I had such a wonderful time working with my 2022 couples to customize their wedding music! Some opted for traditional and classical, others more contemporary and unexpected – and some chose a bit of both!
Each year, I go back through all of the ceremonies for which I provided harp music, and tally the selections couples made for each moment of the service. It goes beyond a “Top 10,” so you might find some inspiration for songs you didn’t necessarily think of as “wedding music”!
Each list has the most popular pieces at the top, and the numbers in parentheses tell you how many times I have played that song for that particular moment of a ceremony. Click on the songs highlighted in blue to hear a sample of me playing those pieces on the harp. You’ll also see pictures of a few of the venues where I played for weddings this year.
I think I’ve played more Debussy pieces (First Arabesque, Second Arabesque, Reverie, and Clair de Lune) than I have any previous year! Those are nice choices when you want something classical and familiar, but not traditional.
In addition to new music, I added two new harps to my lineup – a silver Lyon & Healy Silhouette electric harp (pictured immediately below at a wedding in Phnom Penh, Cambodia), and a gold Heartland Harps Infinity carbon fibre harp, that enables me to play outdoors in any weather (pictured in the next photo down, playing for a ceremony on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico).
For the recessional, the Mendelssohn “Wedding March” was by far my most requested piece, but there is also the most variety among recessionals. The Beatles’ song “Here Comes the Sun” is popular both for the end of the ceremony and as a processional.
For the featured processional music (as the bride or groom walks down the aisle), “Canon in D” and “Here Comes the Bride” topped the list, but there was a good selection of popular music and other classical pieces requested. The most important thing about wedding music is that it is meaningful to YOU!
If you are looking for a musician for your wedding, contact me to discuss the music for your ceremony, reception, and rehearsal dinner!
Bride’s/Groom’s Processionals (entrance music for the bride/groom):
- Canon in D (7)
- Here Comes the Bride (4)
- A Thousand Years from Twilight: Breaking Dawn (3)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (3)
- First Arabesque (2)
- Perfect (2)
- Turning Page (2)
- A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman (1)
- A Time for Us from Romeo and Juliet (1)
- All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera (1)
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King (1)
- Faithfully (1)
- From This Moment On (1)
- Here Comes the Sun (1)
- How Beautiful (1)
- Hymne (1)
- Merry-Go-Round of Life from Howl’s Moving Castle (1)
- River Flows in You (1)
- Second Arabesque (1)
- Tale as Old as Time (1)
- The Call (1)
- This Will be Our Year (1)
- Unchained Melody (1)
- Wildest Dreams (1)
Family seating:
- A Thousand Years from Twilight: Breaking Dawn (2)
- Ave Maria (2)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (2)
- All of Me (1)
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King (1)
- Canon in D (1)
- Clair de Lune (1)
- Fields of Gold (1)
- Here Comes the Sun (1)
- Nightingale (1)
- Only Time (1)
- Stairway to Heaven (1)
- Trumpet Tune (1)
Wedding party processional:
- Canon in D (6)
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (4)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (3)
- Love Story (3)
- Just the Way You Are (2)
- Perfect (2)
- A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman (1)
- All of Me (1)
- Ashokan Farewell (1)
- Ave Maria (1)
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King (1)
- Concerning Hobbits from Lord of the Rings (1)
- Fields of Gold (1)
- Final Fantasy VII Theme (1)
- First Arabesque (1)
- Hallelujah (1)
- Hymne (1)
- Love Me Like You Do (1)
- Nothing Else Matters (1)
- Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie (1)
- Reverie (1)
- St. Elmo’s Fire Love Theme (1)
- Tale as Old As Time (1)
- A Thousand Years from Twilight: Breaking Dawn (1)
- Trumpet Voluntary (1)
- Turning Page from Twilight: Breaking Dawn (1)
- Your Song (1)
Mid-ceremony interludes (for the unity candle/sand, etc.):
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (2)
- Meditation from Thais (2)
- A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella (1)
- Aerith’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII (1)
- All I Ask (1)
- Aria from Rinaldo (1)
- Arioso (1)
- Bless the Broken Road (1)
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight from The Lion King (1)
- Dodon’s Sleep (1)
- Erev Shel Shoshanim (1)
- Fanaid Grove (1)
- Firm Foundation (1)
- How Great Thou Art (1)
- How Long Will I Love You (1)
- Pehla Nasha (1)
- Perfect (1)
- Sky Full of Stars (1)
- Stand by Me (1)
- True Colors (1)
Recessional:
- Wedding March (8)
- Here Comes the Sun (3)
- This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) (2)
- Trumpet Voluntary (2)
- All My Loving (1)
- At Last (1)
- Caribbean Blue (1)
- Castle on the Hill (1)
- Counting Stars (1)
- Game of Thrones Main Theme (1)
- Great Day (1)
- How Long Will I Love You (1)
- I Love How You Love Me (1)
- Jupiter from The Planets (1)
- La Vie en Rose (1)
- L-O-V-E (1)
- Love You for a Long Time (1)
- Marry Me (1)
- Marry You (1)
- Perfect (1)
- River Flows in You (1)
- Seasons of Love from Rent (1)
- Second Arabesque (1)
- Signed Sealed Delivered (1)
- Sky Full of Stars (1)
- Sparkle (1)
- Sugar Sugar (1)
- Tiny Dancer (1)
- Today was a Fairytale (1)
- Vers la source dans le bois (1)
If you are planning your wedding, please visit my website: The Classic Harpist. I work with couples worldwide to plan their wedding music. With the harp, that can be anything you want it to be! I play all of the classical wedding favorites, as well as non-traditional options: jazz, pop, rock, Broadway, Bollywood, Arabic, Celtic, Renaissance, and more! Contact me today to start planning your perfect wedding soundtrack.