What does a string quartet play at a wedding ceremony?
From the first guest finding a seat to the last one heading out, here is how ceremony music works with Dream City Strings in Milwaukee and Denver.
A Dream City Strings ceremony has five parts: about 30 minutes of prelude (around 10 songs) while guests arrive, your processionals, silence during the vows, the recessional, and about 3 more songs as guests leave. The musicians arrive about 30 minutes before the prelude to set up and tune. You choose every song in your BookLive client portal, or let us choose for you.
The ceremony, start to finish
| Part | What happens | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| Prelude | Guests arrive and find their seats | About 10, filling about 30 minutes |
| Processionals | Family, the wedding party, then you | Usually 1 to 3 |
| Vows and readings | We stop so everyone can hear the officiant | None |
| Unity moment | Optional: lighting a candle or planting a tree, with quiet music behind it | 1, if you want one |
| Recessional | You walk back up the aisle, married | 1 |
| Postlude | Guests head out toward cocktail hour | About 3 |
One moment we usually leave quiet is a ring warming. Unless your officiant plans to pause for a couple of minutes, the ceremony tends to roll right on into the vows while the rings are passed, so music there would only get cut off.
Music starts about 30 minutes before your ceremony time, so give us your start time and we count back from there. If you plan a unity moment, tell us where it falls in the ceremony and pick one song for it; plenty of couples skip it, and that's fine too.
Want the exact counts and a sample timeline? See how many songs a ceremony needs. Planning a long wedding party? Read how many processional songs to pick.
Songs couples choose for the ceremony
Most couples mix a few classics with one or two songs that mean something to them. A few examples from the library:
- Prelude: Bach's Air from Suite in D, Clair de Lune, Gabriel's Oboe, River Flows in You.
- Processionals: Canon in D, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Trumpet Voluntary, or Taylor Swift's Lover.
- Recessional: Mendelssohn's Wedding March, Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, or Here Comes the Sun.
The full library is on the song list, and a song that isn't there can usually be added.
Who plays your ceremony
A quartet is two violins, a viola and a cello. You can also book a trio or a duo. The players sit, so your venue sets a chair for each of them where the ceremony happens. They dress formally: suits and ties for the men, black dresses for the women. Dream City Strings has played over 300 weddings in Wisconsin since 2018, and our Colorado musicians have performed at hundreds of weddings and events in Denver and across the state.
What couples say about their ceremony
★★★★★“They played at our daughter’s wedding at The Milwaukee Art Museum. The music before, during and after the ceremony was amazing. It was one of our favorite parts of the whole day!”
★★★★★“Working with you guys was seamless! It took our ceremony to the next level and made it so special.”
★★★★★“Made our ceremony incredibly unique and special.”
Ceremony music questions
Do you play during the vows?
No. After the last processional we stop playing so everyone can hear the officiant, and we start again for the recessional.
How long is the prelude?
About 30 minutes, which takes around 10 songs.
Should we have music during a ring warming?
Usually not. Unless your officiant plans to pause for a couple of minutes, the ceremony moves on to the vows and the music gets cut off.
Can we walk down the aisle to a pop song?
Yes. Pop songs like Taylor Swift's Lover are already in the library, and you can request others.