Music for Your Civil Ceremony: A Guide for Couples

Civil weddings are winning over more and more couples in Italy, and with them comes growing attention to every detail of the ceremony. Music, in particular, plays a key role in making this moment unique and personal. But how do you choose the perfect soundtrack for your “I do”? In this complete guide we’ll walk you step by step through choosing the music for your civil ceremony, from the arrival of your guests to your triumphant exit as a married couple.

Why music matters at a civil ceremony too

Unlike a church wedding, a civil ceremony gives you complete freedom in your choice of music. There are no liturgical constraints, no required repertoire and no limits on genre. That freedom, though, can become a double-edged sword: without clear guidance, you risk feeling overwhelmed by endless possibilities.

At a civil wedding, music has the power to:

• Create the right emotional atmosphere for each moment of the ceremony
• Personalize the ceremony, making it unique and true to your story
• Guide your guests emotionally through the key moments
• Set the pace of the ceremony, avoiding dead time and awkward pauses

The band you choose will certainly have its own repertoire dedicated to the civil ceremony: a list of songs you should ask for at your very first contact, to get an idea of the kind of musical accompaniment the group can offer in this first, all-important part of the event. Naturally, the demos and music videos the band has published are a first and essential guide to your choice: they give you an initial idea not only of the songs they play, but also of their style and interpretation. After that, the repertoire, provided as a simple list of song titles, completes the picture of what you can expect and helps you narrow down your choice.

Remember: no band plays every genre and every style of music. Each group has its own repertoire and its own style in which it excels, and that’s what you mainly need to resonate with. An “elective affinity” between you and them, in short, without which the magic can’t happen.

Recommended line-ups for the civil ceremony

Beautiful band, fantastic voice, great pianist, refined and discreet drummer, and the repertoire? Just what we wanted… So the choice is made, but now you have to decide which members of the band will play for the opening part of the wedding.

Let’s start by saying that the full line-up (a quartet or quintet, for example) is rarely already there during the civil ceremony, for musical, logistical and cost reasons.
From a musical point of view, a smaller line-up (one, two or three people) usually suits the ceremony better, because at this stage the music’s role is to accompany what is happening, not to entertain the guests: here the music underscores the different parts of the ceremony, following their flow, without drawing too much attention to itself.

There are also logistical and cost reasons that argue against a larger line-up: even when the civil ceremony is held at the same villa or hall as the reception (lunch or dinner), it usually takes place in a separate area, set up especially for it. It would therefore require duplicating all the equipment the band needs (from the sound system to the individual instruments, especially those that are hard to move, like the drums) for a band that will then also play during the reception, as well as more working hours for the whole band and longer preparation and setup times.

So what options are left? Plenty!
Here is a list of the line-ups and sound setups most often chosen for the ceremony, with the features and strengths of each:

The key moments of a civil ceremony (and their music)

Now let’s look at each key moment of the civil ceremony, and how to handle it (musically speaking).

1. The arrival of the guests and the couple

What happens: The guests take their seats, then the witnesses walk in, and finally the couple (or first the groom, then the bride).

Which music: At this stage, elegant and welcoming background music is ideal. Think of recorded music played softly over the sound system, followed by an instrumental piece on solo piano, piano and sax, or piano and violin: starting with a discreet, unobtrusive accompaniment builds a musical and emotional crescendo as you move from this first phase of preparation and welcome to the next one, the bride’s entrance, without doubt the most iconic and central moment of the ceremony.

Suggested length: There are no strict rules. Some couples prefer to start in silence and have the music begin with the ceremony itself (usually with the groom’s entrance), but it’s just as valid to begin with 15–20 minutes of recorded music at low volume, covering all the time your guests need to arrive and take their seats.

Our choice: Refined, soft and elegant recorded music while the guests are welcomed (Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, Eliane Elias, Madeleine Peyroux and the like). Then instrumental music played on the piano, or by a piano/violin or piano/sax duo (depending on the line-up chosen for the ceremony), for the groom’s entrance, which usually comes before the bride’s.

2. The bride’s entrance (or the couple’s, together)

What happens: The most iconic moment, the one everyone waits for with bated breath.

Which music: This is where you either go bold or go for emotion, depending on your personality. If you’ve opted for a larger line-up, a trio, ask for all its members to play at this particular moment of the ceremony, and leave a softer accompaniment, pure background, for other parts (for example, speeches by friends or relatives), perhaps played on the piano alone.
Choose a piece by weighing not only the music (which should have a strong emotional impact) but also the lyrics, if it’s a sung piece, and even if it’s an instrumental arrangement (e.g. solo piano, or violin and piano) of a song that has lyrics in its original version.

Our advice: “Lei” (She) by Charles Aznavour, sung (or, even better, as a trio with violin). “Lei, sarà lo specchio dove io rifletterò progetti e idee, il fine ultimo che avrò da ora in poi” (“She will be the mirror in which I reflect my plans and ideas, my ultimate goal from now on”): perfect words to welcome the bride and mark the beginning of your journey together.

But it’s only a suggestion… Browse the repertoire list of the band you’ve chosen, and pick a piece that truly represents you and that you’ll be happy to begin your adventure with.

3. The exchange of rings

What happens: The official moment, when you exchange your wedding rings.

Which music: Here you need something intimate and moving, but not too intrusive, because the officiant has to speak. It can be purely instrumental or sung, as long as the music feels like an embrace of sound, not a distracting background. The volume should be lowered whenever the officiant is speaking.

Perfect songs:

• “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
• “Nuovo cinema paradiso, Love theme”
• “Senza fine”
• “Meraviglioso amore mio”
• “Io so che ti amerò”

4. Signing the register

What happens: The couple and the witnesses sign the registers. A bureaucratic moment that can feel tedious if it isn’t handled well.

Which music: Here you can afford something richer and more engaging: nobody is speaking, so there’s no risk of the music being intrusive. The full line-up could play a piece from its repertoire, or you could choose a recorded track that means a lot to you, for a pleasant change in tone and sound from everything heard so far.

Our experience: This is when many couples ask us to fit in “their song”, if they haven’t used it for the entrance. It works perfectly.

5. The couple’s exit

What happens: Husband and wife walk out officially as a married couple, greeted by applause and cheers from their guests.

Which music: It’s the moment of triumph! The music should be joyful, energetic and festive, played by all the members of the line-up or, for even greater impact, played back as an mp3 for a “wall of sound” effect at full intensity.
Which songs? It’s up to you: a trio with voice, piano and violin could play Piovani’s splendid, sunny “Beautiful that way” or Morricone’s more lyrical “Gabriel’s Oboe”. Or, if you want to switch into party mode right away and give a taste of what’s to come, change register and ask the band to turn the volume up and blast a modern classic like “Marry You” by Bruno Mars, or a real call to the dance floor like “Can’t stop the feeling” by Justin Timberlake: your guests, aunts and uncles included, won’t be able to resist swaying along with you as you run toward happiness.

How much does music for a civil ceremony cost?

It’s the question everyone asks, and the answer is: it depends.

Factors that affect the cost:

• Line-up chosen (solo piano, duo, trio, quartet, quintet)

Naturally, the more members in the line-up, the higher the cost

• Where the performance takes place

The cost will be significantly lower if the line-up playing at the ceremony has also been booked for the dinner that follows, and if the ceremony is held at the same venue as the reception (e.g. a different outdoor area or a different hall of the same villa or palazzo)

• Distance to the venue

In our particular case, Sicilian venues mean modest travel costs, and the same goes for any other band in Italy (each one has its own home area); but if the couple is willing to cover the extra travel and overnight expenses, almost any band in the country can usually perform far from where it is based.

• Additional services (sound system, ceremony amplification, playlist management)

For a civil ceremony, a sound system and one or more microphones are absolutely essential, so that everyone present can clearly hear the voices of the officiant and the couple.
Since we play instruments that need amplification anyway, we always provide (and include in the price) a sound system for recorded and/or live music and one or more wireless microphones for the officiant and the couple. Bands that play acoustically during the civil ceremony (e.g. a string quartet), however, may charge extra for the whole amplification side (mixer, speakers, stands, cables, microphones).

Our philosophy: We always prefer to prepare a personalized quote once we understand your needs, the venue and the type of event.

Indicative price range for Sicily:

For a line-up like ours, which is fairly typical and common, prices are roughly:

• Civil ceremony with recorded music and amplification: from €150
• Civil ceremony with recorded music, amplification and live piano: from €200
• Ceremony with a live piano and voice duo: from €300
• Ceremony with the full line-up: from €600

Prices vary depending on many factors and are purely indicative