Music is often played during wedding celebrations, including during the ceremony and at events before or after the wedding. The music may be performed live by musicians or singers, or it may use recorded songs. This depends on the type of event, cultural traditions, and the couple's preferences.

Many different types of music can be played during the entrance and ceremony. While some parts of the ceremony may be customized for the couple, the order of events usually follows a similar pattern.

Prelude

A prelude often comes before the wedding ceremony. During this time, guests arrive at the event location while soft background music is played. Calm and gentle music is usually performed, helping create a peaceful atmosphere for the ceremony without distracting the guests. Examples of music often used during the prelude include "Air on the G String" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Entrance

Music is often used to signal the arrival of people at a wedding, such as the bride walking down the aisle. In many Western cultures, this is done with a special piece of music called a wedding march. For over 100 years, a song from Wagner's opera Lohengrin (1850), known as the "Bridal Chorus" or "Here Comes The Bride," has been the most commonly used processional music. It is usually played on a pipe organ.

Some couples may find traditional wedding marches overused and instead choose more modern songs or alternatives, such as Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel. After the televised wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, a piece called "Prince of Denmark's March" by Jeremiah Clarke became more popular for processional music. This piece was once incorrectly credited to Henry Purcell as Trumpet Voluntary.

At Jewish weddings, the groom's entrance is accompanied by a song called Baruch Haba. Traditional Burmese weddings include music from the Mahāgīta collection. A song named Aura of Immeasurable Auspiciousness (Ataing Mathi Mingala Awba Bwe) is used as a processional in these ceremonies. Modern Burmese wedding music has also adapted Mahāgīta styles, such as Auspicious Song (Mingala Tei) by Twante Thein Tan and Akadaw Pei (Axcadaw Pei) by Waing Lamin Aung, both of which are played at traditional Burmese weddings.

In Egyptian culture, a musical procession called zaffa (zaffah) marks the wedding. This tradition includes drums, bagpipes, horns, belly dancers, and men carrying flaming swords. It is an ancient Egyptian custom that existed before the rise of Islam.

Modern composers have created processional music for interfaith weddings to honor the religious traditions of both the bride and groom. One such composer is John Serry Sr. (1968).

Recessional

The exit of the bridal party is also known as the wedding recessional.

In Western traditions, after the ceremony ends, the bride and groom walk back down the aisle to a joyful recessional song. A well-known example is Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream (1842). This piece became popular after it was played at the wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal, to Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1858. Another common choice is Widor's "Toccata" from Symphony for Organ No. 5 (1880).

Post ceremony

After the ceremony, there is often a celebratory dance or reception where music, like a wedding singer, live band, or DJ, plays songs for the couple and guests.

Siman Tov ("Good Tidings") is a song used for many celebrations at Jewish weddings.

In Zanzibar, Beni is done in two ways: as a street parade and as a wedding dance performed in one place.