Depending on your personal preferences and the type of church or venue you are getting married in, you may find that you have a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing the music for your wedding ceremony. Below is a general outline of the sections in your wedding where music may be necessary, along with selections of music that you may find yourself interested in.
Prelude
There is usually a 15 - 30 minute time frame where your guests are arriving and seating themselves. It is good to work with musicians who can provide some light, uplifting music as background during this time. This part of the wedding can be arranged for any instrument or voice, so feel free to get creative, or leave it completely in the hands of your musicians.
Processionals
Procession of the Bridesmaids, Flower Girls and/or Ring Bearers
How you choose to arrange your processional is up to you. As usual, the music selection is very open! Some couples choose to have specific pieces of music to usher in their Bridesmaids, Flower Girls and/or Ring Bearers. Depending on the number of people coming down the isle for this section, you will want to pick a piece of music that ranges from 2 to 5 minutes. Wedding musicians are very familiar with how flexible the timing on this can be the day of, and are prepared to shorten or lengthen a piece of music during the ceremony to fit the appropriate timing.
Procession of the Bride
This section of the Wedding Ceremony is the true beginning of the wedding; the Procession of the Bride. I have found that most couples prefer to have a special song for this procession. It is usually an instrumental piece, but you would not be the first couple to ask me to sing you down the aisle!
Mid-Ceremony Music Selection
If you find yourself interested in having a shorter ceremony (under 20 minutes), you may not want to feature a piece of music in the middle of your ceremony. However, (and I can speak from experience) it is a HUGE break on you, the bride and groom, to have the attention of your guests drawn away from you for a few minutes during the ceremony! It gives you some time to step out of the moment and think about the person who's hand you're holding and loving, and to take a couple deep breaths; let the adrenaline subside a bit.
Recessional
Once you have been pronounced "Husband and Wife" and you have sealed it with a kiss, it's time to walk back down that aisle. This is your opportunity to select a piece that is usually upbeat and happy to walk out to; something that describes what this day means to you (how about "your song"?).
Postlude
Now that you are no longer at the ceremony (possibly outside greeting your guests), your guests are still inside. You will need to have your musicians fill this time with some selections of music. As with the Prelude at the start of the ceremony, you can feel free to give your musicians free reign of music choice, or you may pick a few pieces for them to perform. If you decide to choose music, prepare 10-15 minutes total.