# Non-Traditional Wedding music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2007, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759 "2007-09-11T08:37:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/21 "2007-09-12T12:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=SaharaTea] Two classical pieces I really like are Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” I would call them traditional, but not overplayed (yet). Just please don’t use Pachelbel’s Canon. Every wedding I’ve attended for the last ten years has that one. What was once a beautiful piece now just makes me roll my eyes. I feel sorry for the poor musicians who have to play it over and over. [/QUOTE] Ditto on avoiding Pachelbel’s Canon. It is overused, and true, the musicians are bored. For a great piece of comedy on the canon and its influence: [Pachelbel Rant](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/22 "2007-09-12T13:55:34Z")
We had a string quartet. I arranged the music for them. Entrances Groom/best men Main Titles from Star Trek First Contact. It really is a lovely, slightly majestic, processional music. Bridesmaids Love theme from Cinema Paradiso Bride Grabriel’s Oboe from The Mission. Recessional Exult Justi from Empire of the Sun Contenders included, but not limited to; The processional section from Saturn from The Planets by Holst Pictures at an Exhibition (Promenade) by Mussorgsky The ‘presentation of the medals’ music from Star Wars. If I were getting married now I would be really tempted to use the Elephant Love Song Medley and Come What May from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/23 "2007-09-12T14:07:02Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] Contenders included, but not limited to; The processional section from Saturn from The Planets by Holst … The ‘presentation of the medals’ music from Star Wars. [/QUOTE] The experience I normally quote used Holst’s “Jupiter” as the processional, and “Medal Ceremony / End Titles” as the recessional. “Jupiter” needs some good practice on the timing; about 4 minutes in there’s a sort of trumpet fanfare about 20 seconds long. Once the music changes, the next thematic break is a couple of minutes later. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/24 "2007-09-12T14:32:01Z")
For our first dance we used Lyle Lovett’s " Flyswatter/Ice Water Blues." It’s really a beautiful song, despite the name… ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/25 "2007-09-12T15:03:27Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] The processional section from Saturn from The Planets by Holst [/QUOTE] “Saturn, Bringer of Old Age”? Er, which part is the “processional” section? If it’s the bit from about 4:30 to 6:00 (on my recording, at least), that must have been one hell of a spooky special day. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/26 "2007-09-12T17:08:00Z")
Whoops! Jupiter, I ment Jupiter. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/27 "2007-09-12T17:36:34Z")
I had Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” as I walked up the aisle, real organist, not a CD. My mother had it too, so it was part of my “something old”. Our first dance to our band was “What a Wonderful World”, and when the DJ arrived we danced to “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave. Spent the rest of the reception too busy chatting to our guests to dance. Just pick a song that you both like and that means something to you…preferably with appropriate lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![MissRancher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@MissRancher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissRancher)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/28 "2007-09-12T18:03:10Z")
\*\*Bridesmaids \*\*walked down to “Waiting on an Angel” by Ben Harper **I** walked down to “Green Eyes” by Coldplay **We** walked back down the aisle to “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759/29 "2007-09-12T18:22:53Z")
[QUOTE=NailBunny] We walked down the aisle to Tom Waits’ _Little Trip to Heaven on the Wings of Your Love_, and it was fantastic. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Very good choice! I’m sure Tom Waits will play some part in my wedding. I recently attended a wedding where the groom walked down the aisle to a strings arrangement of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” and the bride came out to a strings arrangement of a U2 song… damn, I don’t remember which one. Those are their favorite bands, of course. They walked back down the aisle to Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold,” the climactic music from \*The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly \* (although better known to the groom as Metallica’s entrance music at their live shows). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-traditional-wedding-music/418759.md?page=1)