Felix Mendelssohn Fansite

There are few songs as readily identifiable as the Felix Mendelssohn Wedding March, though few people – if pressed – would be able to name the composer if they heard the song.

Played at the lion’s share of weddings worldwide, the Wedding March was originally composed by Mendelssohn in 1842 for the Shakespearian play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The song was first used as a proper wedding march in 1847, though its popularity was not solidified until 1858, when Victoria, Princess Royal chose it in her wedding to Prince Frederick William of Prussia.

The Felix Mendelssohn Wedding March typically plays as a recessional at a wedding - coupled with Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin as a processional - heralding the movement of bride and groom out of the church as a newly christened married couple. There is little mistaking the song, as it is played not only in real weddings but fictional as well: hundreds of movies and television episodes have made use of the March when depicting weddings.

Here’s Mendelssohn’s Wedding March played on the piano by Adam Gyorgy: