Ask The Wedding Guide: What music does the mother of the bride walk down the aisle? Cristy
Reply:
Unlike Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" for brides, there is not a particular song that I know of that is designated for the seating of mothers. In fact, wedding music etiquette is very difficult to pin down and often defined by site constraints and religious affiliation. Many religions require sacred music rather than secular music be played during the wedding ceremony. If this is the case your wedding officiant will have a knowledge of which sacred hymns are appropriate for the entrance of the bride's mother. If you are not bound by religious or site restrictions, the musical choices are strictly your personal preference.
In making your music selection, keep in mind that wedding etiquette dictates that the wedding music be divided into 5 parts: the prelude, the processional, the ceremony, the recessional, the postlude.
The seating of the bride's mother is the first activity attached to the processional. The music played can be used for the seating of the bride's mother, the entrance of the groom and his best man and the attendants. The same song can be used for all. Depending on how personalized and how long you want your wedding ceremony to be, you can select a piece of music specifically for your mother. This could be a special song that you both love. Keep in mind all of the music you select for your wedding ceremony should harmoniously work together including appropriate tempo and inflection changes corresponding with the different parts of the wedding ceremony. If you are unsure how the songs you want can be used in your wedding ceremony, consult your wedding planner or music director.
Personally for a traditional piece I would use Canon in D – I (Pachelbel) or Ave Maria (Bach). For a contemporary or modern twist, I love the idea of Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis). Think about it, this song describes exactly how your mother felt when she first held you in her arms and how your husband to be felt the first time he held you in his arms. It is a wonderful way to bridge the love these two people have for you. But the choice lies with you.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I agree that almost any song can be chosen for the seating of the mother(s)—allowing, of course, for any religious or site constraints.
As a harpist for weddings, Canon in D is a great song for a processional, be it for the mothers, bridesmaids, or bride.
One piece of advice: When choosing a song for any processional, take into account the length of the aisle, how many people are processing, etc. and try to choose a song that will "fit" into that time frame. For example, you might want to think twice about having something like Air on a G String (Bach) played for the seating of the mothers. While it is a beautiful piece, because of its tempo and length,
there will probably be quite a bit of song left to play after the mother(s) are seated, and this is not really that desirable. At this point in the ceremony, you want things to flow somewhat quickly to the climax of the bride's entrance. In other words, you don't want much "down-time".
This is one reason Canon in D is great for a processional: Parts of the song can easily be repeated if more time is needed for the processional and likewise, the song can be quickly ended if need be—without sounding like the musician just stopped playing in the middle of the song! The way the song is written allows for this. Happy planning!