I had such a wonderful time working with my couples who got married in 2023! Each ceremony was unique and had music personalized to be meaningful to them. They chose music that was sometimes traditional, sometimes surprising, and always beautiful on the harp!
Each year, I go back over the wedding ceremonies I played for, and put together a list of all of the pieces my couples chose for different highlighted moments during the service. It’s not just a “Top 10” style list, but you get the deep cuts, too! While the classic wedding songs are always popular (they’re classics for a reason!), many of my brides and grooms went with something that you might not immediately think of as “wedding music” – but anything can be!
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.
For the recessional, the traditional Mendelssohn “Wedding March” was again my most requested piece. Other couples use this as the transitional music from the more solemn ceremony to the more festive reception, so choose a more pop-style piece that reflects that vibe.
For the featured processional music (as the bride or groom walks down the aisle), “Canon in D” was the most popular request. It was also a favorite for the wedding party entrance music. Sometimes, couples with fewer attendants choose to have one piece for the entire processional. In this case, “Canon” makes a wonderful choice because I can play the more stately parts for the wedding party, then the more majestic variations for the bride!
What really matters is that the songs you choose have meaning to you. After your wedding, every time you hear your processional music, it will take you back to that moment of walking down the aisle. Make it a soundtrack that you will love forever!
If you are looking for a musician for your wedding, contact me to discuss the harp music for your ceremony, reception, and rehearsal dinner!
Grand Entrance (processional music for the bride/groom):
- Canon in D (9)
- Here Comes the Bride (4)
- A Thousand Years from Twilight: Breaking Dawn (2)
- Here Comes the Sun (2)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (2)
- All of Me (2)
- Clair de Lune (1)
- Concerning Hobbits from Lord of the Rings (1)
- Dandelions (1)
- Edelweiss from The Sound of Music (1)
- Glasgow Theme from Love Actually (1)
- I’ll Be (1)
- Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein (1)
- On the Nature of Daylight (1)
- Remedy
- Trumpet Voluntary (1)
- Your Song (1)
- You’ve Got a Friend (1)
Family seating:
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (2)
- Prelude in C (2)
- All My Loving (1)
- Arioso (1)
- At Last (1)
- Because You Loved Me (1)
- Canon in D (1)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (1)
- Clair de Lune (1)
- Hallelujah (1)
- How Beautiful (1)
- Landslide (1)
- Only Time (1)
- Spring (Movement 3) from The Four Seasons (1)
- What a Wonderful World (1)
Wedding party processional:
- Canon in D (6)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (5)
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (4)
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz (2)
- All My Loving (1)
- Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms (1)
- Clair de Lune (1)
- For the Beauty of the Earth (1)
- Here Comes the Sun (1)
- Night Moves (1)
- Nothing Else Matters (1)
- Only Time (1)
- Perfect (1)
- Prelude in C (1)
- A Thousand Years from Twilight: Breaking Dawn (1)
- Zelda’s Lullaby from The Legend of Zelda (1)
Mid-ceremony interludes (for the unity candle/sand, etc.):
- How Beautiful (2)
- All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera (1)
- All of Me (1)
- Ave Maria (1)
- Bless the Broken Road (1)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (1)
- Collide (1)
- Creep (1)
- Edelweiss from The Sound of Music (1)
- Eyes on Me from Final Fantasy VIII (1)
- I Cross My Heart (1)
- Lord’s Prayer (1)
- Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (1)
- Perfect (1)
- Reverie (1)
Recessional:
- Wedding March (9)
- Ode to Joy (3)
- Marry You (2)
- All My Loving (1)
- Always Be My Baby (1)
- At Last (1)
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (1)
- Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (1)
- Concerning Hobbits from Lord of the Rings (1)
- Great Day (1)
- Here Comes the Sun (1)
- How Can I Keep from Singing (1)
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (1)
- Just the Two of Us (1)
- Nassam Aleina al-Hawa (1)
- Parting Glass (1)
- Prelude in C (1)
- Rather Be (1)
- So This is Love from Cinderella (1)
- This Must be the Place (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.
