Free Wedding Song Checklist (Printable Music Template)
Are you looking for a wedding song checklist to help keep track of all of the music you want to use on your wedding day?
We’ve got you covered!
We have put together an awesome downloadable PDF wedding music checklist (the same one we use in our own wedding planners), and you can download it for free.
Here is what we cover in this article:
- Wedding ceremony music (A complete guide and checklist)
- Wedding reception music
- Cocktail hour music
- Getting ready music
- Download the wedding music checklist (printable PDF)

Wedding Ceremony Music (A Complete Guide and Checklist)
We have put together a complete guide to your wedding ceremony music as well as some of the most popular songs that other couples use for their big day.
What songs are needed for a wedding ceremony? Here is what we cover in this section:
- Wedding prelude music
- Wedding processional music (family and wedding party walking down the aisle)
- Bridal processional music (bride walking down the aisle with her dad)
- Unity ceremony music
- Wedding recessional music (walking back down the aisle)
Wedding Prelude Music
Wedding prelude music is what is played while your wedding guests are arriving at the ceremony site and getting seated.
Typically wedding prelude music is played at low volume and consists of songs that are easy on the ears (classical, Disney, instrumental versions of popular songs, etc.)
How many songs do you need for a wedding prelude?
You or your wedding DJ should select about 10 songs to play during the wedding prelude. This will give you a little more than 30 minutes of music to use while your guests are arriving and getting seated.
A few popular wedding prelude songs
Here are a couple of wedding prelude songs that we often hear at weddings that we photograph and plan (and a few unique ideas that we think are perfect):
- “Clair De Lune” by Claude Debussy
- “Canon in D (Pachelbel’s Canon)” by Brooklyn Duo (an amazing cello and piano version that is perfect for weddings)
- “What A Wonderful World” by Music Travel Love (Acoustic)
- “Never Ending Story (Acoustic)” by Kaiak
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” by Israel Kamikawiwo’ole
- “A Whole New World (Aladdin Soundtrack)” by Daniel Jang

Wedding Processional Music (Walking Down The Aisle)
Choosing wedding processional music is one of those fun-to-plan wedding details.
This is where you get to pick the special songs that your grandparents, parents, and wedding party (including the groom and groomsmen) will walk down the aisle to.
How many wedding processional songs do I need?
Most of the weddings that we have photographed and planned have used 1-2 songs for the wedding party processional and a separate song for the bridal processional.
Some couples use the same song for the entire family/wedding party processional and then a separate song for the bride walking down the aisle with her father.
Other couples choose three songs (split up like this):
- One song for the grandparents, parents, groom, and groomsmen.
- Another song for the bridesmaids, flower girl, and ring bearer.
- And a third song for the bride’s entrance with her dad.
A few popular wedding processional songs to consider using
Here are a few of the most common wedding party processional songs that we hear at weddings:
- “Chapel Of Love” by The Dixie Cups (A really fun song to play when the bridesmaids walk down the aisle)
- “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole
- “From The Ground Up” by Dan + Shay
- “What A Wonderful World” by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole
- “Stand By Me (Ben E. King)“ by Music Travel Love
For 200 more wedding processional song ideas, check out these articles:
- Beautiful songs to walk down the aisle to.
- Instrumental songs to use when walking down the aisle.
- Acoustic songs to use for the wedding ceremony processional.

Bridal Processional Songs
The bride walking down the aisle is one of the most amazing sights of the entire wedding day.
You want to choose a song that is absolutely perfect for this moment.
Popular bridal processional songs to use on your wedding day
Here are a few of our favorite bridal processional songs that we have heard at weddings:
- “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri
- “Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley)” by Haley Reinhart
- “Every Breath You Take” by Music Travel Love
- “Beauty and the Beast” From Beauty and the Beast
- “Canon in D (Pachelbel’s Canon)” by Brooklyn Duo
For 200 more bridal processional song ideas, check out these articles:
- Our favorite bridal processional songs
- Acoustic walking down the aisle songs
- Instrumental (modern) music for walking down the aisle
Unity Ceremony Music
Many wedding ceremonies include some kind of unity ceremony.
Examples of a unity ceremony are:
- Handfasting
- The lighting of a unity candle
- Sand ceremony
- Wine blending
Couples typically choose one special song to play during their unity ceremony.
Best music to play during your unity ceremony
Here are a few of the best unity ceremony songs we have heard at weddings:
- “What A Wonderful World” by Music Travel Love
- “Perfect” by James Bartholomew
- “A Whole New World” by James Bartholomew
- “Rewrite The Stars (The Greatest Showman)” by The Piano Guys
- “No Matter Where You Are (Wedding Version)” by Us The Duo

Wedding Recessional Music
The wedding recessional is the part of the ceremony when the couple and the wedding party walk back down the aisle (the very end of the ceremony).
When choosing music for the wedding recessional, you want to pick a song that reflects both the happy mood of the wedding that just happened and the personalities of the couple.
How many songs do I need for the wedding recessional?
One song is all you need for the wedding recessional. So make it a great one!
Fun songs to play during your wedding ceremony recessional
Here are a few of the best songs that we have heard during the wedding recessional:
- “Marry You” – Bruno Mars
- “Best Day Of My Life” – American Authors
- “Happy Together” – The Turtles
- “Wagon Wheel” – Darius Rucker
- “We Go Together” – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
- “Here Comes The Sun” – The Beatles
For 200 more wedding recessional song ideas, check out this article: Best wedding recessional music
How Many Songs Are Needed For A Wedding Ceremony?
For a complete wedding ceremony, you will want to choose 14-15 songs in total for the following events:
- Prelude (10 songs)
- Processional (2-3 songs)
- Unity ceremony (1 song)
- Recessional (1 song)
Wedding Reception Music (A Complete Guide and Wedding Song Checklist)
Here is what we cover:
- Music to play while guests are being seated (and eating dinner)
- Songs to play for the wedding party introductions
- Music for the couple’s entrance
- First dance music
- Songs for the parent dances
- Cake cutting music
- Bouquet toss songs
- Music for the garter toss
- Specialty dance music (anniversary dance, dollar dance, etc.)
- Reception dance floor music
- Last dance of the night
Music To Play During Guest Seating (And Dinner)
You will want to have about 90-120 minutes of background music to play while your guests are finding their seats in the reception room and eating dinner.
This is about 40 songs.
You want this music to be played quietly in the background.
Here are a few song ideas to get you started:
- “The Way you Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra
- “Perfect” by Music Travel Love
- “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder
- “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts
- “A Whole New World (Aladdin Soundtrack)” by Daniel Jang
- “What A Wonderful World” by Music Travel Love
For 150 more wedding music ideas, check out this article: Perfect songs for your wedding dinner

Music For Wedding Party Introductions/Entrance
You will want to choose some fun and upbeat music for your wedding party intros.
This is when the parents of the couple and the entire wedding party get announced into the reception room.
How many songs for the wedding reception entrance?
Some couples choose a different song for each pair to walk into (maybe a song that fits their personality), and other couples choose a single song for the entire wedding party to enter to.
Here are a few wedding reception entrance songs to get you started:
- “Bring ‘Em Out” by T.I featuring Jay-Z
- “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyes Peas
- “Get The Party Started” by Pink (P!nk)
- “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC
- “We Are Family: by Sister Sledge
- “Beautiful Day” by U2
For all of the best wedding reception entrance songs, check out these articles on our blog:
- Awesome wedding party reception entrance songs
- Perfect songs to play when your parents enter the reception

Music For The Couple’s Entrance
When the couple enters the reception room, they should definitely get their own song.
We recommend choosing a song that has energy and fits the couple’s personality
Here are a few song ideas to get you started:
- “Marry You” by Bruno Mars
- “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts
- “Without You” by David Guetta ft. Usher
- “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake
- “On Top Of The World” by Imagine Dragons
For more couple’s entrance song ideas, check out this article: Best songs for the couple’s reception entrance
First Dance Music
When choosing music for the first dance, try and pick a song that reflects your personality and style.
Here are some of the best first dance songs that we have heard at weddings:
- “From The Ground Up” by Dan + Shay
- “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds
- “Better Together” by Jack Johnson
- “All of Me” by John Legend
- “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeren
- “First Date” by Taylor Acorn
- “Just The Way You Are” by Music Travel Love
Check out these two articles for about 200 additional first-dance song ideas:
- Amazing acoustic songs (original and covers) to use on your wedding day
- Our favorite first dance songs

Music For Parent Dances (Father/Daughter Dance and Mother/Son Dance)
When choosing music for the parent dances, consider picking a song that means something to you personally, or a song that your mom/dad really loves.
Here are a few music ideas for the parent dances to get you started:
Music for the father-daughter dance
- “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman
- “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw
- “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle
- “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole
- “Unforgettable” by Natalie Cole (Duet with Nat ‘King’ Cole)
- “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder
- “Stand By Me” by Music Travel Love
Music for the mother-son dance
- “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins
- “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
- “The Perfect Fan” by The Backstreet Boys
- “A Song For Mama” by Boyz II Men
- “Landslide” by The Chicks
For over 100 more music ideas for the parent dances, check out these articles on our blog:
- Our favorite father/daughter dance songs
- The best mother-son dance songs
- Songs for a combined parent dance (both parent dances at the same time)

Cake Cutting Music
When picking out a cake-cutting song, try to pick something fun and upbeat.
Here are a few cake-cutting song ideas to get you started:
- “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” by James Taylor
- “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard
- “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies
- “Eat It” by Weird Al Yankovic
- “The Sweetest Thing” by U2
Check out this article for all of our favorite cake-cutting songs: Best Cake Cutting Songs

Music For The Bouquet Toss
When picking music for the bouquet toss, we recommend choosing a song that is upbeat and adds excitement to the moment.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé (Definitely the most popular song for the bouquet toss)
- “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Mötley Crüe
- “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink
- “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
For even more bouquet toss song ideas, check out this article: Our favorite bouquet toss songs
Music For The Garter Toss
For the garter toss, we recommend picking a song that is upbeat and a little funny.
Here are a few song ideas to get you started:
- “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood
- “Oh Yeah (The Ferris Bueller Song)” by Yello
- “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” by David Lee Roth
- “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
For even more garter toss songs, check out this article on our blog: The best garter toss songs

Specialty Dance Music (Anniversary Dance, Dollar Dance, Etc.)
If you are doing an anniversary dance or the dollar dance, you will want to pick out 2-3 songs for each (depending on the size of your guest list).
If doing either of these dances, you want to make sure you have enough music to fill the time it takes to complete each dance.
Here are a few song ideas to get you started:
Anniversary music ideas
- “Remember When” by Alan Jackson
- “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
- “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers
- “At Last” by Etta James
- “Unforgettable (Duet with Nat King Cole)” by Natalie Cole
Dollar dance music ideas
- “Save The Last Dance For Me” by Michael Bublé
- “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole
- “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John
- “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong
- “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts
For a lot more anniversary and dollar dance song ideas, check out these posts on our blog:

Reception Dance Floor Music
For your wedding reception dance floor, you will want to have about 3 hours of music (roughly 40-50 songs).
You probably won’t use all of those songs, but it’s better to have more than you need.
Here are a few reception dance floor song ideas to get you started (but definitely check out the blog posts at the bottom of this section for hundreds of fun music ideas for your wedding reception):
- “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston
- “Love On Top” by Beyoncé
- “Jump Around” by House of Pain
- “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot
- “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
- “Shout” by Otis Day & The Knights
- “Respect” by Aretha Franklin
- “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” (From Dirty Dancing) by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
- “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
For hundreds of wedding reception music ideas, check out these posts:

Last Dance (Final Song Of The Night)
when choosing music for the final dance of the night at your reception, we recommend picking a song that will get all of your guests onto the dance floor (and singing along!).
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
- “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond
- “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
- “Last Dance” by Donna Summer
- “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk The Moon
- “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi
- “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
For more music ideas for your final song, check out this post on our blog: 150 perfect songs for the end of the night
Cocktail Hour Music
Cocktail hour music should simply be played in the background to fill the empty space.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles
- “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” by Israel Kamikawiwo’ole
- “Come Fly With Me” by Frank Sinatra
- “Better Together” by Jack Johnson
- “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
- “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer
- “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker
- “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by Music Travel Love
For even more cocktail music ideas, check out this blog post (same song ideas from our dinner list): Great songs to use for your wedding cocktail hour and dinner

Getting Ready Music
Definitely make a playlist for your getting-ready room.
Having music while getting ready adds some life to the room and makes people happier (we have been in getting-ready rooms with no music and it’s just awkward)
Your music playlist for getting ready can be anything you want. We recommend picking songs that you love and music that makes you happy.
For a few ideas, check out this post on our blog: Fun songs to play while getting ready with the girls

Download Our Free Printable Wedding Song Checklist (PDF Template)
You can download the free wedding song checklist below (it’s a printable PDF):
More Wedding Planning Tips And Resources
Here are a few more wedding-planning articles that you might find helpful: