The Wedding March and the Bridal Chorus: who wrote them
Updated 2026-11-14
Two different pieces are known as “the wedding march.” Richard Wagner wrote the Bridal Chorus, which most people call “Here Comes the Bride.” Felix Mendelssohn wrote the Wedding March, the bright piece with trumpets. At many weddings, the first plays as the couple walks in, and the second plays as they walk out.
The two pieces at a glance
| Bridal Chorus | Wedding March | |
|---|---|---|
| Known as | “Here Comes the Bride” | The wedding march |
| Composer | Richard Wagner | Felix Mendelssohn |
| First performed | 1850 | 1843 |
| Comes from | The opera Lohengrin | Music for the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| Often used for | The walk in | The walk out |
| Speed | Slow and calm | Fast and bright |
| Starts with | A soft, even tune | A trumpet fanfare |
The Bridal Chorus, by Wagner
Wagner’s opera Lohengrin is about a knight who arrives in a boat pulled by a swan. He marries a young noblewoman named Elsa.
The chorus comes at the start of the third act. The wedding is over, and the guests lead the bride and groom to their rooms, singing as they go. In the opera, it is a song for a choir with an orchestra. At weddings, an organ often plays it alone.
The opera’s marriage does not last. Elsa has promised never to ask her husband his name. She asks that same night, and he has to leave her.
The Wedding March, by Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn wrote the overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was 17. Sixteen years later, the King of Prussia asked him for more music for a staging of the play. The Wedding March comes from that second set.
In Shakespeare’s play, three couples marry at the end. The march plays between the fourth and fifth acts, as the weddings are celebrated.
It opens with a trumpet fanfare. Then the full orchestra bursts in with the tune.
How they came to be played at weddings
Neither piece was written for a real wedding. Both come from the theater.
A royal wedding helped to set the custom. In 1858, the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria married a Prussian prince in London. She was named Victoria too, and she is said to have chosen the music herself. Mendelssohn’s march played as the couple left the chapel. By many accounts, Wagner’s chorus was played that day as well.
Other brides copied the princess, and the two pieces have gone together since.
Not at every wedding
Some places of worship ask couples to choose other music, since both pieces come from the theater. Some families avoid Wagner’s music because of the hateful things he wrote about Jewish people. Read Wagner for kids.
Other pieces often heard at weddings:
- Canon in D, by Pachelbel
- “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” by Bach
- The Prince of Denmark’s March, by Jeremiah Clarke
- “Ode to Joy,” by Beethoven
Read the guide to Canon in D.
How to tell them apart
- Listen to the start. Trumpets alone mean Mendelssohn. A soft tune with no fanfare means Wagner.
- Feel the speed. Wagner’s is a slow walk. Mendelssohn’s is a quick, happy march.
- Hum the tune. If the words “here comes the bride” fit the first four notes, it is Wagner.
Things to do together
Walk in and walk out. Play the Bridal Chorus and walk across the room in slow steps. Then play the Wedding March and stride back.
Name that march. Play the first five seconds of each. Ask your child to name the composer.
Be the trumpet. Hold up a pretend trumpet and play the fanfare that starts Mendelssohn’s march.
A toy wedding. Line up the stuffed animals as guests. Pick the music for the walk in and the walk out.
Hear the play. Play the overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and listen for the donkey’s “hee-haw.”
Pick your own. Ask your child what music they would choose for a big day, and why.
Questions to ask
- Which piece sounds happier?
- Why does a slow piece suit a walk in?
- Does it matter that the music was written for a play?
- What music would you choose?
Words to know
- March: music for walking in step
- Chorus: a piece sung by a choir
- Fanfare: a short, bright call for brass
- Processional and recessional: the music for walking in, and the music for walking out
Print and play
Use a listening journal page to compare the two. Read Mendelssohn for kids, opera words for kids, and dances in classical music, which covers the march.
More from this guide
This article is part of Classical music listening guides for kids: famous pieces, one at a time.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.