Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding!  We hope the information on this web page will help you to choose your wedding music – but we are always happy to help discuss your choices and ideas. 

What do we need to choose?

Usually, you need to choose:

• entrance music for the bride
• two or three hymns
• music for your guests to listen to during the signing of the registers
• exit music for the bride and groom

You can also choose whether to just have our organist to play and accompany the hymns, or whether you would also like to book our choir. 

Entrance music

These are some popular choices:

• the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, by Wagner
• the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Samson, by Handel
• Grand March from Aida by Verdi
• the Trumpet Voluntary (also called the Prince of Denmark’s March) by Clarke
• a Trumpet Tune by Purcell
• the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel

• Prelude to a Te Deum (also known as Trumpet Tune) – Charpentier
• Rejoicing from Music for the Royal Fireworks, Handel
• Finale from Music for the Royal Fireworks, Handel
  

Exit music for the bride and groom

Here are some ideas:

• Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn
• Toccata from Symphonie No5 by Widor
• Grand March from Aida by Verdi
• Nun Danket – Karg-Elert
• Hornpipe from The Water Music – Handel
• Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 in G – Elgar
• Tuba Tune – C S Lang
• Crown Imperial – Walton
• The Rejoicing from Music for the Royal Fireworks – Handel

Choir

At St Alphege, we have excellent choirs, who would be delighted to sing at your wedding.  You can choose to book a ‘top line’ choir, which would be either our boy or girl choristers, who can lead your hymn singing and sing during the signing of the registers, often singing in two parts.  Alternatively, you can book a ‘full choir’, which includes the men singing harmony parts during the hymns as well as the register music. 

Music during the signing of the registers

Some ideas for items the choir to sing during the signing of the registers are as follows:

• Agnus Dei from Coronation Mass, Mozart
• Ave Maria, Schubert
• Ave Maria, Lindley
• Ave Verum, Elgar
• Ave Verum, Mozart
• Cantate Domino, Pitoni
• Cantique de Jean Racine, Fauré
• Day by Day, Martin How
• For the Beauty of the Earth, John Rutter
• Hymn for St Cecilia, Howells
• If ye love me, Tallis
• I Waited for the Lord, Mendelssohn
• Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, J S Bach
• Jubilate Deo, Benjamin Britten
• Lead me Lord, Samuel Wesley
• Lift Thine Eyes, Mendelssohn
• Love one another from Blessed be the God and Father by Samuel Wesley
• Oculi Omnium, Wood
• O for the wings of a dove – Mendelssohn
• Panis Angelicus, Cesar Franck
• Pie Jesu from Requiem – Faure
• The Lord Bless You and Keep You, John Rutter

Alternatively, we are very happy to choose something suitable for the occasion – something, beautiful but not too obtrusive, and easy for your guests to listen to and enjoy.  If you wish to add some wording to your order of service, you could simply state ‘The choir will sing an anthem during the signing of the registers’.

We look forward to working with you to choose and perform your wedding music – please contact us if you have any queries at all.