The Most Popular Wedding Processional Songs: Modern and Classical

Wedding processional songs set the tone for your entire wedding. It’s the time where your bridal party walks down the aisle, and anticipation for your big entrance builds. Whether you're looking for a modern or classical option for a processional song (or multiple for different members of your bridal party), there are countless songs to choose from. To help you narrow down your options, we've compiled a list of the top 20 most popular wedding processional songs, broken down into two categories: Modern and Classical/Traditional.
Table of Contents
  1. Intro

The Most Popular Wedding Processional Songs: Modern and Classical

Wedding processional songs set the tone for your entire wedding. It’s the time where your bridal party walks down the aisle, and anticipation for your big entrance builds.  Whether you're looking for a modern or classical option for a processional song (or multiple for different members of your bridal party), there are countless songs to choose from. To help you narrow down your options, we've compiled a list of the top 20 most popular wedding processional songs, broken down into two categories: Modern and Classical.

Modern Wedding Processional Songs:

1. A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri, from the album "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" (2011)

  • "I have died every day waiting for you / Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years"

2. "Marry You" by Bruno Mars, from the album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" (2010)

  • "It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do / Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you"

3. "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Kina Grannis, from the album "In the Waiting" (2008)

  • "Like a river flows surely to the sea / Darling, so it goes some things are meant to be"

4. "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles, from the album "The Blessed Unrest" (2013)

  • "And I will stand by you, I will help you see it through / These are the hands of fate, and I am yours for all time"

5. "All of Me" by John Legend, from the album "Love in the Future" (2013)

  • "Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections / Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you"

6. "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, from the album "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." (2008)

  • "Well, open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damn you're free / Look into your heart and you'll find love love love, love love love"

7. "Marry Me" by Train, from the album "Save Me, San Francisco" (2009)

  • "Marry me, today and every day / Marry me, if I ever get the nerve"

8. "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles, from the album "Abbey Road" (1969)

  • "Here comes the sun, here comes the sun / And I say it's alright"

9. “Somewhere over the Rainbow - Ukelele Version” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole

  • "Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high / There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby"

10. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith, from the album "Armageddon - The Album" (1998)

  • "I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep / 'cause I'd miss you, baby and I don't want to miss a thing"


Classical, Traditional, Instrumental Wedding Processional Songs:

Note: some of the years listed below are approximates.

  1. "Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel (1680)
  2. "Ave Maria" by Franz Schuber (1825)
  3. "Trumpet Voluntary" by Jeremiah Clarke (1700)
  4. "Bridal Chorus" from "Lohengrin" by Richard Wagner (1848)
  5. "Wedding March" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Felix Mendelssohn (1842)
  6. "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy (1869)
  7. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach (1714)
  8. "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven (1824)
  9. "Spring" from "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi (1720)
  10. "Rondeau" by Jean-Joseph Mouret (1700)

Beyond choosing the songs and making sure the decor is just write, it's important to make sure the words of your wedding feel personalized and meaningful to you. Sign up to start writing your unique wedding ceremony script on Provenance.co

Wedding processional songs set the tone for your entire wedding. It’s the time where your bridal party walks down the aisle, and anticipation for your big entrance builds. Whether you're looking for a modern or classical option for a processional song (or multiple for different members of your bridal party), there are countless songs to choose from. To help you narrow down your options, we've compiled a list of the top 20 most popular wedding processional songs, broken down into two categories: Modern and Classical/Traditional.
Start Writing Your CeremonyGet Started with provenance
Open article

What to Say to Introduce a Moment of Silence in a Wedding Ceremony Script

While a wedding is meant to be a celebratory event, naturally we think about the people we wish could be there with us. There are many ways to honor deceased family and friends in your wedding. One of those ways is to include a moment of silence in your wedding ceremony script. Below you'll find sample examples shared by The Dinner Party and Provenance communities.
Open article

How to Officiate a Wedding: Your Step-by-Step Guide

Steven Greitzer, Founder and CEO of Provenance and an experienced officiant himself, likes to think of the qualifications required of an officiant as "soft" and "hard." The "hard qualifications" are those legal expectations. "If not a religious, civil, or professional officiant, anyone asked to officiate can explore getting ordained online," he says. "For some online ministries, the process can be as easy as sharing your name, email, confirmation of being 18+ in age, and agreeing to basic tenets (which can be secular, even if the website says 'ministries')."
Open article

How to Choose Wedding Readings

Our lives are marked by significant life milestones that define the cadence of our lives. For millennia, generations before us have similarly commemorated these critical moments. Traditionally, a wedding is an opportunity to honor your cultural or religious heritage, carrying forward the torch of tradition for whichever cultural or religious tradition you may inherit.
Open article

Repeat-After-Me Wedding Vows vs "I Do": Traditional & Modern Examples

Deciding if you want to do repeat-after-me wedding vows, I do vows, and/or personal vows? Check out these examples of each, then learn how to seamlessly incorporate them into your ceremony.
Open article

Alternatives to Traditional Weddings

Discover the world of alternative weddings and break away from tradition. From intimate micro-weddings to eco-friendly celebrations, explore unique ideas that reflect your personal style and values. Check out these alternative wedding ideas and find inspiration for your own celebration.
Open article

PRESS RELEASE | Provenance Announces Official Partnership with Mindy Weiss

The renowned event planner declares that an extremely personalized wedding is one of the biggest wedding trends for 2024, and Weiss formally joins innovative tech startup Provenance as an advisor to help users personalize life milestones.
Accept cookies? View our Privacy Policy for more information.