Instrumental and Choral Selections for Weddings

Alongside wedding dresses, flowers, and many other beautiful accessories, music selections for the wedding day can serve as a reflection of the deeply meaningful theology of marriage. While creating an exuberant and elegant atmosphere, hymns such as “Go, My Children, with My Blessing” remind the bride and groom that our heavenly Father is the center of all Christian marriages, while “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” emphasizes that all joy stems from Jesus’ love for His Bride, the church. Continue reading to learn more about curated music selections specifically for the wedding ceremonies.

Wedding Music for Organ and Piano

As the traditional backbone of most services, organ music provides grandeur for preludes and postludes, as well as accompaniment for hymns and vocalists. Wedding Music for Manuals, edited and arranged by Charles Callahan, uses movements from sonatas, trios, arias, concertos, and orchestral works. The collection provides variety, ranging from a theologically rich meditation on “O Perfect Love” to the recognizable and elegant Air from The Water Music.

Specifically focused on processional and recessional pieces, Wedding Processionals and Recessionals provides substantial fanfare for this significant moment and includes theologically appropriate tunes, such as “Bridegroom of Our Soul” (SEELENBRÄUTIGAM).

Similarly, Wedding Music, Parts 1 and 2, offer comprehensive festive organ music, including works by J. S. Bach, Handel, Pachelbel, and others.

All Loves Excelling by Benjamin M. Culli includes nine different settings, including parts for a B-flat Instrument and a C Instrument. Each setting reflects on God’s great love for us through theologically relevant hymn tunes.

For piano, Love Is the Sunlight: Eight Hymn Preludes for Weddings or General Use by Sandra Eithun features eight favorite wedding tunes, offering a lighter and more reflective option than the organ selections. With these collections on hand, church musicians will be prepared for any wedding tune or style.

Vocal and Choral Wedding Arrangements

Vocal and choral music adds a personal touch to wedding ceremonies, as familiar voices echo God’s promises to the bride and groom. Carl Schalk’s “Set Me as a Seal,” set for unison voices or solo, organ, and flute, presents a fitting melody to the words “Set me as a seal, a seal upon thy heart” based on Song of Solomon 8:6. 

Seven Wedding Songs by Donald Busarow is a collection of vocal solos for the wedding service that reinforce the spiritual significance of the Christian wedding through songs such as “Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee.” The collection is set for high-voiced soloists.

Wedding Blessings, edited by Paul Bunjes, features works of J. S. Bach, Brahms, and Buxtehude, and it reflects on matrimonial hymns like “Lord, Who at Cana’s Wedding Feast.” In this collection, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is arranged for voice, instrument, and organ or for voice, two violins, and organ. The collection can be purchased for either high- or low-voiced soloists.

For SATB choir, Kevin Hildebrand’s setting of “Go, My Children, With My Blessing” can be adjusted for two-part choir or soloists, accompanied by organ. The setting also includes optional parts for the congregation, flute, and strings.

Reflecting Christ’s Love in Marriage 

As a congregation celebrates God’s gift of marriage with the bride and groom, the music included in the wedding ceremony anchors the celebration of God’s design for marriage and reflects Christ as the Bridegroom of the church. These collections provide church musicians with comprehensive selections, ranging from triumphant organ processionals and recessionals to reflective choral arrangements. For the bride and groom, these musical selections elevate the beauty of the ceremony and evoke treasured hymn tunes that remind them of Christ’s ultimate love.

Browse our full collection of choral, keyboard, and handbell settings for weddings by clicking the button below.