Wedding Music

The Best Wedding Party Entrance Songs

Ideally, the reception entrance of the various members of your wedding will start on an exciting note and get progressively more so, as you move from the ushers, bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents, until you reach the big stars of the night: you and your spouse.

But don’t treat your wedding party like an afterthought just because you’re the headlining act. Put as much work into picking their song as you do your own.

For one, you owe them. They’ve done a lot of work for this wedding, and now’s the time for the spotlight to shine on them.

Secondly, their success and excitement of their entrance song sets up the success and excitement of your entrance song. The soundtrack for this moment will make the difference between a low-key, low-energy, unwatchable-on-the-wedding-Blu-ray entrance and an exciting, joyful, can’t-miss highlight. So consider our selections, then pick the song that clicks not only for you and your fiancée, but also for your wedding party.

R&B/POP

Have the wedding party enter with these fire beats–and give them the chance to strut their own stuff.

Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega 

You remember this one: “A little bit of Monica in my life…” Sure, it’s cheesy, and the lyrics make it totally inappropriate for the groom’s entrance music. But the groomsmen? Perfect if they’re single, hilarious if they’re not. Besides, it’s a mambo. Who doesn’t like a mambo?

RedBone by Childish Gambino 

When you want you crew to enter nice and smooth. This is a slow-burner, which will give everyone a lot of time find their seats. Also, it will give everyone over 30 the chance to say “Hey, isn’t this Troy from Community?”

Tik Tok by Ke$ha

Another supercharged selection that will get the wedding party pouring through the doors and sashaying around the reception hall. The party don’t start ‘til the bride walks in, but this will get everyone ready for the big event.

Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Ok, so it’s about buying used clothes, the kind of thing your grandpa would wear. But your grandpa might very well be at the reception, so he’s sure to get a kick out of it. The horn sample at the beginning is what used to be called “hype” and will give your wedding party plenty of time to strut. And don’t forget the tagline: “This is fucking awesome.” Exactly what you want everyone to be thinking.

Mans Not Hot by Big Shaq

Why, you might reasonably ask, would my groomsmen and bridesmaids want to walk into the reception to a song about a guy refusing to take off his jacket? Because this absurd song has a great beat, is funny as hell, and doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. Questions?

COUNTRY

For a big entrance that will appeal to the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, the kids, the moms and dads, the small-town aunts and uncles…a rousing contemporary country number is just the ticket.

Here for the Party by Gretchen Wilson

A hand-clappin’ stomper that gets it all started on the right note. Big power chords and Gretchen’s even bigger voice bring the fun. Warning: Your guests won’t leave until you throw them out.

Me and My Gang by Rascal Flatts

Everyone will want to hang with your gang when they enter the reception to this rabble-rousing country rocker with hard-driving verses, soaring choruses, and a na-na-na-na-na bridge that we dare your guests not to join in on.

The Way You Love Me by Faith Hill

If you’re looking for a country charmer that won’t tire out the wedding party when the reception’s just getting started, you can’t do much better than this tuneful, sing-along celebration of love.

ROCK

Nothing energizes a party like a three-chord, amp-to-11, tonsil-tearing classic! rock! anthem! And since your guests will be holding their cellphones aloft like lighters, it’ll make it easy for them to video the bridesmaids and groomsmen pouring into the hall.

I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll by Joan Jett

Too on-the-nose? No, just enough. Simple, classic, and loud. Your guests will be singing, shouting, and clapping, and your wedding party will feel like superstars. Just a word of warning: open bar, heels, and standing on chairs don’t mix.

Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra

This one’s a little left-field, we don’t deny it. But the beat is unstoppable, the bounce is infectious, the vocoder “singing” puts a smile on every face, and the feel-good lyrics couldn’t be more wedding-apropos. A celebration in song.

Supersonic by Oasis

If your guests are into the mid-90s BritPop scene, this classic Oasis tune packs just the right amount of swagger for your groomsmen to make a triumphant entrance. The tempo is steady but not too fast, so they’ll be able to take their time and really nail that Liam Gallagher pimp roll.

OLDIES

There’s a reason these songs have welcomed bridesmaids and groomsmen into decades’ worth of wedding receptions. They’ve stood the test of time because no one who hears them can stand still.

Love Train by The O’Jays

Nothing brings the generations together like a little vintage ‘70s funk. This one moves at a chiller tempo than some of the others, but there’s a long night ahead and conserving your wedding party’s energy probably isn’t a bad move. And if you or your bride want to bring a bit of choreography to the wedding party’s entrance, this song lends itself perfectly to some proto-disco moves.

Rock Lobster by B-52s

Jagged, awkward, and yet strangely catchy, this New Wave classic is 60s surf rock with a dash of Yoko Ono. It’s a totally off-beat selection for your wedding party entrance song, but that unexpected quality is part of the charm. Besides, how cool will it be when everyone has entered and the whole wedding–guests and all–go “down, down, down” before jumping up again and jiving away.

I Like The Way You Move by Outkast

We can’t quite believe this one’s an oldie, either, but it’s pushing 15 years. And it will last forever as a party jam to jumpstart wedding receptions. Combining a Latin rhythm with a bouncing, feel-good melody, this is one song that makes walking through a doorway feel like the start of a show.

Walk This Way by Aerosmith

Funky, fast, and frisky, this stone cold classic is made for a big entrance—and works especially well for those of us who are maybe a little…rhythm-impaired. An invitation to the wedding party to choreograph walking whatever way will grab everyone’s attention.

 

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