100+ Wedding Recessional Songs to Exit The Ceremony

Details: wedding songs

Song ideas to round off your wedding ceremony in style

Once you've finally tied the knot with the love of your life in front of all your nearest and dearest, it's time to play the perfect exit music for your return journey up the aisle - and to narrow down your search, we've put together our list of over 100 of the best wedding recessional songs.

Why are recessional songs so important?

As important as wedding processional songs are for marking that moment the bride and groom first lay eyes on one another in all their finery, your recessional song will be the soundtrack to you taking your first steps as a newlywed couple. Whether you're looking for pop songs, rock songs, love songs or party songs, it's important that you find a recessional song that really means something to you both.

Use this list of wedding songs to find the perfect music to take your new husband or wife by the hand to, as you head back up the aisle to your beautiful new future together.

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Modern Recessional Songs

We all love a good dance song at weddings - so why wait until your wedding reception to get your guests bopping in their seats? These chart-toppers all feature either hooky-as-heck choruses, irresistible beats or a winning combination of the two - the perfect way to get your wedding party started in style whilst showing everyone you're crazy in love:

Run - Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version)
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Smiling All The Way Back Home - Tom Odell
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Quietly Yours - Birdy
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Nervous - John Legend
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Adore You - Harry Styles
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Best Day Of My Life - American Authors
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Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay
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Grow Old With Me - Tom Odell
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Happy - Pharrell Williams
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Came Here For Love - Sigala, Ella Eyre
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Firework - Katy Perry
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Perfect - Ed Sheeran
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Treasure - Bruno Mars
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Love Story - Taylor Swift
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Classical Recessional Songs

If you're planning a traditional white wedding, it stands to reason that you'd want to walk back down the aisle to a classical recessional song or piece of music which has stood the test of time - as we're sure you as a couple will too! Here are some of our favourite choices for classical recessional songs which will give your ceremony a real sense of occasion:

Ode To Joy - Beethoven
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Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Posthorn-Serenade - Mozart
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Hallelujah Chorus - George F. Handel
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Spring - Vivaldi
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Exultate Jubilate - Mozart
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Waltz Of The Flowers (Nutcracker) - Tchaikovsky
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Andante From Divertimento No.1 - Mozart
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Gigue From Suite 3. In D Major - J.S. Bach
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La Rejouissance - Handel
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Toccata In D Minor - Widor
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Indie

Are you a cool and edgy bride and groom who want to make sure every wedding song choice passes the hipness test? Look no further than our best ceremony exit songs from the indie genre - show your love for one another whilst retaining your street cred:

Dog Days Are Over - Florence & The Machine
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One Day Like This - Elbow
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Paradise - George Ezra
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True Love Way - Kings Of Leon
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Rooting For You - London Grammar
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Electric Feel - MGMT
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Still Together - Mac DeMarco
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Don’t Delete The Kisses - Wolf Alice
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Cornerstone - Arctic Monkeys
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Walking On A Dream - Empire Of The Sun
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Rock

Looking for some music with a little more impact to shake everyone up after you've exchanged vows with your partner? Scroll through these head-banging rock recessional songs on this wedding playlist for some music to make you strut back up the aisle as your guests prepare to put the 'party' in 'wedding party':

Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
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Wait For Me - The Amazons
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You’re The One - Black Keys
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Beautiful Day - U2
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Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
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Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows
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On Top Of The World - Imagine Dragons
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I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness
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Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
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Heaven - Bryan Adams
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The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
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Thunderstruck - AC/DC
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Forever - Stratovarius
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Recessional songs for the one you love

Acoustic

The gentle tenderness of acoustic wedding music will make you never want to let go of your partner's hand again! If you have a rustic or DIY style wedding in mind, then the best recessional songs for you would come from a predominantly acoustic genre such as folk - or you could ask your wedding DJ for an acoustic cover version of a popular song, giving it that warm, intimate edge:

Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Acoustic Cover)
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This Love - Maroon 5
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Little Bit Of Love - Tom Grennan
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Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra (Acoustic Cover)
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Dancing In The Moonlight - Toploader
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Today Was A Fairytale - Taylor Swift
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Shotgun - George Ezra
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Sweet Creature - Harry Styles
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Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac
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My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
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Country & Western

Some of the greatest love songs of all time come from the Country & Western genre, which makes each song on this playlist a prime candidate for a wedding recessional song. No one in attendance at your ceremony will be able to resist the toe-tapping rhythms - your first steps as newlyweds will have an undeniable spring in them:

The Rest Of Our Life - Faith Hill & Tim McGraw
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Unforgettable - Thomas Rhett
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Millionaire - Chris Stapleton
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Good As You - Kane Brown
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The Bones - Maren Morris
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You Look So Good In Love - George Strait
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How Many Love Songs - The Shires
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For Ever & Ever, Amen - Randy Travis
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Cowboy Take Me Away - Dixie Chicks
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Simple - Florida Georgia Line
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Romantic Wedding Songs

Let's face it - there are few things in this life more romantic than a love song, and there are few occasions more romantic than your wedding day, so this is a match made in heaven for you newlyweds! The lovelorn lyrics and soaring choruses on this list of wedding songs will help set that cosy, candlelit tone you've been searching for to make your dreams of a romantic stroll up the aisle come true:

Save The Last Dance For Me - Michael Buble
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I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher
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My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina Simone
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Greatest Day - Take That
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Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye
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Love Is All Around - Wet Wet Wet
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Woman - John Lennon
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Maybe I’m Amazed - Paul McCartney
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Conversations In The Dark - John Legend
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Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross
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Wedding exit songs to give everyone a good time

Unique

Nothing says 'I choose you' quite like a unique wedding recessional song - it's almost like a private joke between you and your love, only this time your friends and family are being allowed in on it! Give your wedding guests a glimpse into your world after you tie the knot with one of these surprising yet sweet wedding songs from our selection:

The Universal - Blur
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Cause I’m A Man - Tame Impala
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I Still Believe In You - Flyte
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Outro - M83
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Elephant Gun - Beirut
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Soulful Strut - Young-Holt Unlimited
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Starlings - Elbow
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Still D.R.E. - Dr. Dre, Snoog Dog
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Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You) - Bombay Bicycle Club
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Carry You - The Teskey Brothers
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T.V. & Film

If you're a couple whose love story is something straight out of the Notebook or Love Actually, you'll want a ceremony exit song that'll make your walk up the aisle suitably cinematic. While the end credits may be rolling over your single lives, a wedding recessional song from our T.V. and film song list will show your friends and family that your story as a bride and groom is only just beginning:

Hakuna Matata - Lion King
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We Go Together - John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (Greece)
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Jurassic Park Theme - John Williams
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Married Life - Michael Giacchino (UP!)
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Mr Blue Sky - ELO (Guardians Of The Galaxy)
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Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey (The Wedding Singer)
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A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes - Cinderella
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Anyone Else But You - The Moldy Peaches (Juno)
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City Of Stars - Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone (La La Land)
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The Bear Necessities - The Jungle Book
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Golden Oldies

Everybody attending your ceremony will recognise these timeless wedding recessional songs, so you're bound to get a good response from your guests. Starting a new chapter at any stage in your life is bound to make you feel nostalgic - and these wedding songs from days gone by will capture that feeling perfectly as you walk back up the aisle:

All My Loving - The Beatles
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Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra
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Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) - Stevie Wonder
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This Will Be (An Ever Lasting Love) - Natalie Cole
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Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson
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Lovely Day - Bill Withers
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Happy Together - The Turtles
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You & Me - The Wannadies
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Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
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Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
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Funny Wedding Songs

Who says the best wedding recessional songs have to be serious? The only thing that matters is that everyone you've invited to your wedding has a seriously good time! Give your guests the gift of laughter after the emotional high point of saying 'I do' and show off your fun side as a couple with these funny wedding songs:

Love On Top - Beyonce
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We Are Family - Sister Sledge
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Bye, Bye, Bye - NSYNC
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I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do - ABBA
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Oh Happy Days - Edwin Hawkins Singers
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Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
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Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi
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You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
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Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
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Get Lucky - Daft Punk
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We hope these playlists of the best wedding recessional songs help give you some ideas of how to round off your wedding ceremony and get your guests in the mood for the fun that awaits them at your reception - and we also wish you, the happy couple, all the best for the big day ahead!

If you're looking for more wedding song ideas, check out our list of first dance songs and father and daughter songs.