After you and your partner exchange vows, say your "I dos," and share your first kiss as a married couple, your friends and family will stand to watch your recessional, the moment when the newlyweds and their wedding party members walk back up the wedding aisle. As your guests clap, toss rice, flower petals, or confetti, or simply wave you two towards co*cktail hour and the reception, you'll want the mood to be just right. To that end, you're faced with a crucial question: What song do you imagine playing in the background to close out the best moment of your life?
The wedding recessional is all about going out with a bang. You're officially married, and you want to get the party portion of the day started! For a dramatic wedding ceremony exit, you may want to choose a recognizable, movie-ending closer, like Arcade Fire's "Wake Up." Or, for a fun song that's perfect for your entire wedding party, cue the soul train and get silly with Outkast's "Hey Ya," or The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling." Of course, there's always the option to go classic with a timeless hit by The Beatles or Stevie Wonder.
Here's our roundup of the 80 best wedding recessional songs for an epic ceremony sendoff and an amazing start to the party.
Everything You Need to Know About Choosing Music for Your Wedding Ceremony
01of 80
"Beautiful Day," by U2
Lyrics of Love: "You love this town even if it doesn't ring true/You've been all over and it's been all over you/It's a beautiful day/Don't let it get away"
02of 80
"A Sky Full of Stars," by Coldplay
Lyrics of Love: "'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars/I think I saw you/'Cause you're a sky, you're a sky full of stars/Such a heavenly view"
03of 80
"Somewhere Only We Know," by Keane
Lyrics of Love: "And if you have a minute, why don't we go/Talk about it somewhere only we know?/This could be the end of everything"
04of 80
"Unconditionally," by Katy Perry
Lyrics of Love: "I will love you unconditionally/There is no fear now/Let go and just be free/I will love you unconditionally"
05of 80
"Daylight," by Matt and Kim
Lyrics of Love: "I hope that someday I'll see without these frames/And in the daylight I don't pick up my phone/'Cause in the daylight anywhere feels like home"
06of 80
"Young Blood," by The Naked and Famous
Lyrics of Love: "We lie beneath the stars at night/Our hands gripping each other tight/You keep my secrets hope to die/Promises, swear them to the sky"
07of 80
"The Mother We Share," by Chvrches
Lyrics of Love: "Into the night falls, we're the only ones left/I bet you even know, where you can go/When it all...up, you with your head in my hands"
08of 80
"All These Things That I've Done," by The Killers
Lyrics of Love: "Another head aches, another heart breaks/I am so much older than I can take/And my affection, well it comes and goes/I need direction to perfection"
09of 80
"Someday," by The Strokes
Lyrics of Love: "In many ways, still miss the good old days/Someday/Yeah, it hurts to say but I want you to stay/Sometimes/When we was young, oh man did we have fun"
10of 80
"Take Me Out," by Franz Ferdinand
Lyrics of Love: "So if you're lonely/You know I'm here waiting for you/I'm just a crosshair/I'm just a shot away from you"
11of 80
"Anything Could Happen," by Ellie Goulding
Lyrics of Love: "Letting darkness grow/As if we need its palette and we need its color/But now I've seen it through/And now I know the truth"
12of 80
"1901," by Phoenix
Lyrics of Love: "Lie down, you know it's easy/Like we did it all the summer long/And I'll be anything you ask and more/It's not a miracle we needed"
13of 80
"Hey Ya!" by OutKast
Lyrics of Love: "Now don't have me break this thang down for nothin'/I want to see you on your baddest behavior/Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor"
14of 80
"Firework," by Katy Perry
Lyrics of Love: "Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed/So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road/Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow"
15of 80
"I Gotta Feeling," by The Black Eyed Peas
Lyrics of Love: "A feeling, woohoo, that tonight's gonna be a good night/That tonight's gonna be a good night/That tonight's gonna be a good, good night"
16of 80
"Bang Bang," by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
Lyrics of Love: "Sure she got a body like an hourglass/But I can give it to you all the time/Sure she got a booty like a Cadillac/But I can send you into overdrive"
17of 80
"40 Day Dream," by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Lyrics of Love: "She got jumper cable lips/She got sunset on her breath now/I inhaled just a little bit/Now I got no fear of death now/Ah, it's the magical mystery kind"
18of 80
"Happy," by Pharrell Williams
Lyrics of Love: "Sunshine she's here, you can take a break/I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space/With the air, like I don't care baby by the way/because I'm happy"
19of 80
"Everybody Talks," by Neon Trees
Lyrics of Love: "It started with a whisper/And that was when I kissed her/And then she made my lips hurt/I could hear the chit chat/Take me to your love shack"
20of 80
"American Girl," by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Lyrics of Love: "Well she was an American girl/Raised on promises/She couldn't help thinkin' that there/Was a little more to life"
21of 80
"ABC," by The Jackson 5
Lyrics of Love: "ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl/ABC is easy as like counting up to three/Sing a simple melody/That's how easy love can be"
22of 80
"I Will Wait," by Mumford & Sons
Lyrics of Love: "I'll kneel down/Know my ground/Raise my hands/Paint my spirit gold/And bow my head/Keep my heart slow/'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you"
23of 80
"Want to Want Me," by Jason Derulo
Lyrics of Love: "Girl you're the one I want to want me/And if you want me, girl you got me/There's nothing I, no I wouldn't do/Just to get up next to you"
24of 80
"Shut Up and Dance," by Walk the Moon
Lyrics of Love: "Oh don't you dare look back/Just keep your eyes on me/I said you're holding back/She said shut up and dance with me/This woman is my destiny"
25of 80
"Don't Do Me Like That," by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Lyrics of Love: "Listen honey, can you see?/Baby, you would bury me/If you were in the public eye/Givin' someone else a try"
26of 80
"Uptown Funk," by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Lyrics of Love: "Stop, wait a minute/Fill my cup, put some liquor in it/Take a sip, sign a check/Julio, get the stretch"
27of 80
"Crazy in Love," by Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z
Lyrics of Love: "Got me looking so crazy, my baby/I'm not myself; lately I'm foolish, I don't do this/I've been playing myself; baby, I don't care/'Cause your love's got the best of me"
28of 80
"Born in the U.S.A.," by Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics of Love: "The first kick I took was when I hit the ground/End up like a dog that's been beat too much/'Til you spend half your life just covering up/Born in the U.S.A."
29of 80
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," by Stevie Wonder
Lyrics of Love: "Like a fool I went and stayed too long/Now I'm wondering if your love's still strong/Ooo baby, here I am/Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours"
30of 80
"Tongue Tied," by Grouplove
Lyrics of Love: "Take me to your best friend's house/I loved you then and I love you now/Don't take me tongue-tied/Don't wave no goodbye"
31of 80
"Dog Days Are Over," by Florence + the Machine
Lyrics of Love: "Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back/Struck from a great height/By someone who should know better than that/The dog days are over"
32of 80
"Fader," by The Temper Trap
Lyrics of Love: "And I pledge myself allegiance/To a better night sleep at home/And the sweet, sweet sun's comin' down hard/The sun's comin' down hard, it burns the bones"
33of 80
"Little Talks," by Of Monsters and Men
Lyrics of Love: "I don't like walking around this old and empty house/So hold my hand, I'll walk with you my dear/The stairs creak as I sleep"
34of 80
"(I've Had) The Time of My Life," by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
Lyrics of Love: "Now I've finally found someone to stand by me/We saw the writing on the wall/And we felt this magical fantasy/Now with passion in our eyes"
35of 80
"You Shook Me All Night Long," by AC/DC
Lyrics of Love: "Working double time/On the seduction line/She was one of a kind, she's just mine all mine/Wanted no applause/Just another course"
63 Classical Songs for a Timeless Wedding
36of 80
"All You Need Is Love," by The Beatles
Lyrics of Love: "There's nothing you can know that isn't known/Nothing you can see that isn't shown/There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be"
37of 80
"You're My Best Friend," by Queen
Lyrics of Love: "Ooh, I've been wandering 'round/But I still come back to you/In rain or shine/You've stood by me girl/I'm happy at home/You're my best friend"
38of 80
"24K Magic," by Bruno Mars
Lyrics of Love: "Tonight/I just want to take you higher/Throw your hands up in the sky/Let's set this party off right"
39of 80
"What a Wonderful World," by Louis Armstrong
Lyrics of Love: "I see trees of green, red roses, too/I see them bloom for me and you/And I think to myself what a wonderful world"
40of 80
"We Are Family," by Sister Sledge
Lyrics of Love: "We are family/I got all my sisters with me/We are family/Get up everybody and sing"
41of 80
"After Midnight," by Eric Clapton
Lyrics of Love: "We gonna shake your tambourine/After midnight/Soul gonna be peaches and cream/Gonna cause talk and suspicion/We gonna give an exhibition"
42of 80
"Save the Last Dance for Me," by Michael Bublé
Lyrics of Love: "But don't forget who's takin' you home/And in whose arms you're gonna be/So darlin' save the last dance for me"
43of 80
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," by Jackie Wilson
Lyrics of Love: "Your love, lifting me higher/Than I've ever been lifted before/So keep it up/Quench my desire/And I'll be at your side, forevermore"
44of 80
"God Only Knows," by Kina Grannis and Imaginary Future
Lyrics of Love: "I may not always love you/But long as there are stars above you/You never need to doubt it/I'll make you so sure about it"
45of 80
"Halo," by Beyoncé
Lyrics of Love: "I'm surrounded by your embrace/Baby, I can see your halo/You know you're my saving grace/You're everything I need and more/It's written all over your face"
46of 80
"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," by Green Day
Lyrics of Love: "It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right/I hope you had the time of your life/So take the photographs and still frames in your mind"
47of 80
"Hymn for the Weekend," by Coldplay
Lyrics of Love: "Angel sent from up above/You know you make my world light up/When I was down, when I was hurt/You came to lift me up"
48of 80
"How Does a Moment Last Forever," by Céline Dion
Lyrics of Love: "How can a story never die?/It is love we must hold onto/Never easy, but we try/Sometimes our happiness is captured"
49of 80
"I Got You Babe," by Sonny & Cher
Lyrics of Love: "They say we're young and we don't know/We won't find out until we grow/Well I don't know if all that's true/'Cause you got me, and baby I got you"
50of 80
"Pump It," by The Black Eyed Peas
Lyrics of Love: "Turn up the radio/Blast your stereo/Right now/This joint is fizzlin'/It's sizzlin'/Right"
51of 80
"Wake Up," by Arcade Fire
Lyrics of Love: "Turnin' every good thing to rust/I guess we'll just have to adjust/With my lightnin' bolts a-glowin/I can see where I am goin' to be"
52of 80
"We Will Rock You," by Queen
Lyrics of Love: "Buddy, you're a young man, hard man/Shouting in the street, gonna take on the world someday"
53of 80
"Feel Again," by OneRepublic
Lyrics of Love: "I'm feeling better ever since you know me/I was a lonely soul but that's the old me/A little wiser now from what you showed me"
54of 80
"Anywhere," by Rita Ora
Lyrics of Love: "I know we've got to get away/Someplace where no one knows our name/We'll find the start to something new"
55of 80
"Only Love," by Mary J. Blige
Lyrics of Love: "I found a home, I'm not alone/I found a home in you/Took me a while but I'm looking up/Because I know you love me, too"
56of 80
"The Way You Make Me Feel," by Michael Jackson
Lyrics of Love: "I never felt so in love before/Just promise baby, you'll love me forevermore/I swear I'm keepin' you satisfied/'Cause you're the one for me"
57of 80
"Home," by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Lyrics of Love: "And in the streets you run a-free/Like it's only you and me/Geez, you're something to see/Ah, home, let me come home/Home is wherever I'm with you"
58of 80
"Marry You," by Bruno Mars
Lyrics of Love: "It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do/Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you/Is it the look in your eyes, or is it this dancing juice"
59of 80
"Hold On, We're Going Home," by Drake feat. Majid Jordan
Lyrics of Love: "I got my eyes on you/You're everything that I see/I want your hot love and emotion endlessly/I can't get over you/You left your mark on me"
60of 80
"Get Lucky," by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
Lyrics of Love: "Like the legend of the phoenix/All ends with beginnings/What keeps the planet spinning/The force of love beginning"
61of 80
"Higher Love," by Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton
Lyrics of Love: "Think about it, there must be higher love/Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above/Without it, life is wasted time/Look inside your heart, I'll look inside mine"
62of 80
"You Make My Dreams Come True," by Hall & Oates
Lyrics of Love: "What I want, you've got/And it might be hard to handle/But like the flame that burns the candle/The candle feeds the flame, yeah yeah"
63of 80
"Let's Get Married-ReMarqable Remix," by Jagged Edge, Run, and Lamarquis Jefferson
Lyrics of Love: "Meet me in the altar in your white dress/We ain't getting no younger, we might as well do it/Been feeling all the while girl I must confess"
64of 80
"Evacuate the Dancefloor," by Cascada
Lyrics of Love: "Steel the night, kill the lights/Feel it under your skin/Time is right, keep it tight/'Cause it's pulling you in/Pump it up you can't stop"
65of 80
"The Power of Love," by Huey Lewis and The News
Lyrics of Love: "The power of love is a curious thing/Make a one man weep, make another man sing/Change a heart to a little white dove"
66of 80
"Love and Marriage," by Frank Sinatra
Lyrics of Love: "Love and marriage, love and marriage/They go together like the horse and carriage/Dad was told by mother/You can't have one, you can't have none/You can't have one without the other"
67of 80
"Home," by Phillip Phillips
Lyrics of Love: "Hold on, to me as we go/As we roll down this unfamiliar road/And although this wave is stringing us along/Just know you're not alone/'Cause I'm going to make this place your home"
68of 80
"Livin' on a Prayer," by Bon Jovi
Lyrics of Love: "We've got to hold on to what we've got/It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not/We've got each other and that's a lot for love"
69of 80
"Friends in Low Places," by Garth Brooks
Lyrics of Love: "'Cause I've got friends in low places/Where the whiskey drowns/And the beer chases my blues away/And I'll be okay"
70of 80
"Countdown," by Beyoncé
Lyrics of Love: "Oh, killing me softly and I'm still falling/Still the one I need, I will always be with you/Oh, you got me all gone, don't ever let me go"
71of 80
"Faster," by Matt Nathanson
Lyrics of Love: "You rattle my bones/You turn me over and over/'Til I can't control myself/Make me a liar/One big disaster/'Cause you make my heart beat faster"
72of 80
"Closing Time," by Semisonic
Lyrics of Love: "I hope you have found a/Friend/Closing time/Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end/Yeah, I know who I want to take me home"
73of 80
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody," by Whitney Houston
Lyrics of Love: "I need a man who'll take a chance/On a love that burns hot enough to last/So when the night falls/My lonely heart calls/Oh, I wanna dance with somebody"
74of 80
"Everywhere," by Fleetwood Mac
Lyrics of Love: "Can you hear me calling/Out your name/You know that I'm falling and I don't know what to say/Come along baby/We better make a start"
75of 80
"This Kiss," by Faith Hill
Lyrics of Love: "But you got me like a rocket/Shooting straight across the sky/It's the way you love me/It's a feeling like this/It's centrifugal motion"
76of 80
"Adore You," by Harry Styles
Lyrics of Love: "Walk in your rainbow paradise (paradise)/Strawberry lipstick state of mind (state of mind)/I get so lost inside your eyes"
77of 80
"Grow Old With Me," by Tom Odell
Lyrics of Love: "Grow old with me/Let us share what we see/And oh the best it could be/Just you and I"
78of 80
"Perfect," by Ed Sheeran
Lyrics of Love: "I found a love for me/Oh, darling, just dive right in and follow my lead"
79of 80
"From This Moment On," by Shania Twain
Lyrics of Love: "From this moment, life has begun/From this moment, you are the one/Right beside you is where I belong/From this moment on"
80of 80
"Love Story," by Taylor Swift
Lyrics of Love: "I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run/You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess/It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes'"
