Five over-the-top wedding recessionals (organ edition)

The recessional is the icing on the cake at the end of the wedding ceremony. The church part is 99 percent done, your stress level is on its way back down and your mind is in a serious state of "We're outta here." In larger-scale events, the music picked for The Exiting can be exuberant and full of life. While there are many standards that your organist/musician may propose, here's a list of five that are off the well-beaten path, but are well worth your consideration:

Marcel Dupré: Prelude in B. Right from the start, this number creates the effect that all the bells in Paris are going off at the same time. The bigger the church, the better the effect. Warning: This is not your mother's recessional, and it's technically very difficult for the player. Many organists will not have this one in their fingers.

Charles-Marie Widor: Finale, Symphony No. 5 6. Most people will see Widor in the program and assume that this is the Finale from Symphony No. 5 because the 5th is that well known. The Finale from the 6th Symphony shares the majesty and power that is associated with other works of Widor, including the 5th, while leaving a lot of the tinsel at home.

Louis Vierne: Finale, Symphony No. 1. This knuckle-buster takes the best elements of Widor's 5th, 6th and the above mentioned Dupré. The bells are ringing, the melody is crazy happy and well … it's just awesome! Added perk: This will be played at none of your friends' weddings.

Jacques Lemmens: Fanfare. Popular in the not-too-distant past, this energetic voluntary has seemingly fallen out of favor of late, but it's well worth your consideration. Its light nature will mirror your happiness and make it easy to smile as you walk in time past your friends and family.

Louis Vierne: Cortège from Three Improvisations. This recessional started its life as an improvisation Vierne played at a wedding while he was organist at Notre Dame in Paris (he made it up on the spot). It has a simple and direct form that is easily accessible and that everybody will love.

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A wedding recessional is typically accompanied by music.
Mervyn Lee - Creative Commons

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