Slow and romantic songs that mean the most to the bride and groom make for great wedding ceremony songs.

Couple signing wedding papers

The wedding ceremony itself is what it’s all about – the center of the entire wedding day and the reason everyone has been brought together to celebrate with the bride and groom.

Setting the right tone for this part of the day is extremely important and may have less variation than any other part of your wedding celebration, depending on what faith you are marrying in and how conservative the ceremony itself will be.

Ceremony music can add a beautiful atmosphere whilst the bride and groom sign the wedding papers.

A friend may be called upon to sing a special song or live music can be played throughout also.

There are literally thousands of songs to choose from for this part of the wedding and finding one, two or three songs (depending on how long your ceremony part goes for) can be exciting!

Popular Wedding Ceremony Songs

2014

Borrow My Heart – Taylor Henderson
2014 | Youtube

2010’s

Blue Blood – Foals
2010 | Youtube

Count on Me – Bruno Mars
2010 | Youtube

I Do – Colbie Caillat
2011 | Youtube

Lover of the Light – Mumford & Sons
2012 | Youtube

Paradise (Peponi) African Style – The Piano Guys
2012 | Youtube

This is Love – McFly
2012 | Youtube

We Found Each Other in the Dark – City and Colour
2011 | Youtube

2000’s

Circle of Life – Elton John
2000 | Youtube

Promise – Jagged Edge
2001 | Youtube

To Make You Feel My Love – Adele
2008 | Youtube

You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban
2001 | Youtube

1990’s

Beautiful in my eyes – Joshua Kadison
1994 | Youtube

Feels Like Home – Chantal Kreviazuk
1999 | Youtube

Honeysuckle Rose – Eva Cassidy
1996 | Youtube

I Cross My Heart – George Strait
1992 | Youtube

My Best Friend – Tim McGraw
1999 | Youtube

The Prayer – Andrea Bocelli
1999 | Youtube

When You Say Nothing at All – Ronan Keating
1999 | Youtube

1980’s

Endless Love – Lionel Richie
1981 | Youtube

Here and Now – Luther Vandross
1989 | Youtube

Love – John Lennon
1982 | Youtube

Ribbon in the Sky – Stevie Wonder
1982 | Youtube

1970’s

The Rose – Bette Midler
1979 | Youtube

You Light Up My Life – Debbie Boone
1977 | Youtube

1960’s

Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
1961 | Youtube

Keep Your Arms Around Me – Otis Redding
1968 | Youtube

Pre 1900’s

Ave Maria – Bach
1825 | Youtube

What other traditions do you need song ideas for? The wedding ceremony is after the processional, then followed by the recessional.

More about the Wedding Ceremony

Bride holding flowersGenerally, the more conservative the faith, the more structured the wedding ceremony.  In some cases, there is a very specific format and pre-determined vows that must be recited.  In most weddings today, however, there is some leeway and you can personalize the ceremony to some extent.

Three ways to personalize the wedding ceremony include personal vows, the music and the unity candleAny of these elements can add unforgettable romance and beauty to your ceremony.

Personalized Wedding Vows

You don’t have to be a poet to write your own wedding vows.  Sometimes the simplest and most heartfelt words are the ones with the greatest impact.

It’s a good idea to plan several months in advance that you and your fiancé will write your own wedding vows so that you have time to really think about what you want to say to each other in front of your friends and family.

What makes him or her special in your eyes?  Think about that moment when you realized you loved him or her and what made it special.  Mention a shared moment that is special to you both.  You should also talk briefly about the future and what you hope for as a couple and why this person is the one for you.

End with a promise to  your partner – what marriage means to you and what you are offering them as their life’s companion.  Written properly, personalized vows will be the most memorable part of your wedding!

Wedding Music

This is the time for music with a slower, more solemn tempo.  You are pledging your lives to each other and this is a serious commitment.  There is usually a break in the ceremony between the exchange of vows and the blessing.  This is a good time to have some appropriate music or, if you have someone in mind, a soloist who could sing a song.  Religious music is often sung at this point.

Many couples also have music during the lighting of the Unity Candle, which brings us to our third topic ….

The Unity Candle

This tradition is most popular in the United States and has only been around for about forty years.  No one is certain about the origins, but it seems safe to assume it began during the craze of New Age, “hippie” weddings of the 1960’s, when alternative symbolism was spreading like wildfire.

Since then it’s been firmly embraced by mainstream churches, with the exception of more conservative Catholic churches, which don’t allow it since it is not a part of the Wedding  Mass.

The Unity Candle represents the joining of two lives as one and is lit from two slender tapers that are lit at the beginning of the ceremony by the mothers of the bride and groom.  After the exchange of vows, the bride and groom light the larger Unity Candle with the tapers.

Most Unity Candles are personalized with photos, Bible verses, images of the wedding invitation or in other ways to symbolize the couple.

Music chosen for the lighting of the Unity Candle is usually symbolic of the joining of two lives as one.

You and your fiancé will find many ways to make your wedding ceremony unmistakably your own, but the most important will be that the two of you are embarking on your life together.