Just like each season of the year, each wedding season brings with it a set of trends. As years go by, trends change, but the wedding framework stays the same. For your wedding, you need a venue, guest list, menu, dress, rings, etc. And, music is right up there with the most important aspects of the wedding framework.
When it comes to music, you need ceremony music and reception music. At the ceremony, you will need to decide walking down the aisle songs for the bridal party, flower girl, and the bride, as well as a song to play as the event, comes to a close. In addition to this, if you are having a church wedding, you may need to choose songs that correspond with the particular type of service or ceremony you will have.
The reception’s music is just as important as the music you select for the ceremony. What will the bride and groom dance to for their first dance? Will the bride have a special dance with her father? Will the groom have a special dance with his mother? What song will the bride and groom be announced too? These are details that need to be ironed out – and this information needs to be passed onto your DJ. In addition to these decisions, it is important to make a list of songs that you would like the DJ to play throughout the night. Do you and your family have a song you always sing together? Do you want to make sure the DJ plays that song you always karaoke to with your old roommates? Dig deep. You will need both slow songs and upbeat wedding songs.
The following will help you decide which of the most popular wedding songs will make your wedding music list. As mentioned before, like every season, wedding season has its own trends. The following is a prediction of the hottest wedding songs of 2016, broken down into categories.
Ceremonial Songs
The ceremony is the focus of the day. Without the ceremony, there would be no need for a reception. This is the moment that bride and groom become husband and wife. The songs that are chosen should be ones with heart and soul and can be not only heard but felt by the family and friends that have arrived to show their support. If you are struggling to find the perfect songs for your ceremony, fear no more. Every ceremony needs one or more of these songs:
- Canon In D by Pachelbel
- A Thousand Years (Instrumental) by Christina Perri
- What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
- Marry Me (Instrumental) by Train
- Ariso by David B. Hooten and The Kiev Symphony
- Ave Maria by Schubert
- All You Need Is Love (Instrumental) by The Beatles
- Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve
- Wanted (Instrumental) by Hunter Heyes
- Trumpet Voluntary by Franz Richter and Jonathan Hallson
Wedding Entrance Songs
The bridal party may have a crazy routine planned for the wedding entrance, or it may just be a calm affair for soaking in the glory of the bride and groom being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Either way, there are some very popular songs for the occasion – usually upbeat and about love. If you want to make a memorable entrance, one of these songs may be what you have been searching for:
- Sugar by Maroon Five
- Time of Our Lives by Pitbull and Ne-Yo
- Crazy In Love by Beyonce and Jay-Z
- Beautiful Day by U2
- Bring ‘Em Out by T.I.
- Forever by Chris Brown
- This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole
- I’ve Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas
- Happy by Pharrell Williams
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by Marvin Gaye
First Dance Songs/Special Dance Songs
The first dance song is one that the bride and groom will likely remember for the duration of their marriage and lives. Many couples already have songs picked out that have reminded them of each other since dating began. However, if you aren’t so sure which song fits you and your soon-to-be-spouse best, these are just some of the songs that will be trending at weddings throughout 2016:
- I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
- In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
- Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
- Make You Feel My Love by Adele
- My Best Friend by Tim McGraw
- You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
- Thank You for Loving Me by Bon Jovi
- As by Stevie Wonder
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John
- Endless Love by Dianna Ross and Lionel Richie
Top 10 Wedding Reception Songs for 2016
Rumor has it that your wedding will be out of the ordinary if these ten songs aren’t played during your reception. These songs are guaranteed to cause dancing fever. Without further ado, the following are the top ten wedding reception songs for 2016:
- Treasure by Bruno Mars
- All of Me by John Legend
- We Found Love by Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
- Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
- Happy by Pharrell Williams
- Sugar by Maroon Five
- Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
- Get Lucky by Daft Punk
- Timber by Pitbull feat. Ke$ha