Piano music for weddings should be personalized to suit the musical tastes of the bride and groom and the guidelines of the venue. As guests enter and take their seats, the soft, soothing melodies set the tone for the guests to joyously anticipate the upcoming ceremony.
As a pianist, consider various styles of music to appeal to attendees representative of several generations and cultures. Sacred, classical, pop, jazz and more can all be effective in creating an appropriate atmosphere. If you play often for weddings, keep an ongoing list of appropriate songs along with the corresponding sheet music organized in a binder or on a tablet preferably one that operates with a pedal page turner. Organize your music in the order you will play it and be ready to play for approximately twenty minutes as the guests are being seated. Unfortunately there are times when the bride is still at the hairdresser’s, or the groom is still being “groomed”. You may be expected to keep the music going for much longer than the normal time. Below is a list of wedding music that is meaningful and appropriate for this special day of celebration!
Wedding Preludes
- Air on the G String – J.S. Bach
- After All – Cher & Peter Cetera
- Besame Mucho – Consuelo Velazquez
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Elton John
- Canon in D – Pachelbel
- The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack
- Für Elise – Ludwig van Beethoven
- God Only Knows – Beach Boys
- I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love – Stephanie Mills
- I Only Have Eyes For You – Harry Warren (Flamingos)
- I’ll Make Love to You -Babyface (Boyz II Men)
- In This Very Room – Ron and Carol Harris
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – J. S. Bach
- La Paloma – Sebastian Iradier
- Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement – Ludwig van Beethoven
- Over the Rainbow – Harold Arlen
- Sheep May Safely Graze – J.S. Bach
- Spring – Antonio Vivaldi
- Stand By Me – Ben E. King
- Stay With Me – Sam Smith
- Tonight I Celebrate – Michael Masser (Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack)
- Total Eclipse of the Heart – Jim Steinman
- We’ve Only Just Begun – Roger Nichols & Paul Williams (Carpenters)
- What a Wonderful World – Bob Thiele & George David Weiss
- When a Man Loves a Woman – Calvin Lewis & Andrew Wright (Percy Sledge)
Wedding Processional Music
- A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
- Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Ashford & Simpson (Diana Ross & The Supremes)
- Back at One – Brian McKnight
- Chapel of Love – Barry, Greenwich & Spector (Dixie Cups)
- Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy
- Could You Be Loved – Bob Marley and the Wailers
- Crazy in Love – Beyonce, Jay-Z, Eugene Record (Beyonce)
- Everything – Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam (Mary J. Blige)
- Have I Told You Lately – Van Morrison
- Here Comes the Sun – George Harrison
- I’m Kissing You – Des’ree & Tim Atack (Des’ree)
- I Want to Know What Love Is -Mick Jones (Foreigner)
- L-O-V-E – Kaempfert, Gabler (Joss Stone)
- Love Me In a Special Way – El DeBarge
- Lovely Day – Bill Withers, Kermit McDonald, Skip Scarborough
- Lover – Taylor Swift
- Marry You -Mars, Levine & Lawrence (Bruno Mars)
- No One – Keys, Brothers, Harry (Alicia Keys)
- Nobody – Brian McKnight
- Open Arms – Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain (Journey)
- Over the Rainbow – Harold Arlen
- Songbird – Christin McVie (Fleetwood Mac)
- Tale As Old As Time – Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast)
- Trumpet Voluntary – Jeremiah Clarke
- Walking On Sunshine – Kimberly Rew (Katrina and the Waves)
Music for Entrance of the Bride
- Always – Atlantic Starr
- Always and Forever – Heatwave
- Ave Maria – Schubert
- Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride) – Wagner
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Lion King
- Endless Love – Lionel Richie
- Evergreen – Barbra Streisand
- Gymnopedie No. 1 – Erik Satie
- Here and Now – Luther Vandross
- Here’s My Heart – Casting Crowns
- Household of Faith – Steve and Marijean Green
- I Am – Kirk Franklin
- I Choose You – Sara Bareilles
- If – Bread
- Largo – (Xerxes)
- Love Story – Carl Sigman, Francis Lai
- Love Walks In – Van Halen
- The Marriage Prayer – John Waller
- Masterpiece – Atlantic Starr
- Ribbon in the Sky – Stevie Wonder
- River Flows In You – Yiruma
- Saved By Love – Amy Grant
- Senorita – Camila Cabelo
- Take My Hand (The Wedding Song) Emily Hackett
- You Had Me From Hello – Kenny Chesney
Wedding Solos
- A Thousand Miles
- All of Me – John Legend
- All My Life – K-Ci & JoJo
- At Last – Etta James
- Ave Maria
- Ballade Pour Adeline
- Can’t Help Falling In Love
- Endless Love – Lionel Richie
- For Your Glory – Tasha Cobbs
- I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton
- If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
- Just the Way You Are – Billy Joel
- The Lord’s Prayer – Malotte
- Lovin’ You Minnie Ripperton
- Make You Feel My Love – Adele
- Marry You – Bruno Mars
- My Baby Just Cares For Me – Nina Simone
- One In a Million – Larry Graham
- Por Ti Me Casare – Eros Ramazzotti
- The Prayer – Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
- To a Wild Rose – Edward MacDowell
- Truly – Lionel Richie
- XO – John Mayer
- You and I – Stevie Wonder
Wedding Recessional Music
- Beautiful Day – U2
- Best of My Love
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You
- Eine Kleine Nactmusik – Mozart
- Firework – Katy Perry
- Flesh of My Flesh
- Halo – Beyonc
- Happy Together – Turtles
- Household of Faith
- In This Very Room
- Look at Me –
- One Hand, One Heart – Leonard Bernstein
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- Pretty Woman
- I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Stevie Wonder
- Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
- This Is The Day
- This Will Be – Stevie Wonder
- The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson
- Two Becoming One – Jonathan and Emily Martin
- Wedding at Troldhagen – Edvard Grieg
- Wedding Song (There Is Love) Peter, Paul & Mary
- Wedding March – Felix Mendelssohn
- With One Voice – Ricky Manalo
Bridal Party Reception Music
- Celebration – Kool and the Gang
- Cha Cha Slide – DJ Casper
- Chicken Dance
- Cupid Shuffle – Cupid
- Dance To the Music – Larry Graham
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- Electric Slide – Marcia Griffiths
- For Once in My Life
- Happy – Pharrell Williams
- Just Be my Lady – Larry Graham
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston
- Love on Top – Beyonce
- Love You Forever – Tasha Cobbs
- Macarena – Los del Rio
- Mambo No. 5 Lou Bega
- Purple Rain – Prince
- Rude – MAGIC
- September – Earth Wind & Fire
- Shake It Off – Taylor Swift
- Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyonce
- Shining Star – Earth Wind & Fire
- This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan
- Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
- Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
- We Found Love – Rihanna