15 Best Christian Wedding Songs

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Looking for some good Christian wedding songs?  Well, I’m glad you stopped by WCWTK because I have chosen fifteen best Christian wedding songs and have listed them here for you.  Planning a wedding takes time; don’t forget to give some attention to the music, it will set the mood for a wonderful wedding ceremony. Many of these wedding songs include lyrics that are based upon verses in the Bible.  See if your favorite is listed here.

Featured Song:

Butterfly Waltz (Brian Crain)
I have chosen this song to feature because it is not as well known as the others that I list. It was written in 1999 by Brian Crain, a very talented composer. While I am not sure whether or not he is a Christian, this piece is absolutely appropriate for a Christian Wedding. It is well suited for a processional and may be used as music during a prelude set as well. It would be lovely as a string quartet, but a simple piano arrangement would be pretty too. Listen to this wonderful instrumental on the video on the upper right of the page. Imagine the wedding processional to this great new composition.

Ave Maria (Franz Schubert)

This lovely hymn is popular at Catholic weddings and is usually sung by a soloist while the Bride and Groom visit the Holy Family or Blessed Virgin altar during the ceremony.  The hymn is based on the words of a Latin prayer and therefore the most famous version is usually sung in Latin.  Below are sample lyrics of the first verse of in Latin and in English.

Sample Lyrics:

(Latin)
Ave Maria
Gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus
Et benedictus fructus ventris
Ventris tuae, Jesus.
Ave Maria

(English)
Ave Maria! Maiden mild!
Listen to a maiden’s prayer!
Thou canst hear though from the wild,
Thou canst save amid despair.
Safe may we sleep beneath thy care,
Though banish’d, outcast and reviled –
Maiden! hear a maiden’s prayer;
Mother, hear a suppliant child!
Ave Maria!

Listen to a MIDI file of this hymn here: Ave Maria

Be Thou My Vision (Dallan Forgaill)

This is a lovely eight century traditional hymn with Irish roots.  While it is commonly sung in most churches today, it is a great hymn to be sung for special music or as a congregational hymn at any wedding.

View lyrics and sing along with this video: Be Thou My Vision

Bind Us Together (Bob Gillman)

Sample Lyrics:

Bind us together, Lord,
bind us together
with cords that cannot be broken;
bind us together, Lord
bind us together,
O bind us together with love.  

There is only one God,
there is only one King,
there is only one Body
that is why we sing:
Bind us together….

Listen to a MIDI file of this hymn here: Bind Us Together

Household of Faith (Brent Lamb & John Rosasco)

Sample Lyrics:

Here we are at the start committing to each other
By His word and from our hearts
We will be a family in a house that will be a home
And with faith we’ll build it strong

Chorus:
We’ll build a household of faith
That together we can make
And when the strong winds blow it won’t fall down
As one in Him we’ll grow and the whole world will know
We are a household of faith

Now to be a family we’ve got to love each other
At any cost unselfishly
And our home must be a place that fully abounds with grace
A reflection of His face

Listen to Steve Green and his wife sing this song here: Household of Faith

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Johann Sebastian Bach)

This traditional wedding processional was written by the late great Johann Sebastian Bach. It is perfect for a wedding ceremony.

Listen to a MIDI of this traditional instrumental here: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Let Us Break Bread Together (Negro Spiritual arranged by William Farley Smith)

Sample Lyrics:

Let us break bread together on our knees,
Let us break bred together on our knees;
When I fall on my knees,
With my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

Let us drink the cup together on our knees,
Let us drink the cup together on our knees;
When I fall on my knees,
With my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

Love Divine, All Love Excelling (Charles Wesley & John Zundel )

Sample Lyrics:

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down;
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown!

Jesus thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

Listen to this hymn here: Love Divine (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)

Love Will Be Our Home (Sandi Patty)

Sample Lyrics:

If home is really where the heart is
Then home must be a place that we all share
for even with our difference our hearts are much the same
And where love is we come together there.

Wherever there is laughter ringing
Someone smiling, someone dreaming
We can live together there
Love will be our home.
Where there are children singing
Where a tender heart is beating
We can live together there
Love will be our home

Listen to a quick sound bite of this song here: Love Will Be Our Home

Make Us One (Cindy Morgan)

Sample Lyrics:

Children below
Fresh from the foe
Hand´ neath the moonlight
Lord please make us one

We hear the tide
Roll throught the night
Come lead the weary
Lord please make us one

Children rejoice
Come to the voice
Song of the angels
Healing the broken ones

See all lyrics and sing along with this video: Make Us One

Now Thank We All Our God

This traditional hymn is a frequent recessional at a wedding.  Very popular at a Lutheran wedding.

See all lyrics and read some history at this link: Now Thank We All Our God

Ode to Joy (Ludwig van Beethoven & Henry J. van Dyke)

This classical piece taken from Beethoven’s 9^th symphony is a great hymn of faith and is wonderful as a recessional.  It might also be sung as a congregational or solo piece during the wedding ceremony.  This symphony was inspired by Schiller’s poem “The Ode to Joy” beginning in 1793. Beethoven worked on this symphony for nearly 20 years before it was complete. ^[1] Part IV of the symphony is where we find the music to go with the following lyrics that were penned by Henry J. van Dyke in 1907:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Listen to a MIDI of this music here: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

The Lord’s Prayer (The Holy Bible; music by Albert Hay Malotte)

This hymn, based on the model for prayer found in the Bible is a wonderful addition to any wedding.  The words were set to music in 1935 by Albert Hay Malotte. It is especially nice when it is sung as a special music piece.  I found a great video with words that is sung as a trio by contemporary Christian artists Steven Curtis Chapman, Nicole Mullen and Natalie Grant. You can enjoy it here: The Lord’s Prayer

“Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. “ ~ Matthew 6:9-13 KJV

The Prayer (David Foster & Carol Bayer Sager)

This composition from 1801 was made popular as a duet sung by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.  It gained popularity when it was a featured song in the animated film “Quest for Camelot” in 1999. It is beautiful when sung as a duet with both the English and Italian lyrics.  It could be thought of as a prayer to our Heavenly Father from the Bride and Groom.

Sample Lyrics:

I pray you’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise in times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe

La luce che tu hai
I pray we’ll find your light
nel cuore restera
and hold it in our hearts.
a ricordarci che
When stars go out each night,
eterna stella sei

The Wedding Song (Paul Stookey)

Another song based upon what the Bible says about marriage was written in 1972 by Paul Stookey of the singing group “Peter, Paul and Mary”.  The Wedding Song is also known by its subtitle: There is Love. When I sang for weddings with a group of my close friends in the 1970’s and 80’s, the song was almost always requested by the bride and groom.  Although it is almost 30 years old it has not lost its meaning or beauty.  It is set to a simple folk tune with easy harmonies and is a great reminder that the words of the Bible never grow old.  They are the words that bring truth to the world and have the power to save.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ~Genesis 2:23-24 KJV

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ~Matthew 18:20

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. ~John 15:9

Watch a video and listen to Peter, Paul and Mary sing it here: The Wedding Song

What’s Your Favorite Christian Wedding Song?

Share your favorite song in the comments below. We love to hear from our readers! You might also find the links listed under “Related Posts” below helpful.

Resources:

The Holy Bible, King James Version

youtube.com “Butterfly Waltz”  by Brian Crain

[1] All About Beethoven

Tagged as: Christian Music, Marriage, Music, wedding