Your choice of wedding songs for your civil wedding ceremony will usually allow for music across many genres and can include both traditional and contemporary music. The only stipulation with a civil wedding ceremony is that your choice of songs should not have any religious references to them, other than that you are free to choose what you want.
With a civil ceremony you will not need to choose as many wedding songs as you would with a religious service. Typically you will need music for the brides entrance, the signing of the wedding register and for when you walk back up the aisle as man and wife. You may also want to have some form of background music to play whilst your guests are seated and to accommodate any delays before the service starts. Gentle background music also helps to calm any nerves and create a relaxed atmosphere.
Many couples like to choose a mixture of both traditional and contemporary wedding songs. Generally they will choose a traditional wedding march for when the bride enters and a contemporary love song for when they walk back up the aisle. When making your choice of wedding songs it is important to bear in mind the style and theme of your wedding and to also choose something which is representative of your style and personality. That said, it is also important to choose music which is appropriate to the occasion!
Your choices will help to create an atmosphere and to set the tone of your wedding day. The first song your guests will hear will be that which will announce the arrival of the bride so make sure it is dramatic enough to let your guests know you are about to make your big entrance!
A civil wedding ceremony allows you to have some fun with your choices, whilst leaving you open to choosing special songs that have some personal meaning to you both. Here is a list of some of the more popular wedding songs for a civil ceremony and which you may want to consider:
Unforgettable Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole
At Last Etta James
Only Time Enya
Cant Help Falling In Love Elvis Presley
Come Away With Me Norah Jones
Come What May Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
The Look of Love Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach
Storybook Love (from The Princess Bride) Willy DeVille
Wedding Processional (from The Sound of Music) Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein
What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong