One of the questions I am asked most often is: what songs actually work well on acoustic guitar? Not everything translates from the original recording, some songs gain something when stripped back to a single guitar, and others lose too much. Here is a guide to the songs I find work best at weddings.
Beatles classics
The Beatles are the reason I play guitar. Many of their songs were originally written on acoustic guitar and they translate beautifully: Something, Blackbird, Here Comes the Sun, Let It Be, Norwegian Wood. These are songs that almost every guest at any age will recognise and love.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran writes songs that are perfectly designed for acoustic guitar, he plays them himself that way. Thinking Out Loud, Perfect, Make It Rain, The A Team, and many others work extremely well in a wedding setting. They are contemporary enough to feel current but melodic enough to suit quieter moments.
Coldplay
Coldplay arrangements work beautifully on acoustic guitar, particularly for ceremony and drinks. Yellow, The Scientist, Fix You, Clocks, and A Sky Full of Stars are all in my repertoire and always popular.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has written some genuinely beautiful love songs that suit acoustic arrangements well: Lover, Love Story, You Are in Love, and many others from her more acoustic-leaning albums.
Classic love songs
Certain songs never go out of fashion at weddings because they are simply perfect: Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis), A Thousand Years (Christina Perri), All of Me (John Legend), At Last (Etta James), La Vie en Rose.
Something different
The above are all popular, but I can arrange almost anything that has a strong melody. Film themes, folk songs, hymns, contemporary indie tracks, if it means something to you, it is worth asking me whether I can arrange it.
You can see the full list on the repertoire page, and when we meet I can play you any of the songs you are considering so you can hear how they sound as acoustic arrangements.