The Bridal Chorus is a song composed by Richard Wagner for his 1850 opera Lohengrin. It is also known as "Here Comes the Bride or "Wedding March" and is often played as the bride's entrance music at many formal weddings in the Western world. The song is sung by the women of the wedding party in the opera, as they accompany the heroine Elsa to her bridal chamber. The lyrics are in German and express the joy and faithfulness of the newlyweds.
Appearance in the Haunted Mansion franchise[]
Ride[]
The chorus was added in the attic sequence of the American mansions in 1992 to fit with the wedding theme.
Film[]
The Bridal Chorus was featured in the 2003 film adoption, It is played during a flashback scene, where the ghost of Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker) marries his beloved Elizabeth (Marsha Thomason), who is later revealed to be Murphy's character's wife's ancestor. The song is also heard briefly in the present day when Murphy's character and his wife enter the mansion's ballroom and see a painting of Gracey and Elizabeth.
The use of the Bridal Chorus in the film is ironic, as it contrasts the happy and romantic tone of the song with the tragic and sinister backstory of Gracey and Elizabeth. Their marriage was sabotaged by Gracey's butler Ramsley (Terence Stamp), who poisoned Elizabeth and made Gracey believe that she killed herself. Gracey then hanged himself in despair, and his ghost remained in the mansion, waiting for Elizabeth's reincarnation to return. The film also subverts the traditional role of the song, as it is not played for Murphy's character and his wife, who is already married, but for their ancestors, who are doomed to die.
