Wedding: Ceremony

It's the most important day of your life, so you'll need important music to set the stage. First things first: a stroll down the aisle. What could be more perfect than the traditional tones of the "Bridal Chorus," the prelude to Act III of the Richard Wagner opera Lohengrin (a tune otherwise known as "Here Comes the Bride")? For something a little more delicate, you can opt for the ethereal strains of "Canon in D," popularly named "Pachelbel's Canon" for its German composer, Johann Pachelbel. And for your promenade back down the aisle as man and wife? Even if you don't recognize the title "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61 Incidental Music: No. 9 Wedding March," you and your dearly beloveds will be familiar with the joyously heraldic strains of what's better known as Felix Mendelssohn's famous "Wedding March."

Everybody has an idea of how they want their weddings to look — and sound. Our Classic Wedding favorites help you define the flavor of your day, from the stately ceremonial brass of "Crown Imperial," which British composer William Walton originally composed for the coronation of King George VI, to the effusive celebration of new beginnings in "Spring: I. Allegro," from Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." A religious ceremony is deepened by the sacred strains of Bach's "Jesus, bleibet meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring)," and a grand, large-scale nuptial is made all the more so by Aaron Copland's rafter-filling "Fanfare for the Common Man."

Sure, you have a respect for tradition, but you want your wedding to stand out, too. That's where our Classical Wedding Deep Cuts come in, with compositions that enhance not only the beauty of your ceremony, but its individuality as well. Opt for the lovely, lyrical melody of "Gabriel's Oboe" from the soundtrack to The Mission, or go for the grand sentimentality of "Wedding Processional" from everyone's favorite, The Sound of Music. From the devotional choral drama of "The Lord's Prayer" to the sparkling fun of Johann Strauss, II's "Champagne Polka," we have the sounds to make your big day everything you dreamed of, and more.

Planning a wedding is hard work: so many details to attend to, so many errands to run, so many special items to search for. When it comes to the all-important choice of music, though, we say "Take it easy." Let us help you relieve the stress of planning your all-important ceremony with our Wedding: Ceremony favorites, three full playlists of compositions to grace the first day of the rest of your life together. Processionals, recessionals, musical interludes — they're all here and then some, from airy melodies on the harp (Erik Satie's "1st Gymnopedie") to bold ceremonial brass ("Regimental Slow Marches: I. Scipio," played by the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards), from sacred songs (we have two versions of "Ave Maria" to choose from) to high drama (the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey).