Catholic brides, can ya help a girl out !!

I love Gabriel's Oboe. Another popular church wedding processional Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring.

Our wedding party walked up to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and then I walked up to Cannon in D. You got pretty lucky with your church hahaha! Our church gave us a strict list to choose from for each part of the Mass.


If you like something very fanfare-like for you walking up the aisle, my friend and SIL used the “Prince of Denmark March” at their Catholic weddings.

Not sure if it’d fit for walking up the aisle, but Hosea is a beautiful catholic hymn- it was played at my parents wedding and our wedding this weekend!

We got married in a Catholic church, and I thought the ceremony music would be the one thing I was laid back about. Turned out "The Wedding March" and "Here Comes the Bride" weren't acceptable 🤷 The church gave us a list of suggested songs, so we ended up just listening to those and picking whichever ones sounded celebratory. We had the bridal party walk down the aisle to Canon in D, I walked down Rondeau, and we all recessed to Te Deum.

Our parish gave us freedom to choose as long as it was liturgical. My Godfather was the piano player and singer so it worked out.


We had our wedding party come in to “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me but played and sung by my Godfather (I know this is usually a funeral song, but it worked beautiful for us and everyone loved it), my husband and daughter processed in to “Enter the Journey” in the Hymnal and I processed in with my son to “Canon D”.

I am Roman Catholic. I sing in the choir, am a cantor and my best friend and soon to be MOH is our church's Music/Choir Director/Organist. Here are the processional and recessional music choices from our parish website, compiled by our music director and approved by our pastor:

Canon in D ( Johann Pachelbel) Hymne (Vangelis) Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring ( Bach) Now Thank We All Our God ( Bach) Procesion Alegre (Cornell) Rondeau (Mouret) Song of Joy ( Beethoven) Trumpet Tune ( Purcell) Trumpet Voluntary ( Clark).

My husband and I are having a "convalidation" wedding ceremony in June because we could not have a Catholic wedding 38 years ago. We're not walking down the aisle - we will be in a front pew and will come to the altar before the blessing at the end of Sunday morning Mass. Just before the ceremony, the choir will sing, at my request, Psalm 118 "This Is The Day The Lord Has Made" by Michael Joncas as the meditation hymn after Communion. And my MOH/organist will sing the Schubert Ave Maria as a prelude before Mass. If I were walking down the aisle, I'd choose and Trumpet Voluntary for the processional, and Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring for the recessional.

Raised Catholic here, I always liked the tune Thaxted, it is a tune that is used in a lot of hymns like Oh God Beyond all Praising. I think it would be a beautiful processional song. The tune thaxted is also used in a religious wedding song We Pledge to One Another as well. It is probably my favorite hymn tune along with Kingsfold which has a TON of hymns that use that tune too.

Also, does your priest allow contemporary Christian songs? Because I like the wedding song Song of Love by Father Rob Galea who is a millennial aged priest who wrote it.

If you like the more traditional hymns, "Be Thou My Vision" is a lovely choice whether it is sung, or whether it is an instrumental arrangement on a string instrument (violin, viola, cello, harp), or a flute.

Other potentials (if you haven't decided) can include:
- "Morning Has Broken"
-"Saint Patrick's Breastplate" (If you are Irish or Scottish, this sounds great with an organ and a bagpipe)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-YPfgU6Jc8

-"Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" (might be more suitable for solemnization of vows, or a more serious aspect of the ceremony)
-"Eternal Father Strong to Save" (Also known as the Navy's hymn)
-"My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" (For a softer tune, this sounds really nice when paired with a harp)
-"Blessed Assurance" (A violin cover gives this one a wedding feel)
-"Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies"

If you are open to contemporary Christian music:

-"Great Are You Lord"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkS79ylkb6Y

-"King of My Heart" by Kutless

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These are some lovely choices! I sing at my Roman Catholic church - I'm in the choir, one of the soloists, and the choir/music director/organist is my best friend. Be Thou My Vision is beautiful, as is Morning Has Broken - which we also sing as Baptized in Water, same melody. The Navy's Hymn is actually one I sing for funerals of Navy vets. Blessed Assurance is wonderful and a fave with me and the choir. Our church's website has a complete list of wedding appropriate hymns. Just a btw - one of the hymns the choir director (also my MOH) chose for the Mass the day of our convalidation ceremony is How Great Thou Art which is my favorite hymn.

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That is a lovely hymn! I sing at our RC church and that's a fave with me and with the choir.

Are you still looking? I just got married and put a TON of effort into this!! Happy to help!

View Quoted Comment I’m getting married in June with organ and bagpiper in Catholic Church. It’s not a full mass and my fiancé is not catholic, I’ll take any and all suggestions!