Is there anything more worth singing about than people getting married? Well, there are probably lots of answers to that question, but no matter what you think about marriage, there’s no denying that it’s a popular topic for songwriters. Singers in every genre have composed songs about marriage and getting married, both joyful and sorrowful.
Whether you’re looking for tracks for your own wedding reception or are just feeling romantic, here are our top 51 songs about marriage to add to your playlist:
1. Marry You — Bruno Mars
Marry You has divided listeners since it was released in 2010. The song, which tells the story of a couple drinking too much on a night in Las Vegas and spontaneously deciding to tie the knot, was called romantic by many people. Others said it was cynical, depicting marriage as “something dumb” that you soon regret when you come to your senses. Nevertheless, its aura of romance and spontaneity has made it a popular proposal track for many years.
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2. Good Day For Marrying You — Dave Barnes
Dave Barnes’ 2015 folk song is a sweet proposal for a simple and spontaneous wedding—the style of wedding that more and more young people are choosing these days. There’s nothing ostentatious about this couple’s plans. All they need is a dogwood tree under which to recite their vows with their closest friends and family members there to celebrate. We have to admit it, there’s something more romantic about that than all the big, splashy fairy tale weddings.
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3. Wedding Song (There is Love) — Noel Paul Stookey
If the name Noel Paul Stookey doesn’t ring a bell, maybe you’ll recognize his more well-known group, Peter Paul and Mary. Stookey composed Wedding Song (There Is Love) to celebrate the wedding of his bandmate, Peter Yarrow. He was the best man and performed the track during Yarrow’s special day, which took place in October 1969. Stookey later recorded the song and released it on his 1971 album, which placed on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. When I Said I Do — Clint Black
This sweet country ballad was written by Clint Black and recorded by him and his wife Lisa. The song did well on the country music charts and was covered by other married couples. It is all about remembering your wedding vows whenever times get hard—as they always do. The Blacks seemingly knew what they were talking about, as they have been happily married since 1991. That’s the kind of longevity that everyone hopes for when they tie the knot.
5. Never Worn White — Katy Perry
Never Worn White is a pop ballad that offers both a tongue-in-cheek commentary on past relationships and a declaration of commitment. In the song, Katy Perry says she never got love right in the past, but now that she is with the right person, she’s willing to give it a try. It certainly seemed to be at least semi-autobiographical; she was briefly married to actor Russell Brand before splitting in 2011. The music video served as a pregnancy announcement for Perry, who was expecting a daughter with fiancé, Orlando Bloom.
6. Wouldn’t It Be Nice — The Beach Boys
Wouldn’t It Be Nice is one of the most famous songs by The Beach Boys, released on their 1966 album. The track is about a young couple imagining their life together when they are older and married. Ironically, the tune was actually inspired by member Brian Wilson’s crush on his sister-in-law, with whom he would later have an affair.
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7. Wedding Song — Tracy Chapman
Is this song a happy story of love triumphant or a sad track about dreaming of someone who will never return your love? Fans of Tracy Chapman are divided. Some people think that it’s a straightforward love song celebrating a wedding. Others seem to think that the lyrics suggest it’s all a fantasy of a wedding that can’t ever happen. We will leave it up to you to decide.
8. Marriage Ain’t The End of Being Lonely — Emily Scott Robinson
In Marriage Ain’t The End Of Being Lonely, Emily Scott Robinson offers a sober warning for the people who think getting married will solve their problems. Even though fairy tales depict it as a happily ever after, the truth is that the wedding is just the beginning. If problems arise in your relationship—or with yourself—they will come out sooner or later.
9. White Wedding — Billy Idol
Though the song is about a wedding, Billy Idol’s White Wedding probably isn’t a good one to play at a reception. The tune is actually an angry song telling off an ex-girlfriend who is going through a shotgun wedding, marrying her baby’s father instead of the singer. The opening lyrics “Hey little sister, what have you done?” have raised eyebrows, making people think that the song was about incest. However, “sister” was slang for “girlfriend” in the UK in the early 1980s.
10. Wedding Song — Bob Dylan
Try to name a more poignant, sincere love tune than Bob Dylan’s 1973 Wedding Song. It might just be impossible. This track has some of the most intense lyrics of all time, enough to stir everyone in the crowd to tears with lines like, “I love you more than all of that with a love that doesn’t bend, And if there is eternity I’d love you there again.” Leave it to The Bard to come up with lyrics like that.
11. Chapel of Love — The Dixie Cups
Even if the title doesn’t stir a memory, you’ve definitely heard this 1960s throwback before. Does “Goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna get married” ring a bell? The song has been covered countless times since its first recording and was even named on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was famously covered by the Beach Boys, Better Midler, and Elton John on the 1994 soundtrack to Four Weddings And A Funeral.
12. Marry Me — Dolly Parton
Is there anyone better to sing a song about marriage than the Queen of Country herself? Dolly Parton has been married to Carl Thomas Dean since 1966. He is rarely seen in public and has a pretty quiet life, but she has talked about their lasting love and how happy they are after more than 50 years of marriage. She seems like she would know what she’s talking about in this track.
13. Just Say Yes — Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol departed from their usual more mellow sound with this 2009 electropop song, which was originally written for Gwen Stefani. The track is about the frustration of unrequited love—or perhaps not unrequited love, but love that is unequal in passion. The singer is begging the person he loves to say yes to him, but it doesn’t seem to be successful. We’ll give you a tip: This is probably not the best type of relationship to turn into a marriage. Your spouse should be just as crazy about you as you are about them.
14. The Secret Marriage — Sting
The Secret Marriage is a song about two people who consider themselves married, even though they have never had a formal ceremony. The track describes how no religion or state recognizes them as a married couple, but their marriage is something unique because it’s just between the two of them. It ends with these haunting lyrics, “The secret marriage vow is never spoken, The secret marriage never can be broken.”
15. You (Wedding Song) — Jason Cassidy
Country singers seem to be right in their element when it comes to uber-romantic wedding songs. But if that’s your kind of thing, you might find Jason Cassidy’s You (Wedding Song) bringing tears to your eyes. The track is a simple but emotional country ballad expressing a man’s gratefulness for all the blessings his wife has brought him, and how happy he is to have her. Whether you’re a country fan or not, you have to admit that it’s a pretty romantic tribute.
16. Will You Marry Me? — Paula Abdul
Long before she was a judge on American Idol, Paula Abdul was a pop-rock star. Her song Will You Marry Me? was released in 1991, around the time when Abdul got engaged to actor Emilio Estevez. The song was accompanied by Stevie Wonder on the harmonica. It pushes back against some of the older, outdated clichés about marriage being a trap with lyrics such as, “Think of love as wings, Not a ball and chain.”
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17. Change Your Name — Chase Bryant
Changing your name after getting married is much less popular these days than it once was. But believe it or not, between 70 and 80 percent of women still change their surname after their wedding, either to their partner’s name or to a combination of the two names. No matter what you chose to do with your spouse, you can still see the romance in this country ballad about making a life with the person that you love.
18. Wedding Dress — Matt Nathanson
Though many people think that Wedding Dress is about, well, a wedding, it’s actually a song of grief for a failing marriage. Matt Nathanson, known for writing highly personal tracks, composed the tune as his own marriage broke down. It might be a strange choice to play at a wedding for this reason, but it is still a poignant song, especially for those who have endured the ending of a marriage. In the track, Nathanson reflects back on his wedding and how his marriage ended up where it is.
19. Married in a Gold Rush — Vampire Weekend Feat. Danielle Haim
Married In A Gold Rush is about a couple looking back on their relationship and recalling how happy everything seemed when they were first married. Now, their marriage is struggling, as they point out with the lyrics, “We got married in a gold rush, And the rush has never felt the same.” There is some interesting wordplay with the idea of gold being a heavy metal, and gold wedding rings now weighing them down. The song could be interpreted as a warning not to make big life decisions impetuously.
20. White Dress — Ben Rector
White Dress is about thinking back on your wedding day while being physically apart from your spouse. It’s natural to think about happy memories together to try to endure your time away. The song is simultaneously a look back on these memories and a look forward to being reunited once again. If you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship, you know how painful it is to be separated from your partner and how much you cling to those memories together.
21. I Do — Colbie Caillat
If there is anyone who can compose an upbeat love song, it’s Colbie Caillat. Her 2011 track I Do is a tribute to lasting love, with the opening verses discussing how she never believed in love during old relationships. Now, however, she not only believes in love but wants her own relationship to last forever. Though Caillat has never been married herself, her performance is completely from the heart.
22. Marry Me — Train
Train is no newcomer to sappy love songs, but Marry Me might take the cake (the wedding cake, maybe). The track is a profession of love, making the audience think that the couple has known each other for a while. However, we soon find out that the declaration is all a fantasy as the singer watches a woman in a cafe. Call it romantic or call it creepy, but you can’t deny that it’s extremely catchy.
23. With This Ring — The Platters
What was it about those 1950s male ensemble groups knocking it out of the park with their romantic marriage-themed crooners? The Platters were active through the 1950s and 1960s, returning to prominence in 1967 with With This Ring. The song is about a man who had always been restless and wandering but now finds himself wanting to settle down now that he has fallen in love. Call it cliché, but it still tugs on your heartstrings.
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24. Just Married — Steven Lee Olsen
Just Married is about how marriage is so much more than the pomp and pageantry of the wedding day, and how real love is about being together in normal day-to-day life. Steven Lee Olsen said that he was inspired to write the song after he realized that all of the marriage-themed songs he knew were about the wedding, not about everything that came afterward. The result was this sweet country ballad that celebrates both the wedding day and the rest of your lives.
25. When We Get Married — Larry Graham
When We Get Married is a smooth R&B song recorded by Larry Graham in 1980. The premise of the track is pretty simple: fantasizing about the happiness of your wedding day and looking forward to being with the person you love forever. But it’s Graham’s performance that makes this song really memorable. In case you’re not familiar with him, he happens to be one of the most famous R&B singers of all time and was best known for his work with Sly & The Family Stone.
26. I Wanna Marry You — Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is best known for hits such as Born In The USA and Thunder Road, but this 1980 track takes a different tack than most of his material. While many of his earlier songs were about the desire to live wildly without responsibilities, I Wanna Marry You is about wanting to make a life with one person. The singer describes falling in love with a single mother and wanting to provide for her, saying that true love doesn’t resemble a fairy tale.
27. Let’s Get Married — Bleachers
Let’s Get Married has become a popular song at weddings all over the country, but it actually has a strange background. Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff wrote the track after the 2016 presidential election when he was feeling confused and upset. He describes it as a love song for the people he had met around the country, despite feeling betrayed by them. However, Antonoff has said that he is happy for it to be interpreted as a regular wedding track.
28. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) — Beyoncé
Okay, this one is a bit of a stretch, but we’re counting it because of Queen Bey’s repeated line, “If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it.” The song is both a celebration of being single and a demand for a real commitment. It has become a wedding reception standard to give single women their chance to shine on the dance floor.
29. Wedding Dress — Levi Hummon
Want a song that will get everyone’s emotions flowing? Levi Hummon’s Wedding Dress is about as sappy as you can get—but when it comes to weddings, a bit of sappiness is okay. The track is about going to a wedding with your partner and realizing that you might just want to have a wedding of your own. Maybe it’s just the sentimentality of the day, or maybe it’s a realization that there might be something to this marriage thing.
30. Marry Song — Band of Horses
This 2007 indie song is difficult to interpret. Fans will tell you that they’ve stopped trying to understand the band’s lyrics, which tend to be heavily poetic and full of metaphor. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you want to interpret the words, but the meaning itself is clear. This is a stunning love song for a partner on your wedding day, with lyrics, “I’ll marry my lover in a place to admire, I don’t, Have to even ask her, I can look in her eyes and thank God.”
Next: Our list of the greatest indie songs of all time
31. Get Me To The Church On Time — from My Fair Lady
If you’re a fan of My Fair Lady, you’ll instantly recognize this classic tune from the show. Eliza Doolittle’s father has come unexpectedly into wealth, making his live-in girlfriend insist on getting married. The song follows him on his last night of “freedom,” with him insisting that he needs to get to the church. But something tells us that he might not really be in a hurry to leave behind his life of single partying.
32. January Wedding — The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers’ frontrunner Seth Avett composed January Wedding in honor of his first wife. The song was released in 2009, with a gentle folk sound expressing the singer’s excitement through the repeated hook, “So in January, We’re gettin’ married.” Most of the other lyrics are shrouded in metaphor, leaving it up to listeners to interpret lines like, “And I was sick with heartache, And she was sick like Audrey Hepburn, When I met her.” Sadly, Avett’s marriage ended in divorce in 2013, though he has since married a second time.
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33. Let’s Get Married — The Proclaimers
Scottish brother duo The Proclaimers is best known for their ultra-catchy song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), but this track is definitely worth a play. The tune paints a picture of all the classic ideals of married life—being old together, having a home, children, and pets—without being cliché. It might not have the catchy “Da-da-da-da” that gets us all singing along, but it’s still pretty great. Think of this as the sequel to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles). Maybe this is what they said after falling down at her door.
34. Wedding in Berlin — Pet Shop Boys
This is definitely a song that fuses traditional and modern elements. Starting out with a techno dance beat, the tune also incorporates a repeated track of Mendelssohn’s famous Wedding March. The track was originally written as a first dance song for a friend of the band members; it was slightly edited to make it more general before being released to the public. Apparently, fans of the band are strongly divided about this song, with some saying they love it and others saying they hate it.
35. Wedding Bells — Hank Williams
Hank Williams recorded Wedding Bells all the way back in 1949, and it has been covered by countless artists in the many years since then, including Glen Campbell, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Dean Martin. The country song is about watching the person that you love get married to someone else and knowing that you will never get married. The track might be many decades old, but if you’ve had a similar experience, you might find it incredibly poignant.
36. When We Get Married — The Dreamlovers
When We Get Married is a classic doo-wop hit from the 1960s. It has been played at countless weddings in the decades since it came out, though doo-wop isn’t a genre you’ll find in the Billboard Top 100 anymore. If you love old classics, this could be a great choice for a sweet song at your wedding reception. It could also be a lovely track for welcoming long-married couples to the dance floor.
37. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) — Natalie Cole
Though This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) isn’t explicitly about marriage, it has become a popular choice for wedding receptions and romantic comedies. The song is undeniably joyful and catchy, making it perfect for a celebration. It has become a go-to end credits track for many romantic comedies, including The Parent Trap, While You Were Sleeping, and A Cinderella Story. Though weddings and marriage aren’t included in the words, that is arguably what “everlasting love” is all about (hopefully).
38. Marry Me — Jason Derulo
![Jason Derulo - Marry Me [Official HD Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zRCsZ5a3aCM/0.jpg)
Jason Derulo composed Marry Me for his girlfriend, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Though the couple eventually broke up, the song remains beautifully poignant, with the opening line, “A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head, When I think of all the years I wanna be with you.” Derulo released a music video depicting himself and Sparks, with his real-life grandparents playing their future selves.
39. Love And Marriage — Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra recorded his classic song Love And Marriage in 1955. These days, it is most closely associated with the sitcom Married… With Children, which ran from 1987 to 1997 and depicted the life of the less-than-happily-married Bundy couple. However, on its own, the track is a charming and upbeat oldies tune all about the happiness of being with the person you love. It’s hard not to feel romantic when you hear Old Blue Eyes.
40. First Dance — Justin Bieber feat. Usher
Though Justin Bieber first came on the stage as a preteen, the former child star is now all grown up—and he’s even married himself. The song was released many years before he tied the knot to Hayley Baldwin in 2018. In many ways, the track might have been prophetic of the later tunes that he composed in honor of his wife. Some people say that the song is actually about a prom dance, but as “first dance” is commonly used to refer to the dance at a wedding reception, we’re counting it on our list.
Next: The best first dance wedding songs (our picks)
41. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do — ABBA
ABBA’s song is another one that doesn’t explicitly mention marriage in the lyrics, but the title—and the repeated words through the chorus—are pretty unambiguous. The track is a demand for someone to step up and commit if they are really in love, as well as a declaration of the singer’s own love. With the repeated line, “I love you, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do,” this one is pretty overtly marriage-themed.
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42. Wedding Song — Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This lovely indie pop song is a heartfelt declaration of love. It gets its name because vocalist Karen O composed it for her own wedding. She said that she and her husband skipped vows because she has always struggled with expressing herself in words. Instead, she shared her feelings and promises to him in a song. The lyrics go, “In flames I sleep soundly, With angels all around me, I lay at your feet, You’re the breath that I breathe.”
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43. Hawaiian Wedding Song — Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley’s silky-smooth cover of Hawaiian Wedding Song is probably the most famous version of the tune, but it’s not the original. The track was composed in the Hawaiian language by Helen Kapuailohia Desha Beamer. Presley’s version is mostly in English, though it retains some of the original Hawaiian lyrics; he performed the song in the final scene of the 1961 film Blue Hawaii. The track had also previously been recorded by Bing Crosby and Andy Williams.
44. Wedding Ring — Grady Spencer & The Work
This 2016 song is a lovely, simple tune all about the love the singer has for his partner. As the track opens, he reflects on all the reasons that he loves them and starts considering making a proposal. It seems like the plan goes well because in the last verse the words change to “You’ve taken my name… I went and gave a wedding ring to you.”
45. Let’s Get Married — Jagged Edge
Songs about marriage can be found across all genres and musical styles. Jagged Edge’s 1999 track Let’s Get Married brings a marriage proposal into the world of hip hop. Though the first suggestion doesn’t sound particularly romantic—“…we might as well do it, girl (we ain’t gettin’ any younger)”—eventually, the singer admits how deeply he loves her and wants to commit to her. I guess it goes to show that everyone has their own way of expressing their feelings.
46. To The Aisle — The Five Satins
To The Aisle is a 1957 song by the ensemble group The Five Satins. It includes a beautiful instrumental duet between an oboe and an alto saxophone. This smooth oldies hit might feel a bit outdated in its lyrics, but if you love the sound of 1950s love songs, you’ll enjoy slow dancing to this at any wedding reception. Nothing says romance like a classic tune.
47. We Got Married — Paul McCartney
We Got Married follows the love story of a couple from the time they are teenagers to the time they are married. Paul McCartney said that the song wasn’t autobiographical, but it was inspired in part by his experiences with his first wife, Linda McCartney; some aspects also called back to John Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono. McCartney and Linda were married from 1969 until her death from breast cancer in 1998.
48. Marie’s Wedding — The High Kings
Marie’s Wedding is a traditional Scottish folk song that has been covered countless times by artists both classic and modern. It is alternatively written as Mairi’s Wedding, as it was initially composed in Scottish Gaelic. The track is about a wedding celebration for a woman named Mary and the many well wishes her guests have for her, such as prosperity, happiness, and children.
49. (Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry — Darlene Love
Some relationships are full of bumps as they get started, while others seem to be destined from the beginning. If you were lucky enough to have a feeling when you first met your significant other, you might relate to this throwback song by Darlene Love. It describes seeing her future spouse for the first time and realizing that they had a future together. If only we were all so lucky to have that “struck by lightning” feeling when we met or would meet our spouse for the first time.
50. Let’s Get Married — Al Green
Not everyone is a natural poet, but Al Green’s Let’s Get Married might just be a lesson in how not to propose. The singer is begging his significant other to get married, but the proposal isn’t accompanied by declarations of love. Instead, it seems to be about obligation or even boredom. In the man’s defense, he does promise to try to make his partner happy, but the track ends with the less-than-romantic addition, “Let’s get married today, Found out, I don’t love nobody anyway.”
51. Archie, Marry Me — Flyte
Archie, Marry Me is an indie pop song contrasting traditional marriage with modern views of marriage, which encourage people to have stable careers and be financially independent before settling down. The song opens with the wry lines, “You’ve expressed explicitly your contempt for matrimony, You’ve student loans to pay and will not risk the alimony.” However, the members of Flyte specified that the song isn’t anti-marriage; instead, it’s about how romantic it can be to make a spontaneous commitment without ensuring that your life is perfect beforehand.
As the Head Editor and Writer at Music Grotto, Liam helps write and edit content produced from professional music/media journalists and other contributing writers. He works closely with journalists and other staff to format and publish music content for the Music Grotto website. Liam is also the founding member of Music Grotto and is passionate in disseminating editorial content to its readers.
Liam’s lifelong love for music makes his role at Music Grotto such a rewarding one. He loves researching, writing and editing music content for Music Grotto.
