A Church Wedding
Music makes a church wedding, but you may not be familiar with what could be on offer. Here are some suggestions that might help. Note that this is based on UK information - while many hymns and traditions are the same in the US, sometimes there may be differences.
Planning your wedding music
We often get asked for help in planning the music for a wedding. You'll find plenty of information on this page, but we have now also produced a detailed 62 page downloadable guide to planning the music for a church wedding, or any wedding using traditional music like hymns. In the guide you will find:
- Guidance on the different musical options at each stage of the wedding
- A plan to ensure everything is organized for the music
- 21 suggestions for "in and out" music, with links to hear the pieces
- 38 suggestions for wedding hymns and songs with links to hear the music
- 26 suggestions for anthems and solos to provide a musical highlight, with links to hear the music
- a range of suggestions for background and interlude instrumental music
- Complete words of 21 of the most popular wedding hymns, ready to copy into your order of service
The planner is there to help
you make a choice of wedding music that you'll always love.
You can download a free sample with the contents and introduction by RIGHT CLICKING HERE and selecting "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." to download. Both the sample and the actual planner are in Adobe Acrobat format to read on the computer (you can fill in the boxes and click links to hear the music) or to print and read at your leisure.
Not got Adobe Acrobat reader?
Got any questions? Email us and we'll get back to you with the information you need. You can buy the full planner in either pounds sterling, or US dollars:
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Want a choir?
Many churches offer a choir to sing at the wedding (for a fee). We strongly recommend having a choir if you can. These days a lot of guests at weddings may not be totally familiar with the hymns or songs you sing - the main function of the choir is to lead the singing, to make sure there's a strong line rather than an embarrassing silence. The choir may also be able to sing an anthem during the signing of the register (see below) - but this may depend on who is available. If, for instance, you are getting married in August, you may find the choir is thinner than usual and are best sticking to the hymns. If the church can't provide a choir you may be able to find one locally who will fill in - it's well worth asking around, as it makes a huge difference to the singing.
A few choirs offer a junior choir or a full choir at an extra charge. The junior choir is fine if you are mostly interested in the look of having the choir there, but the full choir will make a lot of difference to the singing.
CDs of Wedding music
It makes a lot of sense to hear the music for your wedding first to make sure it's what you want. Ask the organist to play through some recommended pieces and hymns (lots of recommendations below), or consider getting a CD to give you some hints. Here are some suggestions:
Organ Music for Weddings
Click here for more information,
including a full track list, or
to buy
Our own 2 CD set features 26 wedding hymn tunes, 11
worship songs and 14 organ pieces for "ins and outs" as well as playing
during interludes like the signing of the register. This is a great way to get
to know the various tunes for the well known hymns and worship songs (it's
easy to find the words), and to help choose music for the arrival of the
bride and the departure of the bride and groom - this collection has about
the best set on a single recording. As well as the familiar
Wagner and Mendelssohn wedding marches and Widor's Toccata,
there are some less well known but superb pieces like the march from
Handel's Occasional Oratorio, Karg Elert's variations on Now
Thank we All Our God and Charpentier's Trumpet Tune/Prelude -
excellent if you want your wedding to stand out from the crowd.
If you want more choice for before and
after, during the processions or during the signing, take a look also at
our Wedding Pieces for Organ CD. This features 22 extra organ
pieces from well known music like the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria and
Haydn's St Anthony Chorale to some secret gems that will make your
wedding extra special. There are a range of trumpet voluntaries,
selections from Handel's Water Music and much more.
Click here for more information,
including a full track list, or
to buy
Love Divine - The Complete Guide to Music for a Church
Wedding 
It's
difficult to find a single CD that has a good selection of both background
music and hymns to get some inspirations for a wedding - this is probably
the best choice around. There are the inevitable Wagner & Mendelssohn
wedding marches, with several other organ options for in and out, some
good anthems to be sung during the signing of the register (though as
usual rather randomly chosen) and some of the most popular wedding hymns
from the inevitable Love Divine (and why not - it's a good hymn) to
less common choices like Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. Perhaps
the oddest choices are Elgar's rather weak Ave Verum Corpus (if you
don't want Mozart, Byrd's is so much better), Walton's Set Me as a Seal
and strangest of all Irish I Would be True. But it's still a very
useful starter to explore some potential wedding music. Unfortunately
this CD isn't available from Amazon.com (though there's no problem
shipping to the US from Amazon.co.uk), and when we last looked was on 1-2
week availability (do check by clicking the See button), so failing that,
there's:
The Complete Wedding Album
It doesn't have the hymns and anthems - if you want to hear
these, check out the other CD recommendations below, but this album does have an
excellent range of music both for arriving and departing and for playing
during any gaps such as the signing of the register. Some of this music
you would probably have to play on a sound system (unless you can run to
an orchestra for Fantasia on Greensleeves, or the right performers
for Unchained Melody) but much of it would work fine on an organ.
The
Power and the Glory: Organ Music for Weddings
Okay, this isn't going to help with hymns, because there
aren't any, but this double album has a great selection of pieces played
on the organ for "ins and outs" and for playing during the signing of the
register. Of course there's Wagner and Mendelssohn (the traditional in and
out) and the expected Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and Grand
March from Aida, but there's also some interesting surprises like
Cocker's Tuba Tune and Gigout's Grand Choeur Dialogue. One
or two are maybe not ideal for weddings - I'm not sure I'd go with the
Radetsky March or Liberty Bell (the Monty Python music)
but tastes vary!
If none of these meets your need, here's a wider selection (In the UK...):
-
The Wedding Music Guide - a cheaper alternative to the CD above, again with in and out music, music for the signing of the register and hymns. Rather restrictive choice, though (4 entrance/exit, 6 for signing and 5 hymns), and only one of the pieces for the signing is traditional, the rest having a strong celtic flavour (which is fine, but not what everyone wants)
-
Wedding Hymns - Queen's College, Cambridge with a wedding-oriented hymn CD featuring 22 of the most popular hymns for weddings. Takes a while to be dispatched, but the best for pure wedding hymns
-
Wedding Classics - a good two disc collection with a mix of the classics for in and out, during the signing and solos. Weakest on anthems (including the unlikely choice of the Hallelujah Chorus), but fine on the rest
-
Music for a Civil Wedding - don't be put off by the title: although may not be played by organ, the selection of music is entirely appropriate for a church wedding too
-
Music for a Civil Wedding volume 2 - don't be put off by the title: as above, may not be played by organ but the selection of music is entirely appropriate for a church wedding too - in fact this CD has more traditional church wedding music on it than the first one
-
Favourite Wedding Music - 21 of the best loved organ tracks for weddings, for processions and during the signing
-
A Bride's Guide to Wedding Music - a strange CD in that most of the music on it is very rarely heard at weddings, but would go down well - so worth a listen, but don't expect your local church choir to perform the Bluebird (for instance)
-
Abide with Me - 50 Favourite Hymns (many of the favourites)
-
Love Divine – the essential hymns collection (not to be confused with the wedding music CD of the same name)
(... and in the US):
-
Wedding Hymns - Queen's College, Cambridge with a wedding-oriented hymn CD featuring 22 of the most popular hymns for weddings. Takes a while to be dispatched, but the best for pure wedding hymns
Last minute?
If you would like to hear any of the hymns below (and many more) or organ music to play during the signing and for arriving and departing played on a church organ, or to have a backing track for hymns to sing along to at your wedding, but have left it to the last minute, we have a service to email MP3s of individual hymns at just 99p ($1.99) a hymn, or we can send them on a custom CD. Click here for details. Here's what one of our customers said:
Thank you very much for sending out the tracks so promptly!! They are perfect, and you have saved the day!! Terry Golding
Wedding hymns
If possible, borrow a copy
of the hymn books used in the church and get the words in your service sheet
copied from there. Many hymn books have subtle variants of words, and the
choir may well use the hymn books to sing from so they have the music - they
will do their best to use the service sheet words, but it's safer to stick
to the same version. It also helps if you can provide enough service sheets
for the choir! (If you want the hymn Love Divine, check the info
below before getting your service sheet printed.) See above
for CDs to hear some of these hymns. For most of the hymns we've got a
MIDI file that will give you and idea of what the tune sounds like - click
on the 
icon to hear it.
- All People that on Earth
do Dwell - slow and solemn, very traditional, another hymn that is good
for celebrating the joy of a wedding.
- All Things Bright and
Beautiful - quite often chosen for weddings for those opening words and
because it is dimly remembered from school, but to be honest it's a bit
tedious. Only go for this if it's a personal favourite. There are two
tunes, the more common All things bright and beautiful ( - AMNS), and
slightly less common, Royal Oak
.
- Amazing Grace
-
slightly more informal but likely to be widely known, the words aren't
actually ideal for a wedding, but it remains popular. This one isn't in
either of the main hymn books, but can be found in Songs of Fellowship,
and most choirs can dig out a copy.
- Give Me Joy in My
Heart (AMNS)
- this joyful hymn is a relatively
modern wedding favourite with its chorus of "Sing Hosanna" (it misses off
the first verse often used in schools that starts "Give me oil in my
lamp")
- Guide me, O Thou
Great Redeemer
- rousing hymn with probably the best known of the
great Welsh hymn tunes, incorporating that Rugby crowd echo towards the
end. A good choice and popular.
- Jerusalem (And Did
Those Feet, in Ancient Times)
- this
setting of Blake's poem, featured on the last night of the Proms, probably
isn't really the ideal wedding hymn, but it is often chosen and is
certainly moving.
- Lead Us Heavenly
Father, Lead Us
- again a reminder that marriage will have problems as
well as easy parts, and we need God's help to get through.
- Lord of All Hopefulness
- sung to the attractive Irish folk hymn tune Slane, the positive feel of
this hymn works well in weddings.
- Lord of the Dance (AMNS) - really not appropriate as a wedding hymn because of the focus on the crucifixion, but sometimes chosen either for the "dance" word or because it's remembered from school.
- Love Divine - probably
the classic wedding hymn, a joyous "love" based hymn. Watch out, though -
there are two popular tunes which influence how the words should be printed
in your order of service.
If you choose the more rousing Welsh tune Blaenwern
, there are
only half as many verses as when you choose the equally popular Love
Divine
- Blaenwern is twice as long, and pairs of the
short verses are combined.
- Make Me a Channel of
Your Peace
- lovely words, based on writings
of St. Francis, with an acceptable modernish tune, an
increasingly popular choice.
- Morning Has Broken
(NEH)
- one of the better choices for a wedding and increasingly popular,
the tune is familiar to many and the pleasant folk feel works well. There
is an alternative set of words that begins "Come to a wedding", but they
are not very good.
- Now Thank We All Our
God
- a stately hymn that has a good celebratory tone.
- O Jesus I have
Promised - a general, well known hymn that is fine for weddings.
Confusingly has several separate tunes in the UK: first there's
Wolvercote , then
there's Thornbury
or you can have Day of Rest
or the "modern" tune Hathrop Castle
. Also sung to the very Victorian Angel's Story
.
- Praise to the Lord,
the Almighty
- slightly more upbeat in tempo but still very
traditional and positive hymn
- The King of Love My
Shepherd is - perhaps surprisingly, this hymn version of the 23rd
psalm is popular at both weddings and funerals. Again two tunes - perhaps
more common is Dominus Regit Me
, but spare a thought for the rather lovely
St Columba (NEH).
- The Lord's My
Shepherd - like "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" a setting of the
23rd psalm that is popular both at weddings and funerals.
To hear any of these hymns - and many more - played properly, we have a service to email MP3s of individual hymns at just 99p ($1.99) a hymn, or we can send them on a custom CD. Click here for details.
Sheet music for weddings
We quite often get asked where you can get sheet music for a particular wedding hymn. Few hymns are available as separate sheet music. All the hymns and tunes we mention above are in both the main Anglican hymn books: Ancient & Modern New Standard and The New English Hymnal unless they are marked AMNS or NEH to show just one book features them. See our hymn book page for information on buying these from Amazon, but check with your organist first - many will already have access to copies.
Wedding sheet music for choirs, soloists and organists is readily available. See our wedding sheet music page.
Organ music
Organ music is traditional for church weddings and adds impressive solemnity. There is no other instrument that has the same sheer power as an organ - it really sets off the occasion. You will have to pay for an organist - either your own or one provided by the church. Note that both organists and organs may be limited in capability. Many local organists are elderly, or limited in experience, and many smaller churches have organs that simply aren't up to some of the more dramatic organ pieces. Similarly, neither the organist nor the organ may be up to playing the theme from Baywatch - or another non-standard piece. Take advice from your organist before choosing your music. The organ will normally play you in and out of the church, accompany the hymns and play before the start of the service and during the signing of the register. See above for CDs to hear some of this music.
In and out
- Wedding March (Wagner)
- it's "here comes the bride", still the most popular choice, but it is a
bit samey! Only for the way in!
- Wedding March (Mendelssohn)
- the traditional exit music, and much more classy than the Wagner, so
still recommended. Only for the way out - all the rest would work for
either.
- Arrival of the Queen of
Sheba
(Handel)
- Grand March from Aida (Verdi) - suitably operatic and, as the name suggests, grand!
- Toccata from Organ
Symphony 5 (Widor)
- superb processional music with the big BUT that
it requires a good organist and a good organ. Many small churches just
can't manage it, so check!
- Trumpet Tune
(Purcell)
- like the trumpet voluntary, works best with a real trumpet or
a big organ
- Trumpet Voluntary
(attrib. Clarke)
- great if you have a friend who is an excellent
trumpeter, or a big church where the organ has a trumpet stop. Good but
less impressive on a smaller organ
- Water Music
(Handel) - a couple of pieces from this suite are regularly used for the
processions: Hornpipe (actually "Alla Hornpipe", suite in D)
and the
Air (suite in F)
To hear many of these pieces - and many more - played properly, we have a service to email MP3s of individual pieces at just 99p ($1.99) a piece, or we can send them on a custom CD. Click here for details. (See the voluntaries section near the bottom for a list of the pieces.)
Other organ music (before the wedding, signing etc.)
- Ave Maria
(Schubert
or Gounod
)
- Canon (Pachelbel)
- Jesu Joy of Man's
Desiring (Bach)
- Whiter Shade of Pale
- if your organist isn't too stuffy, the old Procol Harum number Whiter
Shade of Pale sounds good on the organ. The words aren't
appropriate, but the music on its own works well
- Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) - several possibilities but one part most often played
- Water Music
(Handel) - almost anything from it is fine here (e.g. (actually "Alla
Hornpipe", suite in D)
,
Air (suite in F)
- ... and many other pieces your organist can suggest
Anthems
Depending on the choir, they may be able to sing a piece during the signing of the register. These "anthems" can be very beautiful and act effectively as background music. Check with the choir for its repertoire - note that not every member of the choir can necessarily come to a wedding (especially for weddings in July and August when members may be on holiday), so even the best of choirs may have to limit its repertoire a little for weddings. Some of the many anthems often sung at weddings are:
- A Gaelic Blessing
(John Rutter)
- Rutter is the most popular and tuneful 20th century church
composer. His Gaelic Blessing is peaceful and lovely in both words ("Deep
peace of the running wave to you, deep peace of the flowing air to
you...") and music.
- Ave Verum
Corpus (various) - there are very many settings of these Latin words.
Not to be confused with Ave Maria, Ave Verum Corpus is not really a good
choice for weddings unless you are having communion in the service. It
means "hail the true body [of Christ]" - it's specifically about the
communion service. Mozart's is the best known setting,
but Byrd's
is the most outstanding musically .
- Cantate Domino (Pitoni)
- this short, lively Latin anthem
(it means "sing unto the Lord a new song") is in the repertoire of many
church choirs and is a pleasant filler for the signing of the register.
- God be in My Head
(Walford Davies)
- a simple little piece used at both weddings and
funerals (don't let that put you off).
- Jesu Joy of Man's
Desiring (Bach)
- with interspersed twiddly bits on the organ, a
serene and ever-popular choice
- Lead Me Lord (S.
S. Wesley)
- a pleasant, short, simple little
piece
- The Lord is My Shepherd - there are a number of anthem versions of the 23rd psalm. Perhaps best known outside church is Howard Goodall's delightful setting that is the theme for the TV show The Vicar of Dibley - some choirs will have the music for this.
- O Come Ye Servants of
the Lord (Tye)
- this short, very positive anthem
has a good sound for the signing of the register and is known by many
choirs.
- Panis Angelicus (Franck)
- one of the most flexible pieces around, Cesar Franck arranged it for
solo, duet and four part choir. The simple, flowing tune is very popular.
- This is the Day That
the Lord Has Made (anon)
- an ideal short anthem for during the
signing, the words carry on "we shall rejoice and be glad in it". Very
positive and effective.
Solos
If you'd like a solo sung, whether it's a traditional piece like Ave Maria or something a little more modern you will probably have to provide your own soloist. If you don't know anyone, ask the person who runs the choir (or if there isn't one, the vicar), as they will probably know someone who can help. See above for CDs to hear some of this music. Some of the many solos often sung at weddings are:
- Ave Maria - there
are many (many) settings of the words Ave Maria (Hail Mary). The two best
known are by Schubert
and Gounod
. Although
actually quite different it's hard to remember which is which after a few
minutes... make sure you ask for the right one.
- Laudate Dominum
(Mozart) - this is ideally a solo with chorus. It's a solid, dependable
piece that works well as a signing of the register filler
(rather poor version, I'm afraid, but gives a feel
for it)
- The Lord is My Shepherd - just as it appears in the hymns and anthems, the 23rd psalm is a possibility as a solo, using any of the well-known settings.
- Make Of Our Hearts
- a beautiful duet from Bernstein's West Side Story, the words
"make of our hearts one heart" etc make this very appealing for weddings.
It is, however, difficult to sing well, so make sure you've got top notch
solists
- Panis Angelicus (Franck)
- one of the most flexible pieces around, Cesar Franck arranged it for
solo, duet and four part choir. The simple, flowing tune is very popular.
- Pie Jesu - again
several settings of these words are available, often set to very beautiful
music (most popular those by Faure
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
) - there is a bit of a catch,
though - the words are part of the Requiem Mass (for the dead), so not
entirely appropriate for weddings. But they are in Latin...
If you've got a soloist, but your organist isn't up to accompanying them, try these book/accompaniment CD combinations:
Recorded music
You can of course use recorded music (you may have to provide the equipment to play it - check!), but it's never quite the same. Note that to use recorded music you do have to pay appropriate copyright fees - check with the vicar or whoever is taking the wedding.
Hear a wide choice of wedding music
If you can't find a CD that meets your needs, or just want a much wider choice of music to check out before your wedding, see the excellent Classical Wedding website. This features over 200 pieces of music, covering hymns, anthems and organ music. For a one off £20 charge you get three months access to all this music to help arrange your wedding. Provided you can play RealAudio, MP3s or WMAs on your computer it's easy to use. You won't find every piece of music we recommend there, but the majority of them are, and many more besides. We found it a little fiddly to find specific pieces, but once you get used to the site it's very good. There are sample snippets from some of the pieces so you can get an idea of how the site works without paying anything.
Looking for a particular type of music or a CD with a particular piece on? Drop us an e-mail and we'll try to help. Do let us know also if you can recommend on online resource and we'll add it to our lists.
Copyright © Creativity
Unleashed Limited 2006
Last update 03 September 2007
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