Friend of mine is looking for fun alternative to “Here Comes the Bride” for her walk down the aisle. Also need a song for the recessional. I attended a wedding years ago that the bride walked to “Green Onion” by Booker T and the MG’s. I’m sure the Dopers can help us here 
Where is the wedding taking place? And what kinds of music do your friends like?
There’s plenty of alternatives to “Here Comes the Bride” (does anyone actually use that anymore?) but it would help if we could narrow the field a little.
There are plenty of examples of processional music in the classics sections. You have to look and see what you like.
For our wedding, we used the Shaker Hymn “Simple Gifts” in many variations, including a recording of Aaron Copland’s use of it as a recessional.
And, yeah, we know the Shakers are a celibate sect. We just like the music.
We used Pachelbel’s Canon in D for the bridal processional (yeah, shut up, it’s over-used, but my husband specifically requested that I walk down the aisle to it). We were at his cousin’s wedding this weekend, and she used the ‘Spring’ movement of the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
As far as other music, we used mostly Broadway. Seating of the family was “In My Life” by the Beatles. Groomsmens’ entrance was “Til There Was You” from the Music Man, and the bridesmaids entered to “Unexpected Song” from Song and Dance. Our recessional was “You’ll Never Get Away From Me” from Gypsy. (This was all played on two flutes and a guitar, with a friend who sang…obviously, I’m a Broadway nut.)
There’s really no limit. As long as they aren’t getting married in a church that has limits on the music, they can probably use whatever they want. I know people who’ve come back down the aisle to “I Feel Good” by James Brown.
Wedding is in her parents house - so no rules really. Need to be able to buy the music on a cd. Doesn’t really want classical. Looking for soemthing FUN - rock n’ rollish. LIKE the James Brown idea a lot!
Well, I was going to suggest “Morning Has Broken” by Cat Stevens which is what my bridesmaids walk in to ahead of me, but it isn’t exactly rock n roll-ish. So how about Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” or “Do Wah Diddy” (There she was just a walking down the street…) by Manfred Mann.
How about the Turtle’s Happy Together? Or **At Last ** by Etta James?
Or the love theme from Princess Bride by Mark Knopfler ?
Come my love and I’ll tell you a tale,
of a boy and girl, and their love story.
I Put a Spell on You, by CCR, or *Love and Marriage * by Sinatra.
Imperial Death March from the Star Wars Soundtrack.
After various pieces by Beethoven and others, Mrs. Pagan and I were married to Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The maid of honor (no bridesmaids) walked in to the Promenade, the bride walked in with both parents to the beginning of the Great Gates of Kiev, and the newlyweds walked out to the rather majestic finale of the same song. The ceremony was essentially a long interlude. 
My wife and I used Angel Eyes by Jeff Healey.
Some friends of mine used that recent cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.” I’d have gone with the original, myself.
My favorite is the wedding scene at the beginning of the film “Love Actually”. Not only is the song “All You Need is Love” lovely and appropriate for a wedding, the surprising way it was performed was delightful as well (members of the wedding “audience” had hidden instruments that they revealed just in time for that instrument’s solo bit).
Just be honest and play** AC/DC**'s Highway To Hell.
Slightly more seriously, how about the “victory” music (when Luke and Han are getting medals)? Though IMHO that works better as “exit” music (Its the music I want for my hypothetical wedding)
Brian
I’ve been at one wedding where the processional was “Jupiter” from Holst’s The Planets suite.
Or you could go for the attention to detail award, and have some people sing Wagner’s “Wedding Chorus” in the original German.
This is what I came in here to suggest, as it is what I walked down the aisle to (The instrumental version anyway). We walked out to “Our love is here to stay” (a jazzy version I found on Itunes). We entered the reception to Queen’s “You’re my best friend” and had our first dance to Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love”.
My suggestion: Entry of the Queen of Sheba, from the oratorio Solomon by G.F. Handel. Very rousing stuff, and moderately appropriate in terms of what it’s supposed to be about.
I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of “Hero of the Day” by Metallica. The younger people thought I was the coolest, the older that we had found a really unique and lovely piece of music. 3 year later, people still comment on it. The recessional was accompanied by Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, a favorite of my Dad’s.
I like that one! Ode to Joy would be good, too, just to see if anyone other than me gets Clockwork Orange imagery in their heads 
I played for a cousin’s wedding, with my sister singing: two requests necessitated removing particular verses. She Moves Through the Fair (‘my dead love’?) and Black is the Colour (‘suffer death ten thousand times’?!). Duly censored, they worked really well. For my sister’s upcoming one, I’m playing an Irish air which I’ve learnt from a recording of a great fiddle player who grew up with our cousins, and the Bach E major prelude. And it’ll sound just like that 