When I was much, much younger than I am now, I used to religiously tune in to the Official Chart on Radio 1 and – this will give away my age – frantically hit the record button on the tape recorder to encapsulate all my favourite tunes to play at my leisure!

We’re talking the dizzy heights of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ Rick Astley, ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ Kylie Minogue (back in the days when she was fresh out of Neighbours), ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ Jason Donovan (fresh on the tail of Kylie), and who can forget the epic stay at Number 1 from Meatloaf who would Do Anything for Love.

But He Won’t Do That.

Whatever ‘That’ is.

This leads us nicely into the theme for this blog post in which we’ve compiled a Top 10 of Hymns sung at weddings.

We’ve put together hundreds of Orders of Services over the years so we’ve taken a good look back through a good chunk of them to see which hymns come out on top.

Now, this is no ‘Official Chart’, but we hope that it provides a bit of inspiration if you’re trying to decide on the hymns which will feature in your wedding service.

NOTE: Before printing any words into an Order of Service, you need to check the copyright status of the hymn. Your church may hold a Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) Licence which will allow you to do this, but otherwise, it is your responsibility to ensure you have permission to use the words in your Order of Service. Many hymns are in the ‘Public Domain’ meaning that you don’t need permission because in the UK, copyright in a song expires 70 years after the end of the calendar year in which the last surviving writer or composer has passed away. We have noted the copyright status of each hymn in our ‘Top 10’ and if we are asked to print the words in an Order of Service, we will assume you have sought the correct permission.

JOINT NUMBER 10: AMAZING GRACE

In at joint Number 10 is the well-known and loved hymn ‘Amazing Grace’, published in 1779. The words followed from the English poet and Anglican Clergyman John Newton in 1772. This hymn has particular significance in the region our company is based in as Newton went on to become the curate of nearby Olney in 1764 and as you drive into this pretty little town, the ‘Olney’ sign is proud to let you know that it is the ‘Home of Amazing Grace’.

Copyright: Public Domain

JOINT NUMBER 10: GUIDE ME O THOU GREAT REDEEMER (BREAD OF HEAVEN)

Joining ‘Amazing Grace’ in the Number 10 spot is Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer (Bread of Heaven). The song, also known as ‘Cwm Rhondda’, has Welsh roots with the words being written by Wales’s Number 1 Hymnist William Williams (1717-1791) and the melody written by Welsh Composer John Hughes in 1907.

It is a popular hymn and was sung at the weddings of Prince William to Catherine Middleton and Prince Harry to Meghan Markle.

Well, if it’s good enough for them…

Copyright: Public Domain

NUMBER 9: I VOW TO THEE, MY COUNTRY

At number 9 is British patriotic hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country. Originating from a poem by Sir Cecil Sprint Rice written in either 1908 or 1912, Gustav Holst then adapted the music from a section of ‘Jupiter’ from his suite ‘The Planets’ in 1921.

In 2019, it was voted as the UKI’s sixth favourite hymn in a 2019 poll by the BBC’s Songs of Praise and if you’re fans of Netflix phenomenon The Crown, you may recognise it from Season 1, Episode 1 (2016), as Winston Churchill enters Westminster Abbey for the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten. It was also requested by Diana, Princess of Wales, to be sung at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 saying that it had “always been a favourite since schooldays”.

Copyright: Public Domain

NUMBER 8: ONE MORE STEP ALONG THE WORLD I GO

Number 8 in our Chart is Sydney Carter’s (1915-2004) One More Step Along the World I Go. Sung to an upbeat and well-known tune, this hymn was written for a service at the end of the summer term at Southwark Cathedral School in London in 1971 to signify children leaving one school to join another, and it seems an appropriate choice for a marriage where you are taking ‘one more step’ in your journey together.

This hymn is still subject to copyright, so you will need to check that your church has a CCLI Licence to reproduce the words. Recent statistics show that it was recently the seventh most sung copyright song in school assemblies in the UK.

Copyright: 1971 Stainer & Bell, Ltd. (Admin Hope Publishing Co.)

NUMBER 7: ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

Another popular school-days hymn finds its way to lucky number 7 in our own Top 10 Chart of Wedding Hymns. All Things Bright And Beautiful is a well known tune which means that even your non-religious guests are likely to be able to join in with it.

Written in 1848 by Cecil Frances Alexander with the melody following from William Henry Monk in 1887, the hymn was first published in 1848 in Mrs Cecil Alexander’s Hymns for Little Children.

Made up of seven verses of four lines, the chorus ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ is repeated after each stanza meaning it is good for short attention spans!

Copyright: Public Domain

NUMBER 6: LORD OF THE DANCE

In at Number 6 is Lord of the Dance, written by Sydney Carter (1915-2004) in 1963. Another popular school hymn (it was recently the fifth most sung copyright song in school assemblies in the UK), your guests are likely to enjoy singing along to this well-known tune.

This was one of the hymns at our wedding and I guarantee that if you watch the You Tube video we’ve linked to, you’ll be singing it all day!

It is not a ‘traditional’ hymn and is fully copyrighted, so make sure your church has a CCLI Licence to allow you to reproduce the words.

Copyright: 1963, Stainer & Bell, Ltd., London, England. (admin. by Hope Publishing Co.)

NUMBER 5: MORNING HAS BROKEN

This hymn made it to Number 6 in the U.S. Charts in 1972 when Cat Stevens popularised the song, but makes it a place higher to Number 5 in our not-quite-so-prestigious Chart!

This hymn dates back to 1931 and was written by English author Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) who was inspired by the village of Alfriston in East Sussex. It was then set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune “Bunnessan”.

The hymn gives thanks to ‘every day’ and there’s no better day to give thanks on than your wedding day!

Copyright: By permission of David Higham Associates Limited, London

NUMBER 4: LORD OF ALL HOPEFULNESS

Although it is known as one of the UK’s most popular hymns, Lord of All Hopefulness doesn’t quite make it into our Top Three and sits just outside at Number 4.

Written by English writer Jan Struther in 1931 and set to the melody of an Irish folksong named Slane, this was the opening hymn at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2019.

Copyright: Oxford University Press

NUMBER 3: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING

We’re now into the Top Three where we find traditional Christian hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, written in 1747 by Charles Wesley (1707-1788).

To validate its appearance in our chart, our research shows that In October 2005, it was voted as one of Britain’s ten favourite hymns and was sung at the wedding blessing of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. It was also one of three hymns sung at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Copyright: Public Domain

NUMBER 2: JERUSALEM

Not quite top of the shops, but immensely popular nonetheless, is the partisan hymn Jerusalem, written in 1804 by William Blake (1757-1827) with the music by English composer Hubert Parry (1848-1918) following in 1916.

Known as England’s unofficial national anthem, this is guaranteed to be known by your guests and the patriotic ones will be singing it at the top of their voices!

It is a hugely popular hymn and is sung in churches, schools and at sporting events. It is particularly associated with the England Rugby Team and Cricket’s Barmy Army!

Copyright: Public Domain

NUMBER 1: GIVE ME JOY IN MY HEART (SING HOSANNA)

The results are in from our non-official countdown chart, and research across a great number of our Orders of Service shows that the Number 1 chosen hymn to be sung at your Christian wedding is well-known and loved ‘Give Me Joy In My Heart (Sing Hosanna)’.

This was one of the hymns at our wedding and it was well-sung by our guests – it’s likely that everyone at your ceremony will be able to join in with this one because it is so well known. And the good news is that the copyright sits in the public domain, so you don’t need to worry about any licensing issues.

A truly joyful song with true meaning, all of your guests will be there with joy in their heart making it perhaps the most appropriate hymn there is – and most likely why it has been chosen at so many of the weddings we’ve worked on.

Definitely worthy of our Number 1 spot.

Copyright: Public Domain