The first dance is a defining moment at any wedding; you’ll probably never forget those few minutes. That’s precisely why it matters how it goes – you need to create the best possible conditions for it. When it comes to the first dance, one of the most important factors is the music. Let’s take a look at a few ideas for wedding first dance music that are sure to be a hit with you and your partner on the big day, and which will ensure you both have a great time whilst dancing.
In this article, you’ll find some tracks that would make brilliant music for your wedding opening dance. We’ll also help you work out what to look out for when choosing the right music.
How do you go about it, and what should you bear in mind when choosing music for your wedding first dance?
In this paragraph, we’ll give you a few tips that might come in handy when choosing music for your wedding first dance.
1. Ask around before you start looking for the perfect number
Before choosing the music, ask your friends and do a bit of research into family weddings. Who knows – you might just stumble across a song that was played at your parents’ wedding, for example, and fall in love with it.
2. Trust your own musical taste and that of your partner
Trust your own taste in music; make it your first priority to scroll through your playlists – you might just find the perfect song for your and your partner’s first dance there. Ask them to have a look through their playlists too.
3. Make the decision together with your partner
Choosing the music for the wedding first dance, just like the whole wedding planning A task for pairs. Choose a song that both of you enjoy listening to.
4. Choose a style
It helps with your choice if you select a genre. Is there a genre you really don’t like at all? Great! That’s one less to cross off your list of potential music genres.
5. Think in advance about what mood the music should have
There are plenty of well-known classic and modern wedding songs, but you don’t necessarily have to choose from these. The music should reflect who you are. It can be serious, funny or even a bit unexpected – the main thing is that you both enjoy yourselves.
Discuss what style you’d like for the opening dance, and then you can start looking for the music that suits it best.
6. When it comes to the speed of the number, aim for the happy medium
As we mentioned in the previous point, there are no restrictions; the choice of your opening dance and the music to accompany it is entirely up to you.
Just a tip (from a dance perspective): don’t choose a track that’s either too slow or too fast, as it’s much harder to put together and then learn a good choreography to those.
7. Pay attention to the length of the track
It’s not worth choosing a very long piece. A 3–4-minute dance routine is just enough to learn and then perform whilst everyone is watching you.
8. Pay attention not only to the melody, but to the lyrics as well
The melodies of the songs hint at their content, but it’s still worth reading through the lyrics of your chosen track in each case before you finally cast your vote.
9. Your favourite films can also help you make your choice
Yes, you might even find your wedding first dance song in your favourite film. Our list also includes tracks that were first introduced to the world through a particular film scene.
10. You can also ask the people in charge of the music
If you really can’t find the right opening song, ask the wedding band or the DJ – they have experience in this area and are sure to be able to suggest a few tracks that you’ll like.
Right, here’s the list. 🙂
What are the best songs for a wedding first dance?
We’ve put this list together so that everyone can find some tracks they like.
In our selection of music for wedding opening dances, you’ll find classic, modern, well-known and lesser-known tracks.
Wedding first dance playlist
Modern music
Here’s a selection for those who prefer more contemporary tracks. Our list features a range of well-known and lesser-known, unique wedding first dance songs across various genres – have a browse through them.
If you’d rather have a classical track, don’t worry – just scroll down, where you’ll find plenty of beautiful classical wedding first dance songs.
1. Ellie Goulding – The Writer
2.Anya Marina – Power of Love
3.Emeli Sandé & The Bryan Ferry Orchestra – Crazy In Love
Who hasn’t heard of the song ‘Crazy In Love’, originally made famous by Beyoncé? This cover version was recorded for the 2013 film *The Great Gatsby*, and it’s fair to say it turned out very well; the original song was brilliantly adapted to suit the film’s atmosphere.
4. Ray LaMontagne – You Are The Best Thing
5. Tom Odell – Grow Old with Me
6.Lana Del Rey – Say Yes to Heaven
The track was recorded for the singer’s album *Ultraviolence*, but didn’t make it onto the album in the end; it was never officially released, but fortunately it’s available on YouTube. 🙂
7.Patrik Watson – Je te laisserai des mots
8. Angus & Julia Stone – Chateau
9. Cat Power – Sea of Love
10. Kodaleine – Latch
11. Jack Johnson – Better Together
12. The Saxophones – If You’re On The Water
13. Sufjan Stevens – The Dress Looks Nice On You
14. Lana Del Rey – Love Song
15.Skylar Grey – Stand By Me
A cover of Ben E. King’s 1961 track, sung in Skylar Grey’s enchanting voice. Even if you don’t choose this as your wedding first dance song, it’s still worth adding to your playlist.
16.Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Wedding Song
17. Rachael Yamagata – Let Me Be Your Girl
18.Florence+The Machine – Cosmic Love
19. Yann Tiersen – Comptine d’Un Autre Été
You’re probably familiar with this catchy tune, which was composed for the blockbuster film *Amélie*.
20.Michael Bublé – Dream a Little Dream of Me
21.Katie Melua – If You Were a Sailboat
22.The XX – Islands
23.Coldplay – A Message
24.Emmit Fenn – Yellow
‘Yellow’ was originally one of the biggest hits from Coldplay’s 2000 album *Parachutes*. Since then, there have been numerous covers of the song, one of the best of which is by Emmit Fenn.
25.Ellie Goulding – Your Song
A special cover version by Ellie Goulding of Elton John’s song ‘Your Song’, originally released in 1970.
26.Lana Del Rey – Young and Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version)
The singer wrote the song for the film *The Great Gatsby* in 2013.
27. Anna of the North – Lovers
28. Villagers – The Wonder Of You
Many people may recognise this adaptation from HBO’s hugely successful original series *Big Little Lies*.
29. Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
Older, classical music
And now for the classics. In this playlist, we’ve once again selected tracks from a range of genres that are guaranteed to bring tears to everyone’s eyes as you take to the dance floor together for the first time in your lives as husband and wife.
30.Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight
31. Audrey Hepburn – Moon River
32.Louis Armstrong – La vie en rose
34.Dean Martin – You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You
35.Nat King Cole – LOVE
36.Frank Sinatra – Dream a Little Dream of Me
37.Dean Martin – Everybody Loves Somebody
39.Dooley Wilson – As time goes by
If you like old films, you’ve no doubt seen the 1942 film *Casablanca*. You can hear this song in that film.
40. Etta James – At Last
And last but not least, a beautiful song by Etta James.
We hope that, with the help of our tips and song suggestions, you’ve found the best opening dance music for you.
If you haven’t yet decided what music you’ll be dancing to as you make your way towards that happy ‘I do’, then have a look at our selection of wedding processional music too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose a song that you both like. If you can’t think of anything straight away, start by deciding on the style and mood – that’ll help narrow down the list. Think broadly; you don’t necessarily have to choose from the usual wedding songs.
It’s worth bearing in mind that you shouldn’t choose tracks that are too slow or too fast, as it’s difficult to create a simple, easy-to-learn and accessible choreography to them. Furthermore, the length of the track is also an important factor; it’s best not to choose a track longer than 5 minutes.
No. It can be funny, cheerful, touching, fast, slow – whatever you like. The main thing is that it reflects your personalities and that you feel comfortable whilst dancing. We’ve selected tracks from a range of genres for our list; there are faster and slower pieces, as well as serious and less serious ones.
Source of the images: Pinterest
