Classic Weddings are sophisticated, elegant, and timeless. I’ve done lists of unconventional music before, but here is a list of my favorite elegant and most traditional pieces for a sophisticated wedding.
1.) Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring can be used for prelude music, processional music, recessional music, or even during a unity candle! This timeless melody flows effortlessly and is perfect for weddings because there are multiple places to stop without it feeling abrupt. That means your quartet can cadence and end a song gracefully with ease, regardless of when your party has finished processing down the aisle or whenever you’re done lighting your unity candle!
2.) Wachet Auf
This piece is another classic, and will flow well wherever you place it! Its tempo is perfect for a relaxed march down the aisle, and the melody is simple enough to set the mood for a unity candle without distracting from what’s going on. This piece is perfect for sophisticated wedding ceremonies!
3.) Trumpet Voluntary
This march was composed for royalty, and who doesn’t want to feel like a prince or princess on their special day? This is a great processional piece that will have your wedding guests feeling like they’re attending a royal wedding.
4.) Solomon: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba
This fun, upbeat piece is great for a recessional! Handel wrote this for his oratorio, Solomon. The Queen of Sheba had taken a long journey to finally arrive at Solomon’s Court. Triumphant and Joyous, this piece is the perfect song to signify that you, too, have arrived at the end of your long journey of engagement and will leave the ceremony newly married.
5.) Canon in D Major, by Johann Pachelbel
I’d be crazy to leave this off the list! Pachelbel’s one hit wonder, Canon in D, has survived centuries because of its soothing, beautiful melody. This is truly the staple of a traditional wedding ceremony, and it will fit wherever you place it. Like Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, this is a great piece for processionals or unity candle lighting because there are many places where your quartet can cadence and end gracefully when music is no longer needed.
What kind of pieces or songs do you think of when you think “Sophisticated Wedding Music”? Let me know in the comments below!