Ok, let's start thinking about what you need to consider when choosing your ceremony music...
•Do you want your music to be traditional and classic or lesser-known but unique?
•What degree of formality are you seeking?
•What mood are you seeking to create?
•Do the songs need to reflect any particular religious affiliation?
•Do you prefer a Soloist, Small Group, or DJ?
•What instruments do you want for your music?
•Where is your ceremony taking place? (i.e. outdoors, indoors, chapel, church, reception hall, ship, etc.)
•In what size space will your ceremony be taking place?
•How long will your ceremony be?
•What time of day will your ceremony be taking place?
Of course the last (but probably most important) thing about the music you choose is that it ought to reflect your tastes and preferences. All of the above are addressed in more depth in various places on this site.
You can research music in several ways...
•On the internet.
(Amazon.com, iTunes, and allmusic.com are three good resources) You can hear 30 second song clips for millions of songs at these sites.
•Use your public or local university library.
Most large libraries have great collections of CDs which you can listen to on-site.
•Ask your DJ or Musicians.
•Use our site.
We have done a lot of the research for you, and have listed many songs for many different parts of the ceremony. Just look on the Songs For Different Parts Of Your Ceremony pages of our website.
Now, you might be thinking... "ok, so I know basically what I need to think about, but how do I go about deciding which songs are the best choices for my ceremony?" Ahh grasshopper, it's time to teach you a little about brainstorming!