Montreal DJ Shares the Best Songs for Your Wedding Ceremony

Planning a wedding ceremony at your venue? Then you’ve probably realised there’s more to it than just showing up and walking down the aisle. One of the most overlooked details is the ceremony music—what plays before, during, and after can really shape the vibe and help everything flow smoothly.

To walk us through it, we’ve teamed up with DJ Shane Oliveira, who’s been behind the decks at hundreds of weddings across Quebec over the past 15 years. Shane’s not just a DJ—he’s often the go-to person couples rely on to handle ceremony sound too. In this post, he breaks down what you’ll need, when the music should start, and how to make sure everyone from the groom to the officiant is walking to the right tune (literally).

If you’re wondering what songs to choose or how to avoid awkward silences, Shane’s got you covered.

Photo credit Tania Stratti

Congratulations!

You’re getting married, and you are having your ceremony on site at the venue!

So, you’ll need some music! No need to worry. The team at MTL Wedding Blog have got you covered. My name is Shane Oliveira. I work primarily as a DJ at weddings; however, because a ton of my clients end up needing audio for their ceremony, I usually end up assisting with this quite a bit. I have been involved in hundreds of wedding ceremonies in the last 15 years or so.

Let’s start by saying that wedding ceremonies are no longer like they were a while back, where you pick from a variety of 3–4 songs and “Here Comes the Bride” plays and out you go.

Nowadays, you can totally customise anything you want (within reason, of course) in regards to your wedding music. And with music services like Apple Music and Spotify, life has become a lot easier to choose something personalised and, as well, special to set the tone of the ceremony.

Let’s start off first with what you are going to need for the ceremony. When I assist with ceremony music, I usually provide “Prelude” music. This is critical for a bunch of reasons.

Photo credit Tania Stratti

The time before the ceremony can be a little chaotic, and having soft music playing helps guests know where the ceremony space is. As well, it gives a little background noise for people to talk while they wait. A lot of your guests might not have seen each other in a long time, so having that background music is ideal to not hear chatter before the official ceremony starts.

I try to base prelude music on some of the same themes of your wedding. I usually recommend using instrumental music, but if the lyrics work, go with that. It’s your ceremony, so keep in mind there are absolutely no rules.

Get whoever is assisting with your wedding audio to start the music 30 minutes before the ceremony, so if guests arrive early, they know where to go.
The prelude should be about 45 minutes long. Nothing worse than waiting for a ceremony to start and hearing the same 3 songs over and over…

Photo credit – Catherine Ledoux

Now we are set up and ready to go for the actual ceremony. Now we need to figure out who is coming in and what songs go where.

There are a lot of ways I have seen this done, so again, no rules; however, there are some definite guidelines.

I would always recommend (even if you have no bridal party) to have someone come in before the bride. If the first person coming down the aisle is the bride, a few people will maybe miss it or not even pay attention. Lots of distractions nowadays.

Ensure the volume for the start of the actual ceremony, as opposed to the prelude, is a little louder. This brings people to attention and will usually stop the chatter before a ceremony. You can have your officiant make an announcement right before the start of the ceremony.

If you don’t want guests taking photos or filming while you come down the aisle, I would recommend a sign and, as well, have your officiant mention it. This does not guarantee people will listen; however, you have a better chance of success.

Photo – Steve Gerrard

So now we are ready to start.

So, in most circumstances, we need 4–6 songs:

One song for the groom (not always, but sometimes).
Grooms can often feel not part of the wedding, so giving them a song to come down the aisle to is a great way to have a little of his energy be involved in the ceremony. You can even pick a fun song sometimes to loosen people up before the rest of the bridal party comes down.

One song for bridal party.

Pick a song that everyone can agree to that is at least 3–4 minutes long. With some longer bridal parties, it’s nice to be able to give them the flexibility of not being rushed, and as well, the photographer or videographer can catch them all coming down the aisle.

One song for the bride.

I mean, what are we talking about here! Yes, you need your own song! If there are two brides, then both of them need their own song! We want goosebumps when you hear the song. If it hasn’t happened, you haven’t found the right song yet.

Photo – Steve Gerrard

Song or songs for the signing of the registry.

Often overlooked, but while you are signing the registry can be a time to have something a little fun playing in the background while you sign the documents. This can take a little time, so be sure to choose something that is at least 5 minutes long. Maybe have two songs even.

Recessional song.

Ok, amazing! Stress should be over! You’re married! Congratulations! Now it’s your turn to walk down the aisle. Pick something fun that will make the two of you smile and dance (slowly) back down the aisle. Nothing too aggressive in terms of music (save that for your reception entrance), but something light and easy to clap to so all your guests can be a part of your celebration.

Ok now… let’s get you started. Here below is a list of a ton of songs I have compiled from the hundreds of ceremonies I have done in the last few years.

If there are any songs you think should be a part of this list, please be sure to let me know!