100 Best Wedding Ceremony Prelude Songs (As Guests Sit)

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Your wedding time is set. Guest are arriving. What songs do you want to play as guests take their seats? These are known as the wedding ceremony prelude songs.

Every couple is different. You can select songs by music styles like R&B, Pop, and Country. You can have traditional classical music to instrumental modern cover songs.

It’s up to you!

Here is a list of popular songs selected for the wedding prelude.

Instrumental Wedding Prelude Songs

Traditional Classical Instrumental Songs

• A Rose Is Gently Blooming – Meral Guneyman
• Air on G (Arr. for Violin and Acoustic Guitar by Arthur Campbell) – Anne Akiko Meyers, Jason Vieaux
• Air on the G String – HAUSER
• Arioso (Adagio in G) from Cantata BWV 156 (Arr. by Lloyd Webber) – J.S. Bach
• Ave Maria, D.839 – Arr. Hazell – Sheku Kanneh-Mason
• Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59, “Fur Elise” – Ludwig van Beethoven
• Canon In D (Guitar) – The O’Neill Brothers Group
• Pachelbel’s Canon in D – Danny Wright
• Canon In F – The O’Neill Brothers Group
• Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude – João Kouyoumdjian
• Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude – Yo-Yo Ma
• Clair de Lune, L. 32 – Martin Jones
• Etude No. 2 – Philip Glass
• Für Elise, WoO 59 – Nelly Kokinos
• Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty (Wedding Hymn) – Robbins Island Music Group
• Prelude in C Major – Brian Bradley
• Rockelbel’s Canon (Pachelbel’s Canon in D) – The Piano Guys
• Romance for String Orchestra, Op. 11 – Academy of St Martin in the Fields
• Romantic Pieces, Op. 75, B. 150 – 1. Allegro moderato – Akiko Suwanai
• Salut d’Amour, Op. 12 – Yo-Yo Ma
• Sarabande, BWV 1007 – Andrei Krylov & Lana Ross
• Sheep May Safely Graze – Leon Fleisher
• Sleepers Awake, Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme, BWV 140 – Andrei Krylov & Lana Ross
• Suite bergamasque, L. 75 – III. Clair de lune – Lang Lang, Claude Debussy
• The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269 “Spring”: I. Allegro – Itzhak Perlman
• The Occasional Oratorio, HWV62 – George Frideric Handel
• Trumpet Tune in C Major, Z. 697 – The Prague Brass Soloists
• Trumpet Voluntary in D Major “The Prince of Denmark’s March” – The Clerkenwell Baroque String
• Water Music Suite, HWV 348-350 – Hornpipe – Wolfgang Meyer, Berlin Philharmonic, Rafael Kubelik

Modern Instrumental (No Vocals) Songs

• Beautiful Thing – Old Foes
• Gymnopédie No. 3 – Erik Satie
• Kingdom Hearts – Dearly Beloved – Vitamin String Quartet
• Pachelbel Meets U2 – Jon Schmidt
• Paris Nocturne – Dan Fogelberg
• Reflections – Toshifumi Hinata
• Sally’s Songs – Vitamin String Quartet
• The Giving – Michael W. Smith
• Turning Page (Instrumental) – Sleeping At Last

Modern Instrumental Cover Songs

• A Thousand Years – The Piano Guys
• A Thousand Years (Instrumental Violin & Piano Cover) – VioDance
• Bittersweet Symphony – Vitamin String Quartet
• Can’t Help Falling in Love (Adapted for Violin and Acoustic Guitar) – Anne Akiko Meyers, Jason Vieaux
• Can’t Help Falling in Love (Violin Instrumental) – Alan Ng
• Come as You Are – The Hipster Orchestra
• First Day of My Life – Brooklyn Duo
• Ghost – The Piano Guys
• God Bless the Broken Road (Acoustic Guitar) – The O’Neill Brothers Group
• Here Comes the Sun – Benny Martin
• I Can Only Imagine – The O’Neill Brothers Group
• In My Life – Kevin Kern
• Just Give Me A Reason (Piano Version) – Flying Fingers
• Kiss From A Rose – Vitamin String Quartet
• Latch – Simply Three
• Love Me Like You Do – Brooklyn Duo
• Love Story meets Love Story (Taylor Swift Remix) – Jon Schmidt
• Lover – Paul Hankinson Covers
• Marry You (Instrumental Version) – The O’Neill Brothers Group
• My Gift is My Song – HAUSER
• Perfect – Brooklyn Duo
• Perfect (Violin & Piano Wedding Version) – Paul Hankinson Covers
• Say You Won’t Let Go – Daniel Jang
• Somewhere Only We Know – Simply Three
• Stand By Me – Fred Turnquist
• Sunflower – Vitamin String Quartet ft. ThatViolaKid
• This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Dr. Cover Band
• Wildest Dreams – Dallas String Quartet
• Yellow (Piano Version) – Henry Smith
• Your Song – Michael Marc

Instrumental Songs from Games, Plays, TV & Film

• A Million Dreams (Piano Version) – Emilie’s Piano
• A Whole New World – Disney Ukulele & Disney
• A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme) – Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle
• All I Ask Of You (The Phantom of the Opera) – Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Ashitaka and San (Princess Mononoke) – CelloKat
• Beauty and the Beast – Disney Ukulele & Disney
• Concerning Hobbits – Howard Shore
• Evergreen (Love Theme from, “A Star Is Born”) – Barbra Streisand
• Fairy Tail Theme – Taylor Davis, Lara De Wit
• Game of Thrones (Main Theme) – Vitamin String Quartet
• Hold My Hand (Piano Arrangement) – Alexandre Pachabezian
• Legends Of The Fall Theme – James Horner
• Married Life from Up (Violin & Piano) – Paul Hankinson Covers
• Reveries – Ramin Djawadi
• Rewrite The Stars (Piano Version) – Emilie’s Piano
• Seasons Of Love (RENT) – Stan Whitmire
• The Princess Bride – Storybook Love – Vitamin String Quartet

New Age Prelude Songs

• A Day Without Rain – Enya
• Angel Eyes – Jim Brickman
• Angelic Voices – B-Tribe
• Fairytale – Enya
• Love Story – Luc Serra
• May It Be – Enya
• Only Time – Enya
• Variations on the Kanon – George Winston

Popular Celtic Prelude Songs

• Hand In Hand – David Arkenstone
• Nocturne – Secret Garden

Vocal Wedding Prelude Songs

Popular Country Prelude Songs

• Beautiful Crazy – Luke Combs
• God Bless the Broken Road – Rascal Flatts
• Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
• Love Story – Taylor Swift
• Millionaire – Chris Stapleton
• Speechless – Dan + Shay
• The Gift – Jim Brickman, Collin Raye, Susan Ashton
• Yours (Wedding Version) – Russell Dickerson

Popular Folk Prelude Songs

• Anywhere – Risk & Refuge
• Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
• Heartbeats – José González
• Hold You In My Arms – Ray LaMontagne
• Songbird – Eva Cassidy
• True Companion – Marc Cohn
• Wedding Song (There Is Love) – Noel Paul Stookey

Popular Alternative & Rock Prelude Songs

• Harvest Moon – Neil Young
• Holocene – Bon Iver
• June Hymn – The Decemberists
• Slow And Steady – Of Monsters And Men
• Someone Like You – Van Morrison
• Such Great Heights – Iron And Wine
• Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap

Popular Pop Prelude Songs

• Can’t Help Falling In Love (Acoustic) – Amber Leigh Irish
• Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Acoustic) – Paul Canning
• Feels Like Home – Chantal Kreviazuk
• Hallelujah – Pentatonix
• How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
• I Choose You – Sara Bareilles
• I Don’t Know What Love Is – Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper
• Marry Me – Train
• Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
• Songbird – Rita Wilson & Josh Groban
• Tenerife Sea – Ed Sheeran
• The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson
• Wedding In Berlin – Pet Shop Boys
• Wedding Medley (Marry Me, A Thousand Years, All of Me, Bless The Broken Road) – Anthem Lights

Popular R&B Prelude Songs

• All Of Me – John Legend
• Always and Forever – Heatwave
• Angels – Robin Thicke
• Best Part – H.E.R., Daniel Caesar
• My Boo (Acoustic) – Will Gittens, Rahky
• Halo – Beyoncé
• One In A Million – Larry Graham
• Ribbon In The Sky – Stevie Wonder
• Truly – Lionel Richie
• Why I Love You – MAJOR.
• You and I – Stevie Wonder

Popular Vocal Prelude Songs

• La Califfa – Sarah Brightman
• Nella Fantasia – Sarah Brightman
• To Make You Feel My Love – The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and Voices

Popular Christian Prelude Songs

• I Will Be Here – Steven Curtis Chapman

Play Instrumental Wedding Prelude Songs Playlist

Final Thoughts

Most couples select their prelude songs depending on how the music will be played. Will you have a string quartet, bagpipes, harpist, DJ, or other? This will help determine what style of music. Typically, couples will select instrumental songs but it is up to you. However, be sure to know the rules of the ceremony venue. If it is a church, there may be strict rules on the music played.