Planning the music for your catholic wedding may differ slightly from many modern weddings, but if it’s always been your dream, then what better to start than by planning the perfect catholic songs for your wedding day.

Some couples will want to play music through every part of their wedding, and why not, nothing sets the scene better than the perfect music.

When planning the music for your catholic wedding you should consider:

• Prelude: The period when guests are being seated before the ceremony begins.
• Processional: The processional is defined as the period when family members, the bridal party, and the bride enter the church and take their places. This may be split into processional of the bridesmaids and processional of the bride.
• Gathering with Congregation: An optional segment that occurs after the wedding party is in place. After the entrance procession, couples may choose to sing a gathering song to unite the assembly in prayer.
• Responsorial Psalm: The Psalm follows the first (Old Testament) reading, and is led by the cantor. The cantor intones the refrain, the assembly repeats it, and the cantor sings the verses. It is important that the text be a psalm; a solo or other sacred song may not be used.
• Preparation of Gifts: If your ceremony is taking place during Mass, then you may want to select a piece to be sung by the assembly or a soloist when the bread and wine are brought forward and placed on the altar. This may also be when monetary offerings are collected for a local food pantry or charity, which is optional. Bear in mind that without a collection, the time is short, so select a piece that can be ended easily.
• Offertory: The offertory, also known as the presentation of gifts, is the rite by which the bread and wine are presented (offered) to God before they are consecrated and the prayers that accompany it.
• Communion Song: The Communion Song begins as the bishop or priest receives communion and continues throughout the communion procession. When the last person in the procession receives communion, the song should begin to wind down.
• Communion Mediation: After communion there should be an appropriate period of silence, after which the entire assembly may sing a hymn of praise or a psalm. It is appropriate for instrumental music to be played during this moment of silence.
• Presentation of Gifts to Mary or the Holy Family: In some Catholic ceremonies, the bride places flowers on the shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary and offers a prayer. This tradition has expanded to offering a gift to both Mary and Joseph. This is usually done after communion before the final blessing; however, it can also be done before or after the ceremony.
• Recessional: The recessional is defined as the time when the bride and groom, followed by the bridal party and family members, leave the church after the ceremony.
• Postlude: The postlude is the time during which the rest of the guests leave the church.

Music For Your Catholic Wedding

Once you have decided which parts of the ceremony will be accompanied by music, it’s time to select your wedding playlist. If you’re stuck on which songs to choose, here’s a list of popular catholic wedding songs:

Catholic Wedding Prelude Songs

• Angels Watching – The O’Neill Brothers
• Ave Maria – Bach
• For the Beauty of the Earth – Conrad Kocher
• He Shall Feed His Flock – Handel
• Let There Be Peace On Earth – Jackson/Miller
• Lord of All Hopefulness – Traditional
• Nearer My God to Thee – Mason
• Now Thank We All Our God – Bach
• Wachet Auf – Bach

Catholic Wedding Processional Songs

• Amazing Grace – Traditional
• Ave Maria – Schubert
• Be Not Afraid – Dufford, S.J.
• Friends – Smith
• How Beautiful – Twila Paris
• I Can Only Imagine – Mercyme
• I Will be Here – Steven Curtis Chapman
• Let Us Break Bread Together – Traditional
• On Eagle’s Wings – Joncas
• Panis Angelicus – Franck
• Peace I Leave With You – Conry, OCP
• The Lord’s Prayer – Warner
• The Prayer – Sager/Foster
• The Water is Wide (The Gift of Love) – Traditional
• Turn, Turn, Turn – Pete Seeger

Gathering With Congression Songs

• Here I Am Lord
• Hear Us Now, Our God and Father – Hyfrydol, Roland Prichard
• Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring – Bach
• Panis Angelicus – Cesar Franck or Sacris Solemnis
• One Bread, One Body – Foley
• Servant Song – McGarill
• Here I Am Lord – Schutte
• On Eagles Wings – Joncas
• Gift of Finest Wheat – Kreutz
• Supper of the Lord – Rosania
• Taste and See – Moore
• I Have Loved You
• Laudate Dominum – Mozart

Responsorial Psalm Songs

• Lord of all Hopefulness – Trad
• The Lord is Kind and Merciful – Trad
• The Lord is My Shepherd – Trad
• This is the Day – Trad
• You are Mine – Trad

Presentation Of Gifts Songs

• The Wedding Song – annon.
• The Gift of Love – arr. Hopson
• The Bridal Prayer -Roger Copeland
• All I Ask of You – Weston Priory
• I Have Loved You – Joncas
• Prayer of St. Francis – Sebastian Temple
• Servant Song – McGarill
• Set Your Heart on the Higher Gifts – Warner
• The Irish Wedding Song – Trad.
• The Lord is Kind and Merciful – Haugen
• Where There Is Love – David Haas
• Wherever You Go – Weston Priory
• With This Ring – Copeland

Communion and Communion Meditation Songs

• Bist du bei mir (You are with me or Be Thou with Me) from Anna Magdalena Notenbuch by Johann Sebastian Bach
• A Gaelic Blessing – John Rutter
• Gift of Finest Wheat – Kreutz
• Here I Am Lord – Schutte
• How Great Thou Art – Carrie Underwood
• Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desirin – Johann Sebastian Bach
• Let There Be Peace on Earth – Vince & Jenny Gill
• On Eagles Wings – Michael Crawford
• Panis Angelicus (O God Of Life) – Josh Groben
• Prayer Of St. Francis – Sarah McLachlan
• Taste and See – Joel Martinson or Moore
• The Gift of Love (Water Is Wide) – Hopson
• Vesperae solennes de confessore in C, K.339, Laudate Dominum – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Catholic Wedding Recessionals Songs

• Allegro Maestoso (from Water Music) – Handel
• Ashokan Farewell – Ungar
• City of God – Schutte
• Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring – Bach
• Joy – Winston
• Joyful, Joyful We Adore You – Hymn, Beethoven
• Ode to Joy – Beethoven
• Psalm 19 – Benedetto Marcello
• Rondeau – Mouret
• The Dance of Youth – The O’Neill Brothers
• Trumpet Tune – Purcell
• Wedding March – Mendlessohn