Civil ceremony song for the guests to sing...

I can't really help but this is something we're also struggling with but would be interested to hear if anyone has any ideas. We went to an outdoor civil ceremony in the summer and we all sung 'everlasting love' which was really lovely but there was a professional singer to lead it and I'm struggling to think of anything easy enough to just sing!

A friend had us all sing All You Need is Love. I thought it wouldn't work but it was great.

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I have a feeling this is what we might end up having Vicster, despite OH's reluctance for more Beatles!

So did everyone get involved? We've got 120 adults at the ceremony so I really hope everyone gets in to it - one of the reason I want it to be a really well known song.

Was also considering When I'm 64, which I think would be brilliant but, again, Beatles! Ha.

You could have a number of different songs from different eras, to ensure all your guests from all age groups are included.

Quite a few songs - sorted according to eras - below. Hope this helps!

Simon (pianist and violinist)

A Woman in Love Barbra Streisand Air on the G String Bach All I Have to Do Is Dream Everly Brothers All You Need Is Love Beatles Always Atlantic Starr Always and Forever Luther Vandross American Beauty Thomas Newman Annie's Song John Denver April in Paris Frank Sinatra Baby, I Love Your Way Peter Frampton Because You Loved Me Celine Dion Bridge over Troubled Water Simon and Garfunkel Can't Help Falling in Love Elvis / UB40 Catch the Wind Donovan Cavatina (The Deer Hunter) Stanley Myers Close to You Carpenters Come Rain or Come Shine Frank Sinatra Dancing Queen Abba Don't Cry for Me Argentina Madonna Don't Know Why Norah Jones Don't Let Go (Love) En Vogue Eternal Flame Bangles Eternity Robbie Williams Everything I Do (I Do It for You) Bryan Adams Falling into You Celine Dion Feel Like Making Love Roberta Flack Female of the Species Space Fields of Gold Sting Fly Me to the Moon Sinatra Forever Love Gary Barlow From Me to You Beatles Fur Elise Beethoven Goodnight Girl Wet Wet Wet Greatest Love of All Whitney Houston Hearbeat Buddy Holly Hey Jude Beatles Higher and Higher Jackie Wilson How Deep Is Your Love Bee Gees How Do I Live LeAnn Rimes I Am Blessed Eternal I Can Hear the Bells Hairspray I Think We're Alone Now Tiffany I Wanna Be Loved by You Marilyn Monroe I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston I'm In the Mood for Love various I've Got You under My Skin Michael Buble et al In the Air Tonight Phil Collins It Had to Be You Sinatra / Harry Connick et al Just the Two of Us Bill Withers / Grover Washington Jr Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) Bing Crosby Livin' on a Prayer Bon Jovi Lough Erin Shore Corrs Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing Engelbert Humperdinck Love Me Tender Elvis Presley Lovin' You Minnie Riperton More than Words Extreme Most Beautiful Girl in the World Prince Move Closer Phyllis Nelson My Baby Just Cares for Me Nina Simone My Funny Valentine Chaka Khan My Heart Will Go On Celine Dion Nights in White Satin Moody Blues Nobody Does It Better Carly Simon On the Wings of Love Jeffrey Osborne Perfect Moment Martine McCutcheon Power of Love Jennifer Rush Promise Me Beverley Craven Show Me Heaven Maria McKee Someone to Watch over Me various Somethin' Stupid Robbie Williams / Nicole Kidman Something Beatles Something about the Way You Look Tonight Elton John Stand by Your Man Tammy Wynette Strangers in the Night various Take My Breath Away Berlin (Top Gun) That Ole Devil Called Love Alison Moyet The More I See You various We've Only Just Begun Carpenters What the World Needs Now various When a Man Loves a Woman Michael Bolton When I Fall in Love Nat “King” Cole Who Wants to Love Forever? Queen Wind beneath My Wings Bette Midler Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton Words Ronan Keating You Are So Beautiful Joe Cocker You Do Something to Me Paul Weller You Do Something to Me Cole Porter You Were Meant for Me various You're the One that I Want Grease Your Love Is King Sade Your Song Elton John CLASSICAL Air on the G String (J S Bach) Allegro from the Water Music (Handel) Ave Maria (Gounod) Ave Maria (Schubert) Here Comes the Bride (Wagner) Panis Angelicus (Cesar Franck) Tumpet Tune (Purcell) Trumpet Voluntary (Jeremiah Clarke) Wedding March (Mendelssohn) SHOW Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King) Take That Look Off Your Face (Tell Me on a Sunday) Memory (Cats) All I Ask of You (The Phantom of the Opera) The Music of the Night (The Phantom of the Opera) Love Changes Everything (Aspects of Love) Pie Jesu (Andrew Lloyd Webber) Amigos para Siempre - Friends for Life (Andrew Lloyd Webber) 80s Eternal Flame (Bangles) - 1989 A Woman in Love (Barbra Streisand) - 1980 Move Closer (Phyllis Nelson) - 1985 The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush) - 1985 Take My Breath Away (Berlin) - 1986 Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington and Bill Withers) 1981 Your Love Is King (Sade) 1984 Never Tear Us Apart (INXS) 1988 Someone like You (Van Morrison) 1987 Have I Told You Lately? (Van Morrison) 1989 Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart (Marc Almond) 1988 Thank You for Being a Friend (Cynthia Fee) 1985 Grow Old with Me (John Lennon) 1982 If We Hold On Together (Diana Ross) 1988 Somewhere Out There (Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram) 1986 Up Where We Belong (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes) 1982 Save the Best for Last (Vanessa Williams) 1989 90s (Everything I Do) I Do It for You (Bryan Adams) 1991 I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston) 1992 Love Is All Around (Wet Wet Wet) 1994 No Matter What (Boyzone) 1998 When You Say Nothing at All (Ronan Keating) 1999 Goodnight Girl (Wet Wet Wet) 1991 Don't Let Go (Love) (En Vogue) 1996 I Am Blessed (Eternal) 1995 You Do Something to Me (Paul Weller) 1995 Fields of Gold (Sting) 1993 More than Words (Extreme) 1990 Runaway (The Corrs) 1995 Lough Erin Shore (The Corrs) 1995 I Believe I Can Fly (R Kelly) 1996 Love Shine a Light (Katrina and the Waves) 1997 When You Tell Me That You Love Me (Diana Ross) 1991 All for Love (Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting) 1993 Amazed (Lonestar) 1998 Always Be My Baby (Mariah Carey) 1995 Angel (Sarah McLachlan) 1997 Change the World (Eric Clapton) 1996 I'll Make Love to You (Boyz II Men) 1994 Unchained Melody (Robson and Jerome) 1995 You'll Be in My Heart (Phil Collins) 1999 60s Here, There and Everywhere (Beatles) 1966 Love Is All Around (Reg Presley) 1967 Till There Was You (Beatles) 1963 All You Need is Love (Beatles) 1967 Something (Beatles) 1969 Words (Bee Gees) 1968 A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum) 1967 I Say a Little Prayer (Dionne Warwick) 1967 Sunny (Cher) 1966 Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers) 1965 Can't Help Falling in Love (Blue Hawaii) Elvis 70s (They Long to Be) Close to You (Carpenters) 1970 How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees) 1977 I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton) 1974 Annie's Song (John Denver) 1974 Lovin' You (Minnie Riperton) 1975 Feel Like Making Love (Roberta Flack) 1974 Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) 1977 Songbird (Fleetwood Mac) 1977 Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney/Wings) 1970 A Song for You (Leon Russell) 1970 Bridge over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel) 1970 Fernando (Abba) 1976 I Write the Songs (David Cassidy, Barry Manilow) 1975 00s Your Love Is King (Will Young) 2004 By Your Side (Sade) 2000 Can't Get You Out of My Head (Kylie Minogue) 2001 Don't Need the Sun to Shine (to Make Me Smile) (Gabrielle) 2001 Family Affair (Mary J Blige) 2001 Kiss Kiss (Holly Valance) 2002 Sweet Baby (Macy Gray feat Erykah Badu) 2001 A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton) 2002 How Wonderful You Are (Gordon Haskell) 2001 Don't Know Why (Norah Jones) 2001 Into My Arms (Nick Cave) 2004 Breathless (The Corrs) 2000 Irresistible (The Corrs) 2000 50s Peggy Sue (Buddy Holly) 1957

Kharv, I'm going to have a think about this but I'm not sure I could do better than All You Need Is Love. I can just imagine someone doing mock trumpets and everything.

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This is exactly what I'm envisaging! My dad, to be precise. Would love that.

What about I'm a believer? Or From me to you?

Right, of the slightly more trad wedding tunes, I think Signed Sealed Delivered and The You And Me Song would work. What about Happy Together (The Turtles?) - that chorus is a belter. Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Andy Williams) - again, it's all about the chorus but you stand a great chance of most people knowing the song fairly well.

One of my friends had hymns and readings after her civil service - had the legal marriage ceremony, registrar departs, family friend takes over as compere and we sang 3 hymns and had two readings.

My one comment is that it works better if the piano is in the same room and the acoustic is singing friendly - it was a bit quiet and the timing was hard as the room was a bit echoy. If you've got a pianist anyway and you're happy the room will work, that could be an option.

Also works a lot better if you're sure people will sing well - the organ can cover a multitude of sins (and non singers) but with a piano the singing will often feel weaker, however good the pianist!

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All really ace suggestions actually but I think you might be on to a belting winner there - love that song! Hadn't even thought of it! Really quite easy to sing too.

I know what you're saying Random, I'm hoping the fact that we're full to the maximum will be conducive to excellent singing acoustics!

I'm also making it a bridesmaid and usher job to learn the song and sing it loud! The words will be in the order of the day too.

I went to a wedding where we all sang o happy days whilst the couple were signing the register it was brilliant obviously you cant have that but something happy clappy would be great, people still talk about her wedding now 2 yrs on x