How to Plan beach wedding ceremony music

Your beach wedding planning includes choosing wedding ceremony music. You have the choice of traditional wedding music or something a little less formal. Less traditional wedding music. within reason, is fine for your outdoor and beach wedding, but do clear your wedding song lists with your Officiant before you commit. Straying too far from classical wedding music also might confuse your guests or make for a disjointed ceremony. Listen to wedding music clips to become familiar with wedding songs that are appropriate for the different sections of your ceremony (we help you below). You are trying to build drama and excitement in your ceremony. You want to start light and slow and work your way up to the grand climax, your wedding march! Listening to wedding music on-line these days is now just a click away. Try Music Samples from our orchestras.

Wedding ceremony songs you will need

Wedding ceremonies, including beach weddings, are broken down into five musical sections. Each part of the event will lend itself to special music although certain songs can be used for weddings recessional or wedding processional music interchangeably.

Prelude wedding music

In planning your ceremony music, your first choice will be for the prelude, that is, music for the arrival and seating of your guests. Wedding music ideas for the prelude can include slightly more popular music selections. Adding love songs and ballads you like, mixed with instrumental favorites is fine, but again don't go overboard in choosing all popular music. Save the rock and heavy rhythm songs for the reception. The best suggestions for your prelude music list will be songs your guests are familiar with. You are, after all, entertaining them.

Wedding processional music

Wedding processional music comes next. No more than a dozen or so wedding ceremony songs are generally used as wedding processional music. Almost all are well known wedding ceremony songs. Our Music Samples page features some of the most popular examples. You can choose more contemporary wedding music, but keep in mind that live instrumental wedding music, even on the beach, is most often played by a string group, and violins are not capably of the heavy rhythm, bass beats found in most contemporary music.

Sand ceremony, readers, vocalists, communion music

The sand ceremony replaces the use of unity candles on the beach. It adds a bit of ritual and reflection to the beach wedding ceremony. Here you have the freedom to choose music that  can include the songs that brought you together and other personal favorites. Ceremony readings can have a bit of music played softly under them if they are long enough and the same goes for communion. Regarding vocalists, consider instrumentation and the skill of your musicians when making your choices.

Wedding recessional songs

Wedding recessional songs should be joyous, light and exhuberent. It's the signal to begin your celebration and new life together. Some wedding processional music can be used for wedding recessional songs, others are too well known as wedding processional music to be considered.

Postlude music

Weddings songs for the postlude will be lighter and happier, than say a wedding march. Don't obsess about your postlude music. You'll be leaving the beach area to head to the reception. Save some effort, just leave the postlude selections up to the musicians.

Don't forget !!
Beach weddings with over 50 guests need amplification!  We've performed in nearly 2000 weddings, most of them beach weddings. Read our Why Amplify For Your Wedding? to know whyyou need amplification.  Some beach wedding musicians insist that you don't need amplification. that is because they don't have the equipment and experience needed and can't offer you this valuable benefit. but just ask them if they will guarantee in writing that their performance, not to mention your Officiant, vows and readers will be heard over the wind and surf roar that are nearly always present on the beach. We have the sound test figures, in decibles, for string quartet preformances outdoors. They are no match for Mother Nature! Call us and we will talk to you about it.