Music & Traditions

Over the past two years, I have attended almost twenty weddings. I was hired as a musician for most of these weddings but have been a guest for a few. Before I started college, I had only been to a single wedding when I was eight years old, so I have learned a lot about how music is incorporated into ceremonies and which musical selections people tend to pick. Here's a picture of me at my cousin's wedding (I don't know why my brother has a black eye...)!

Music-wise ceremonies are usually structured like this (if you've been to a lot of weddings you could probably skip this!): 

First, the wedding party and family process down the aisle. For most of the weddings I've been to, they walk to the same music, but sometimes they have different selections. If the groom and officiant process, they usually also walk down with the family and bridal party. The bride has had her own music selection at every wedding I've been to. After the processional, some weddings include unity ceremonies or prayers that involve music. At the end of the ceremony, after the bride and groom are announced as "Mr. and Mrs. ____," recessional music is played. Usually, the ressional music is upbeat and energetic. No matter if the ceremony is ultra-religious or secular, people tend to stick to this structure. 

Now that's out of the way, I'd like to discuss some memorable music selections from these twenty-ish weddings! For funsies, I'm going to do this award-ceremony style:

The award for the most played music selection goes to... "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley!!! (Honorable mentions: "Unchained Melody," "This Will Be," and "Wildest Dreams") 

If this is included in the wedding, it is usually played when the bride walks down the aisle. I think this selection's popularity is due to its timelessness. Everyone has heard the song no matter how young or old they are. In addition, countless musicians have covered it. Its lyrics are also quite romantic and sweet. I find the bride's walk down the aisle to be one of the most important parts of the ceremony. Everyone in attendance stands and watches. There's always at least someone who starts crying. "Can't Help Falling song's tempo is fairly slow, so the bride can take her time walking and both her, the bridal party, and the guests can savor the moment. For me, the most memorable time this song was played was when the bride took voice lessons to sing the song to her husband during the ceremony. 

Okay; on to the next one! The award for the most unique music selection goes to...the "James Bond Theme" by John Barry! (Honorable mentions: "Lucky Man" by the Verve and "Lift Me Up" by Rhianna)

I really appreciate when people sometimes bend the rules of wedding tradition to customize their ceremonies. I played this for the groom and parents' processional a few months ago. Someone in the family must have been a big James Bond fan because they also requested "Skyfall" by Adele in the prelude music. This was the first selection of the actual ceremony, and it certainly got the guests' attention! Although it would have been quite funny if the groom and parents creepily snuck down the aisle to match the music, they walked normally. 

The final award is my personal favorite wedding selection. It goes to..."Yellow" by Coldplay! (Honorable mentions: "Dreams" by the Cranberries and "Over the Rainbow")

I've only played "Yellow" in one ceremony, but it's definitely my favorite selection because of my own history with the song (I used to be a die-hard Coldplay fan). I also think it's absolutely perfect for weddings. It can be played upbeat or slow depending on what the wedding organizers want. It also has absolutely beautiful lyrics like "For you, I'd bleed myself dry." I also feel like it's old enough for older people to know it, and it's still played often enough that younger people will recognize it. If I ever get married, it's certainly going to be in my ceremony!

I feel as though many people tend to underestimate the power music has to enhance a wedding ceremony and sometimes take it for granted. It's hard to imagine a music-less wedding ceremony. Without music, the ceremony would just consist of people walking back and forth down the aisle. Music in wedding ceremonies can help tell the story of the couple's relationship and their relationships with their friends and family.