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Here Comes
the Bride – To Her Own Beat
By Celeste
Stewart
If you
walk to the beat of a different drummer, it only makes sense that you’ll want
to choose your own music for your wedding processional and recessional. While
the classics like Pachelbel’s Canon in D, the Wedding March, and the Bridal
Chorus are lovely, they are very much the norm. You can still have a
traditional wedding with all the trimmings yet set the mood that matches your
personality with alternative music selections.
Do you
still want a classical selection, just one that hasn’t been played at every
wedding of the season? Plenty of other classical choices exist including Tchaikovsky’s
“Coronation March for Czar Alexander III”, Bach’s “Sinfonia”, Handel’s “Overture”,
Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major”, or Vivaldi’s “Winter Largo” or
“Spring Allegro” from the Four Seasons. When choosing classical selections, the
processional music is generally a more subtle piece of music with a slower pace
than the recessional. The recessional tends to be more upbeat and faster.
Want
something from the last hundred years? How about the duet, “Unforgettable” with
Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole? Consider Jeremy Lubbock’s “The Vow”, “Come Away
with Me” by Norah Jones, or “Storybook Love” from the movie titled “The
Princess Bride.” Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is always
beautiful and you can’t go wrong with Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful
World.”
Okay,
those are all terrific wedding songs, but you want to express yourself, right?
There’s no rule against going against the grain. Is reggae your thing? How
about “Here I am Baby” by UB40? For the rock and roll crowd, consider using an
excerpt from Tom Petty’s “Here Comes My Girl.”
Before you
choose a song that’s not a tried-and-true wedding song, make sure to check the
lyrics carefully. For example, “Here Comes My Girl” also has lyrics talking
about how hopeless the town is and how useless work is. For this reason, you
might choose to play the more uplifting chorus and avoid the individual
stanzas. Likewise, Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” is likely to elicit gasps of
horror as people realize what the song is really about.
The
recessional lends itself to more whimsical music choices such as “Hurts So
Good”, “Pretty Woman”, or “Honky Tonk Woman”.
What’s
perfect for one couple may be completely wrong for another. Spend some time
listening to music, reading the lyrics, and you’re sure to find the perfect
choice. When selecting alternative music for your wedding processional and
recessional, seek out music that has a romantic twist and reflects your
personality.
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