RECESSIONAL MUSIC

Congratulations! You’ve just been pronounced a married couple, the guests are standing, and now it’s time for you to make your way triumphantly back down the aisle. Let’s have a little music with that!!!

Recessional Song Mood

The end of the marriage ceremony is a time for joy and celebration. And, your music ought to reflect this.

The music you choose for your recessional should be upbeat, joyous, and celebratory. If your wedding has been more informal and non-traditional, the music may even be on the fun, playful, or silly side. If your union has been more on the formal, traditional or religious side, it might be more majestic or inspirational.

But whatever music you choose, it should be happy! Remember that the recessional (especially when it is the last song played at the ceremony) is, in a way, the transition piece to the reception. And you want folks in a cheerful mood for the reception!

Recessional Song Volume

Often, the recessional is the loudest piece of music played at a wedding ceremony - It is the crescendo of the ceremony music. As mentioned elsewhere on this site, the music (with some notable exceptions) tends to build in volume and drama as the ceremony progresses - and the recessional song is the climax.

Despite the recessional being the crescendo, you should take care to make sure the music is not so loud that people are uncomfortable with the volume. On the other hand, remember that there may be applause and some loud congratulations going on during the recessional, so you want to choose music that can be heard above the crowd noise.

It’s for this reason that an organ is one of the musical instruments of choice for a recessional, as opposed to a harp. And Bagpipes are always a treat! A good DJ/Musician(s) will be able to determine a suitable volume. Also, the rehearsal should help with this.

Number of Recessional Songs

Usually, there is one piece of music called the "recessional." That piece is the song that accompanies the Bridal couple, Bridal party and VIPs back down the aisle. If it is a large wedding (in numbers of people) sometimes a second "recessional" is played for the departing guests. This song should match the nature of the first recessional, but it should certainly not upstage it.

Between the two songs is usually a good time to make an announcement, such as that a receiving line is forming in a particular area, or that the Bride and Groom are inviting guests to a particular room where hors d’oeuvres are being served and the reception will be taking place. Any songs played after two recessional songs would be termed postlude songs.

Here, we offer some great recessionals...

Next, lets' discuss the music that occurs after the recessional - the postlude songs.