If there's one part of the wedding where the music really, truly matters, it's the ceremony. Not because the reception doesn't - it absolutely does - but because the ceremony is the part where everyone is sitting still, paying attention, and feeling everything at once. There's nowhere to hide. The music either lands or it doesn't.
After playing hundreds of ceremonies across Melbourne and Victoria, here's everything I wish couples knew before they started planning their music.
The ceremony has more musical moments than most couples realise. There's the prelude - the music playing as guests arrive and find their seats, which sets the whole tone before anything even begins. Then there's the processional - the song you walk down the aisle to, which is the moment everyone has been waiting for. During the signing of the register there's usually a song or two while you're at the table, which is often overlooked but actually a beautiful opportunity for something personal and unexpected. And then there's the recessional - the song you walk back out to as a married couple, which is genuinely one of the most joyful moments of the entire day and deserves a song that reflects that.
Most couples only think about the aisle song. But all of these moments deserve attention.
The aisle song is the one everyone obsesses over - and for good reason! It's the moment. But the most common mistake I see is couples choosing a song because it's popular rather than because it means something to them. The most memorable ceremonies I've ever played have featured songs I'd never heard before - chosen because they were genuinely, completely theirs. That said, there are songs that work beautifully for a reason, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a classic if it genuinely moves you.
As a live musician I can adjust the song in real time as you and your bridal party walk down the aisle - stretching a song, adding an extra chorus, reading exactly where you are on the aisle and making sure the music fits the moment perfectly. This is one of the biggest advantages of live music over a recorded track, and it makes a genuine difference to how the ceremony feels.
The signing of the register is your secret weapon. It's one of the most relaxed, intimate moments of the whole ceremony. The pressure is off, you're sitting down, you're finally breathing - and a beautiful song in that moment can be incredibly moving. Some of my favourite ceremony moments have happened during the register signing, when a carefully chosen song has reduced the whole room to happy tears.
The recessional! You've just got married. You're walking back out into the world as a couple for the first time. This is the moment for pure joy. Some of my favourite recessional songs are ones that make guests immediately jump to their feet! I often say that if you would like a recorded track as part of the ceremony, this is the moment to do it!
Live music versus a recorded track is a question I get asked constantly. My honest answer is that live music adds something to a ceremony that a recording simply can't replicate - the ability to read the room, adjust in real time, stretch a song as you take those last few steps, or hold a note just a little longer when the moment calls for it. There's also an emotional quality to live music that recordings don't have. People feel it differently. That said, a carefully chosen recorded track played well is absolutely better than live music played badly - so always prioritise finding someone who genuinely knows what they're doing over the format itself.
The most important thing I tell every couple is this: choose songs that mean something to you. Not songs you think you should have, not songs from a list someone else made - songs that are genuinely, completely yours!
Planning your ceremony music and not sure where to start? Get in touch - I'd love to help you put together something that feels completely you.
