Your wedding send-off should feel—there’s no other word for it—epic. As in, uncorking champagne bottles and setting-off-fireworks level of celebration. If there’s one way to make a fashionable exit, it’s with music, and we have just the wedding exit mixtape you’ve been looking for. Whether you need a song for a lighthearted recessional or a reception finale, it’s all here. So, slip into that sexy getaway dress and pass out the sparklers. You may have to book the limo, but we’ve got your playlist covered.
Photography: Sally Pinera
Soulful and triumphant, this song will send you out on a high. Some songs fill you with pure, uncomplicated happiness—this is one of those, elevated by James Morrison’s gorgeous voice and honest lyrics.
A sexy little song that makes you want to drop everything, pack a bag, and take a trip with your love. We’re getting serious honeymoon vibes with “you be the deejay, I’ll be the driver, / you put your feet up in the getaway car.” You’ll have visions of driving along the coast, listening to music, and luxuriating in how totally in love you are with John Mayer.
Photography: Ether & Smith
A duet so full of sparkle and wordplay it’s feels like it was written expressly for the wedding of the hip(ster) couple.
Photography: Rebecca Yale
A folk-indie gem of a song about wanting to elope and leave town. The song opens with the sound of bells and organ music, which feel reminiscent of waking up on your wedding morning. As the song builds, you’ll feel just as much like running away with the one you love.
Photography: Jordan Galindo
You’ll want to dance your way to the getaway car— maybe as (delightfully and) badly as Father John Misty dances.
In recent concerts, Florence Welch runs barefoot across a stage full of meadow flowers, dressed in something ethereal, usually an ivory silk dress. The singer, the gown, and the flowers look like something out of a Pre-Raphaelite painting—or an SMP-approved styled shoot. Imagine recreating your own Florence moment as you walk down staircase adorned with flowers, to a Florence + the Machine anthem glimmering with harp music.
Photography: Sylvie Gil Photography
A sweet little cover that will remind you of a scene straight out of—you guessed it—A Walk to Remember. Awww.
For the dance music-loving couple, this song is the ultimate show closer. It’s the absolute perfect song to be showered with rose petals by with lyrics like “hold for the applause, oh / And wave out to the crowd, and take our final bow / It’s our time to go, but at least we stole the show.” (by the way, this *might be*—in fact it is—a breakup song. But song meanings were meant to be revised and reclaimed, right?)
Photography: Fontaine Photo
“This is the first day of the future,” declares Ben Lee, “and all I want is you.” Could there be a more wedding-ready sentiment? For all its carefree vibes, the song contains a gorgeous message—to hold fast to the ones you love, mindful of this fleeting life.
Photography: Cathy Durig
The wedding is over, and your new life is beginning—say it with swagger.
Every U2 song is epic, and this one is no exception. Made for life’s most cinematic moments—like a kiss on the steps of the church.
Photography: Imaj Gallery
Duet- Rachael Yamagata ft. Ray Lamontagne Most brides and grooms opt for a big, joyful song for the send-off, and we can’t blame them—this is a dazzling moment. But if overly happy songs aren’t your thing, then set a gorgeous, reverential mood with your music. This song could, with its quiet beauty, cause a hush to fall over the entire crowd. We picture it working well for a candlelight send-off or a lantern release; picture the night sky, the stars, the flicker of candlelight, and this song bringing everything together in a charged way.
Photography: Jen Huang
If you’re eloping, consider playing a song for just the two of you. Nothing will ever match the simplicity and beauty of “Come Away With Me.” It’s a song made for the couple who cherishes privacy, so stark and intimate you feel you’re reading a love letter. “I want to walk with you / On a cloudy day / in fields where the yellow grass grows knee- high”— beautiful words to close a private ceremony in the lavender fields or to seal a “kiss / On a mountaintop.”
A song that encourages so much 90’s nostalgia (and deliciously bad karaoke). You’ll create one of those moments you’ll always remember—with all of your friends singing off-key and sending you so much love. And anyway, you know who you want to take you home. *da dun dun*
Photography: Craig and Eva Sanders Photography
We like to think that this was Gaga’s most gorgeous A Star is Born Moment—seated at the piano, wearing no makeup, and dressed like a folk queen, à la Emmylou Harris. But enough about that. You will always remember the two of you this way— newly married, in the flush of your love. You’ll always remember running away from the venue, kicking off your Jimmy Choos, and sharing a piece of cake in the back seat of the limo. Just the two of you, driving home, together at last.