Christian marriages are a happy occasion where a woman and a man bind themselves together in God’s love for the rest of their lives. The couple publicly express their love and devotion to each during the ceremony through their wedding vows and their choice of Christian wedding songs, Christian hymns or gospel songs played throughout the event.
While many think of Christian music as standard gospel music, the fact is that any type of song, whether traditional, classical or modern, can be considered appropriate for a Christian wedding ceremony as long as it follows the teachings of the Bible.
Seek Your Church’s Input
Before you select your Christian wedding songs, check with your church, as each Christian denomination has specific rules on what music can and cannot be played, and each individual church or parish may have their own set of rules and guidelines. For example, “When You Say Nothing At All” by Ronan Keating is a very popular wedding song, but pop music like that is discouraged or outright prohibited by many Christian churches.
To take it even further, classical songs like “Ave Maria” are fine for a Catholic wedding, but may be frowned upon in some Protestant denominations. This doesn’t mean that you can’t play your favorite song at your wedding — just save it for your reception.
Even music you might think of as standard wedding fare may not be allowed. The classic wedding song, “The Bridal Chorus” (also known as “The Wedding March”), is prohibited by many churches because of its origin as part of a German opera thought of as being pagan in nature.
How Much is Too Much?
The amount of Christian music you can play during your wedding ceremony is only limited by the actual venue itself, but there are many other things you might want to take into consideration. If your ceremony will only last for 15 minutes, for example, ten songs — or even five — is just too much. If your denomination’s ceremony has any long periods of silence, it would be best to play some sort of music to keep guests from feeling uncomfortable.
The average Christian wedding ceremony will incorporate a minimum of four songs or pieces of music: a processional to be played while the bridesmaids and groomsmen enter, a song for the bride’s walk down the aisle, music or a song for the lighting of the unity candle and recessional music to accompany the new husband and wife as they leave the church.
Catholic Wedding Songs
The Catholics incorporate both religious hymns and classical music into their wedding ceremonies. Prelude music includes “Ave Maria” by Schubert, “He Shall Feed His Flock” by Handel and “Lord of All Hopefulness.” Common processional music includes “The Ash Grove,” “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach, and “Hymne” by Vangelis.
There are several songs that are well-suited for any interludes in the service, including “The Lord’s Prayer” by Warner, “Panis Angelicus” by Franck and “Let us Break Bread Together.” For the recessional, choose songs such as “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven, “Joy” by Winston or “Trumpet Tune” by Purcell.
Christian Wedding Songs
Some of the most popular Christian wedding songs includes:
- “Be Thou My Vision” by Dallan Forgaill
- “Bind Us Together” by Bob Gillman
- “Household of Faith” by Brent Lamb and John Rosasco
- “Let Us Break Bread Together” by William Farley Smith
- “Love Will Be Our Home” by Sandi Patty
- “Make Us One” by Cindy Morgan