I’m getting married this August and don’t want your traditional classical wedding music. I don’t really know what tunes would work though. Are there any pretty traditional tunes anyone can think of that work well?
(I think there was a thread on this long ago and far away, but I’d like a few more suggestions as well.)
You should consider tunes by Turlough O’Carolan - it’s quite common to play his music at weddings - Carolan’s Concerto is nice (although a bit long). If you’re looking for a source for his music, the Chieftains regularly play his pieces.
One little tip I recently learned from a discussion on the Uilleann Pipes forum, be sure to ask the priest/pastor/minister, etc., of the church if he (or she) is happy with ‘secular’ music being played. 99.9% of the time they don’t seem to mind, but occasionally they do. It best to check well in advance.
Good luck with the wedding.
Hewlett as a recessional- done at my wedding (back when there was empty land in Orange county)
I guess that all depends on whether it’s the Ceremony or the Reception.
Our ceremony (three weeks ago) had NO music, and was traditionally Celtic. It was a mix of Scottish and Irish traditions with no church. We were “piped-in” by two of my band mates, and piped-out. That’s it for the music until the “reception”.
In lieu of the traditional American “DJ and a big Cake” reception, we chose to hold it at a very nice Irish establishment which served Irish cuisine and drink. We even stated on the invitations that guests were invited to our wedding ceremony and an “Irish Hooley” afterwards. It was the GREATEST wedding that I had ever been to, and was apparently the best that the majority of the guests had attended too. Barleyjuice performed the music along with members from the Stone Soup band. Halfway through, we had a group of Irish stepdancers come in with their CDs and hard shoes. What a draw THAT was! Cuisine was Guinness stew and Jameson chicken. The music just reflected the mood and happiness that the Hooley was trying to portray!
The bride and her father danced to “Sally Garden”.
Someone requested “Danny Boy” until I told them that it was a song about DEATH. I guess some folks just don’t know that there are lyrics with the tunes. 
I think just about any lilting air or slow waltz would be pretty. I know a fiddler and a cello player who play Si Bheag Si Mhor (or however you like to spell it) at a lot of weddings. BTW- I think I would not want to get married by a priets/pastor/whoever who did not approve of Irish trad music.
Also, that is a good way to avoid having to play it without insulting your guests.
Hear, hear!!! 
I don’t mind playing it (normally) when it fits with the flow of the set or concert that we’re doing. It gets to the point where it’s as annoying as someone yelling out “FREE BIRD”!!!
I have a LOAD more excuses to deflect the requests, and they’re all quite pleasant. I usually only need to use them after 1:00am. 
off the top of my head…
Give Me Your Hand
She Left a Star
Star of the Couty Down
Battle of Aughrim
Kerry Slide
Waves of Kilkee
Haste to the Wedding
The Wedding Reel
The Honeymoon Reel
A Thousand Pipers
Her Mantle So Green
Boney Crossing the Alps
Bill O’Malley’s Barndance
Be Thou My Vision (don’t know the name of the tune)
Fair Jenny’s Jig
The Queen of Connemara
Use the more lyrical stuff as prelude music, and play dance tunes for the postlude.
I had thought of using some O’Carolan tunes, but I didn’'t know which ones. I’d thought about Her Mantle so green, too. I think it’s a very pretty tune. Salley Garden doesn’t strike me as the happiest tune for a wedding, just for the words.
Thank you, everyone. You’ve all given me lots of good suggestions. Now I just have to figure something out. 
Oh, and if anyone could suggest something good to substitute for the wedding march it would be ever so nice.
Maybe a bit ambitious but ‘Newfoundland’ by Shaun Davey, from the Brendan Voyage suite has always been a favourite of mine. You can listen to a clip of it here:
All you need is Liam O’Flynn and a concert orchestra
I occasionally get requests for Danny Boy. I tell them I don’t know the tune, but I do know the Derry Air. That usually gets them
Apparently my sister and my wife conspired yesterday and now my wife and I are supposed to play this for my sister’s wedding in three weeks. Guess I’ll have to get busy and learn the tune…
We didn’t do anything “Celtic” for our ceremony, but we had Finvarra’s Wren play for dancing at the reception. At about 10PM a massive session broke out upstairs. I co-opted them to premiere The Platinum Ring, and then Jen and I joined in the music for a bit. (Come to think of it, my little picture over there to the left is from then.) We were finally piped out of the building at about 12:30, but I’m told the die hards kept playing until 4AM.
Don’t the Chieftans have an album called the Wedding Album? I think so. That may have some good stuff on it.
The Star above the Carter
The Holy Ground
Fasten the Leg on Her
MarkB
That’s a gorgeous, gorgeous tune. Thank you for recommending it.
Congratulations!! 
Thank you. 
We had gagaku at our wedding,
which was nice. 
Somebody mentioned the obvious choice ‘Tabhair Dom Do Lámh’ or ‘Give me your Hand.’
The Chieftains played a version and Planxty play it after The Raggle Taggle Gypsy.
There are some Danny Boy style lyrics flying around, but I think the tune sings itself.
Mukade
(edited a few times due to premature issue)
I’m not sure we could find anyone to play that here.
Tabhair Dom Do Lámh is ever so cool, and it reminds me of Planxty, which makes me happy.
Yes, "Give Me Your Hand’ is a good one. Another one you might consider is "If Ever You Were Mine’. Jerry O’Sulivan recorded a nice version of it on his Invasion cd. Good luck and congrats.
-Mike
Here’s some stuff we do:
Fanny Poer
Margaret’s Waltz
Sonny’s Mazurka
O’Carolan’s Draught
O’Carolan’s Farewell
The Snowy Path (slip jig)
A Fig for A Kiss (slip jig)
The Butterfly (good for candle-lighting)
Blarney Pilgrim (leisurely pace)
Kiss The Quaker’s Wife
The Skylark (ditto)
The Mason’s Apron (ditto)
The Lark on the Strand
The Humors of Tulla (gently)
Go Lassie, Go (aka Wild Mountain Thyme)
Lakes of Ponchartrain (inst.)
(airs)
Cape Clear
Slievenomon
Not Irish, but people like these, too …
Tom Bigby’s
Ashokan Farewell
Hope this helps, and congratulations! Have fun!