A musical marriage proposal is up there with the most romantic gestures of all time. Live music instantly creates the right atmosphere for dropping the knee and the memories it leaves last a lifetime!
Coming up with a unique proposal idea is always a challenge. But musical proposals are always unique to those involved, everyone loves music in their own way.
In this article, we’re going to help you choose a marriage proposal song, and explain how to make your musical dreams a reality. Our hand-selected list of 20 songs will help inspire some musical thoughts if you’re drawing a blank.
Here at Encore, we’ve helped thousands of couples make their musical wishes come true. Our network of musicians stretches all across the UK, and provides tailored musical entertainment for thousands of weddings and proposals every year. Check out this review from Emmanuel, who hired Encore harpist Natalie Lurie to play for his proposal:
Natalie was incredible, all the way up to the day she stayed in regular contact and helped me build a perfect set for her to play. She arrived with ample time and set up and got ready to play quickly.
Her playing was incredible, my fiance loved every song and is still gushing about the performance. Natalie is fantastic and I would very much recommend her to anyone looking to book a high quality performer.
Need more general advice on planning your wedding music? Read our Ultimate Guide to Hiring Wedding Musicians.
Contents
- How to Choose Your Musical Marriage Proposal Song
- Choose Songs That Are Special To You
- Pick Your Vibe
- Don’t Forget the Logistics!
- Most Popular Musical Marriage Proposal Songs
- Unique Musical Marriage Proposal Songs
- How to Book Musicians
Book Encore’s Joey Vanzetti to spice up your marriage proposal…
How to Choose Your Musical Marriage Proposal Song
A musical marriage proposal makes an already beautiful moment, even more spectacular. But there are so many options it can be daunting. So we recommend you start your brainstorming sessions with…
Choose Songs That Are Special To You
Getting married is a big deal! So the music should reflect that. It should be a song that means a lot to you both.
The songs you listen to most are not always the best choice. Songs with the most meaning often come from landmark moments in your relationship. Perhaps the first song you danced to together or the moment you finally found some common ground in your differing (but by this stage complementary) music tastes.
Singing guitarists like Sarah Munro can play at all sorts of locations, whether it’s a stadium or a remote beach proposal!
Pick Your Vibe
Now that you’ve got some song ideas going through your head it’s time to consider what vibe you want to create. If you love R&B but your partner can’t stand it, maybe don’t go for an R&B love song with 90s style backing dancers to match. Or if your partner really doesn’t like being made a fuss off, be sensitive to that.
To make sure you nail this unforgettable moment, consider how dramatic it’s going to be, what things will look like (including your outfit!) and what style of music you would like. This will help you gauge the vibe you want to create and refine the musical ideas you’ve come up with so far.
Don’t Forget the Logistics!
Once you’ve begun to solidify what the big moment will feel like, now it’s time to work out how it will become a reality.
Playing music on a backing track is okay, but having live musicians will make that moment you pop the question all the more memorable. We’ll explain more about hiring live musicians later. But when dreaming up the proposal don’t forget to include the musician in your plans.
Also, make sure you’ve thought about when you are going to propose. During the song, at the end of the song? Anything works, but it’s better to plan it in rather than forget why you’re there in the fun of the music!
Logistically, some musicians can’t play in certain locations, so for certain vibes of the occasion be sure to double-check this with your musician. Harpists and violinists will generally need to be undercover if the weather’s uncertain.
Book Encore harpist Glenda Allaway now to play this Ed Sheeran romantic classic!
Most Popular Musical Marriage Proposal Songs
These songs are classics that everyone loves. So if your soon-to-be fiancé(e) has a confusing music taste, this hand-curated list may give you some inspiration…
- All of Me – John Legend
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
- A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
- Marry You – Bruno Mars
- On Bended Knee – Boyz II Men
Wanna build a new life,
Just you and me…
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- I Swear – All 4 One
- Marry Me – Train
- Just Say Yes – Snow Patrol
- Make You Feel My Love – Adele
Encore Violinists Cristinel Bacanu has played for many proposals, so make your dreams a reality…
Unique Musical Marriage Proposal Songs
Are you bored of the classics? Or are you looking for something a bit different? These songs are guaranteed to tick the relevant but edgy box, and still remain classy and romantic. We propose you check them out…
- Sweet Thing – Van Morrison
- Call the Preacher – Brian Walker
- Sea of Love – Phil Phillips
- All I Want Is You – U2
- Better Together – Jack Johnson
It’s not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving,
I’ll tell you one thing, it’s always better when we’re together…
- Heroes – David Bowie
- Never Tear Us Apart – INXS
- You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder
- True Companion – Marc Cohn
- Little Trip to Heaven – Tom Waits
How to Book Musicians
Now you’ve picked out what vibe and music you would like to feature in your proposal it’s time to book a musician. But how, what, where, when I hear you wonder?
We find that the most popular musicians for proposals are: harpists, guitarists, singers, and violinists. These musicians are versatile, can play any style, create a magical atmosphere, and are very easy to work with. This means you can make your dreams come true, hassle-free.
As these musicians are individual acts, this also makes it a cost-effective musical option. You will be looking at prices of £100-£200 for budget options, and £200-£400 for the highest quality musicians. This of course depends on how much music you want them to play, for example, just one song will be cheaper than a 30 minute set of background music.
If you need more information about musician costs, check out our article on How Much Musicians Cost.
So where do I find these musicians? Encore’s nationwide family of musicians can create any musical scenario you want anywhere. So, get browsing now…
Harpists
This option can add that magical romance you’ve been looking for. Just imagine, a beach proposal with your favourite Adele tunes being played in the background…
Encore customer Kevin was put at ease by the logistical professionalism of Isabel Harries:
She provided a list of songs to choose from and gave helpful guidance on how many pieces to select. On the day she arrived exactly on time and set herself up quickly and with no fuss.
DON’T FORGET to check the logistics of your location. A harpist on a rooftop with no lift access is a tricky situation…
Guitarists
Looking for that fresh acoustic vibe? Guitarists are a great option and are incredibly versatile. Requests are no problem and whether you’re in a castle or on a boat, your guitarist will be happy anywhere!
Check out Encore guitarist Joey Bradick. Encore customer Rebecca was thrilled with Joey’s professionalism:
He arrived in plenty of time, played songs that had been requested fantastically and was a brilliant addition to the evening!
Singers
If you want the words of your favourite songs to really stand out, then a singer is the perfect addition. Get that personal touch with a singer like Encore’s Gemma Doyle…
Encore customer Penny was thrilled with Gemma’s ability to adapt to last-minute changes. All of our Encore musicians are happy to help solve your musical problems whenever possible…
Gemma was quick, efficient, professional and went well above and beyond to help out on a last minute request. She saved a difficult problem with thought and care and the result was absolutely terrific.
Violinists
Violinists can add that classical and classy touch to the big day. Super versatile, they can play anywhere and look amazing!
Encore’s Anna Ovsyanikova was recently booked for a musical marriage proposal and it went down an absolute treat! Encore customer Sav had this to say:
Booking Anna was the best thing I ever did for my surprise wedding proposal. Not only did she arrange all the music for the evening for me prior, which we discussed in detail prior and provided demos for me, she performed these so brilliantly, but also went above and beyond to make the evening so special for us.