

Everyone will be in good spirits and will want to congratulate you after all you’ve just been married.

Your photographer will be organising some photographs.

This is a time when you will want to be playing upbeat celebratory songs.

Your guests may well be outside depending on the weather.

Some music ideas that would work here include:

• A good mix of upbeat songs including some popular modern and more classic hits
  
• On a hot summers day with your guests enjoying the sun some upbeat Latin, Salsa, Reggae and Samba style vibes could potentially hit the mark
  
• Some swing and Rat Pack vibes are popular with young and older guests.
  

Creating an atmosphere which gets your guests moving, tapping their feet and singing along to popular songs would complement the mood perfectly.

Drinks Reception in the Elephant Garden at Woodhill Hall Otterburn

The Grand Entrance to the Wedding Breakfast

Once your guests are seated for the Wedding Breakfast there is an opportunity for the happy couple to be announced into the wedding breakfast.

In the United States its very popular to announce in the whole of the "Top Table" and there's nothing stopping you from doing this here. You could even choose a specific song for each person or couple to be announced into the wedding breakfast.

Traditionally in the UK its the couple alone who get announced into the wedding breakfast to suitable applause.

What better way to build the atmosphere with an appropriate song to lighten the atmosphere and add a fun element to your wedding entrance.

The Wedding Breakfast

The Wedding Breakfast is normally a time when your guests get to know each other better or just indulge in conversation.

You'll need some background music just playing on a low volume whilst your guests are being served the wedding breakfast.

Usually a good mix of love  songs, acoustic music or songs with a more chilled vibe. 

As the wedding breakfast reaches its latter stages it might be an idea to inject some energy by introducing some well know "Sing-A-Long" songs to get your guests in the mood for the fast approaching evening wedding reception party.

Room Changeover

This is the time between the end of the daytime festivities and before the start of the evening wedding reception party.

You might want to think about a play-list for this section of the day. 

There are probably two options

• Background music which allows your guests to relax or
  
• An alternative livelier playlist which injects some energy into the proceedings to get your guests in the mood for the party to follow.
  

The Evening Wedding Reception Party

When it comes to the evening party have a think about the music you like that has broad appeal and you think will get people dancing

Most weddings have guests of all ages and some have guests from afar where there may be regional differences in music tastes as well as and international dimension to consider.

A good mix of songs to cater for all musical tastes will help everyone to feel part of your wedding reception party.

Well known songs with a broad appeal are generally the songs to focus on.

Why not invite each of your guests to suggest a song or two that they like to dance too with their RSVP to your wedding that way you are sure to gather a list of songs that you know will be popular with your guests as they were involved in picking them.

As a DJ I encourage you to put forward as many songs as you want to include in your wedding "playlist". I use this as a guide rather than a must follow list. If there is a shorter list of "Must Play" songs that would be ideal perhaps with a longer list of "Would Like" songs.
 
Almost as important as the songs you would like played have a think about any songs that you really don't want played too. Some songs may hold a bad memory or may just be a cringeworthy song you dont want played.

As a skilled DJ I'd work with your "playlist" and use your songs along with other songs I might introduce to build the energy on the dancefloor and read the room to make the maximum impact on the dancefloor.

Father and Daughter Dance at Blagdon Parlour Northumberland

The Spotlight Moments

• Parents Dance – There are lots of options for a parents dance. The Father and Daughter dance is as popular as ever and the Mother and Son's are also choosing to get in on the action. You'll need a song that works for the occasion. There are several options for the timing and orchestration of this:

 

1. Before your First Dance - This can work well where the happy couple dance with their respective parents to the same song and at the end of the song lead the happy couple into the centre of the dance floor for the First Dance together. This can be a poignant handover from the care of your parents to caring for each other.
2. After your First Dance - Some people like this just after the first dance but if I’ve just managed to fill the dancefloor for your first dance its probably not the best way to kick your party off to clear it again for your parents dance.
3. At Another Time - If you go with another time than it may be best to pick a time when you’re heading into or out of a natural break for example the evening buffet

• Bouquet Toss – Some couples like to perform a traditional bouquet toss whereas others prefer to retain their bouquet for another reason perhaps as a keepsake or to lay on the final resting place of an inlfuential relative. If you'd like to include a bouquet toss you could use a smaller posy for the purpose of thei fun activity and still retain your actual bouquet. Again you'll need to think about an appropriate song.
  

 

• Any other Spotlight Moments --– Couples can incorporate anything they like into their evening so have a think whether you want to include other things e.g. Bridesmaid Dance, Stag Dance, Mr and Mrs Game (Shoe Game)  etc. Again you'll need to consider the right music for the occasion.

 

• Evening Buffet –The guests will probably want to go to buffet area and sit and bring their buffet back to their tables to eat. There are options for the music here. We can discuss these. I normally recommend we switch the music to sing-a-long tunes i.e. really well known songs that everyone knows the words too and can’t help singing when they come on but won’t be compelled to dash onto the dance floor. If you think your guests or the buffet is more fluid then continuing the dance music might be the best thing? I would not recommend moving to background music as this will adversely impact on the energy and atmosphere during the party celebrations.

 

• End of the Night – As your party comes to a close at the end of an amazing day, you’ll need to think about a big song that everyone knows ideally high energy dance song or a sing-along tune that will unite the your guests in a big finale and finish your wedding on a high. A circle of your guests singing with the happy couple in the centre of the dancefloor or alternatively giving you a big send off through the tunnel of love.

If you need any inspiration you can find some great ideas in the list of the top songs played at weddings compiled by DJ Intelligence compiled from returns from DJs who have performed at weddings over the past year

Grand Entrance at Wedding at Woodhill Hall, Otterburn Northumberland

Author: Ian Conway -  Icon Entertainments Specialist Wedding & Events DJ

I'm a Multi Award Winning North East Wedding DJ and Mobile Disco covering Northumberland, County Durham, Teesside, North Yorkshire, Newcastle, Sunderland and Tyne and Wear areas.

I was voted as the Best Yorkshire and North East Wedding DJ 2020 in The Wedding Industry Awards and the Wedding Entertainer of the Year 2019 in the English Wedding Awards.

Whilst I specialise in creating amazing wedding celebrations I'm more than happy to DJ at any event or party.

www.icon-entertainments.co.uk