It’s 2019, and every year we get more beautiful music to work with! So far, these are the top picks I got requested to play in 2018 at proposals and weddings:
- “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran – the swaying melody is perfect for proposals or at wedding ceremonies as the bridal parties walk down. With that said, most Ed Sheeran songs are highly requested because he speaks to everyone’s soul it seems like.
Good for: Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony - “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri – this song still gives me goosebumps years later and totally sets the romantic mood (I always see tears on this one). Something about the Bb Major key and 6/8 time signature always puts me in the wedding mood, myself. Not hard to see why this is a top pick for many weddings.
Good for: Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony - “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” by Louis Armstrong – There is a lot to do with jazz songs as far as arranging, which is why I always recommend throwing in an old jazz tune. They’re great as string arrangements, or done solo.
Good for: Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony, Cocktail - “Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding – Not requested as much as Ed Sheeran, but I absolutely love arranging songs for my groups or solo violin that are easily recognizable. This is one of them.
Good for: Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony, Cocktail - “Love Me Now” by John Legend – Now, probably first instinct you saw John Legend and thought, All of Me! That is actually maybe one of the most requested songs I have gotten over the past 6 years hands down, but I wanted to shed some light on other John Legend songs.
Good for: Pre-Ceremony, Cocktail
Tips on Choosing Songs:
For Pre-Ceremony, try and think a mix of upbeat and slower songs, since this is a time when people are usually arriving, in a celebratory mood, but also in the mood to witness love! A good mix of slow/romantic (i.e., Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz) and more upbeat cute songs (i.e., Marry You by Bruno Mars), will entertain the majority.
For Ceremony, I always recommend sitting down with your partner and picking a few songs that are maybe your songs. You can either choose to have a special song for each group – as when the family enters, one for bridal party, groomsmen, groom, and bride. Alternatively, many brides decide it’s easier and flows better to have a separate song only for them, and then all other parties have the same song.
For Recessional, definitely pick something upbeat! This is when you are walking back down the aisle as husband and wife for the first time. Think “Happy” by Pharrell, etc. There are also more traditional songs that people use for these moments, usually classical.
For Cocktail Hour, this is also the same idea as Pre-Ceremony, except more upbeat than slow and romantic. It’s nice to throw in 3 or 4 slower romantic songs, but I would recommend sticking to happier, more upbeat and jazzy sounding songs.
Happy song picking!
New York Acoustic and Electric Violinist 