Songs For Your First Dance

The traditional first dance of a bride and groom is a guaranteed focal point of your wedding reception. All eyes turn to the happy couple for their inaugural spin around the dance floor, and the music chosen symbolizes their bond and the promise of the next chapter of their fairy tale. There’s a whole trove of legendary first dance songs, romantic tunes that set the tone for such a meaningful and emotional moment, each with personal meaning for the couple who chooses them. With so much promise held by this peak moment of your celebration, we’ve gathered a list of potential tunes to suit the occasion perfectly.  

  1. Time and Tide – Basia

A breezy mid-tempo groove from the 80s, this jazzy tune lends a happy, hopeful energy to your romantic spin along the dancefloor. And the lyric “nothing and no one can stop us now, for better or worse…” reflect the strength of your union in no uncertain terms. 

  1. At Last —Etta James

This timeless showstopper resonates with love and gratitude from the first striking note. A classic slow-burner that fills the room with Etta’s pitch-perfect delivery of an arrangement that’s never gone out of style, you’ll feel the power of your total commitment to your truest love as you take your first musical steps as a married couple.

  1. Honeybee – The Head and The Heart

An unexpected song about belief and how love can change your heart, this minimalist pop ballad gives a modern twist to your first dance, and the lyrics state without any doubt that “we made a garden of the love we found” no matter what it took to get there. A stirring tune to set you spinning into your happy ever after!

  1. Like A Star — Corrine Bailey Rae

The overwhelming romance of finding your once-in-a-lifetime love comes through in Corrine’s hushed tones and plaintive, shimmering guitar and electric piano, creating a jazzy vibe that brings equal parts mood and sunshine to your first dance. It’s a captivating blend that presents love as a complex magic, a fantastic start to the celebration yet to come. 

  1. Fidelity—Regina Spektor

This quirky tune expresses the wonderment of discovering the perfect someone and how things could have easily gone another direction but didn’t, and how that reality inspires “music…and it breaks my heart”, but in the best possible way. You’ll be dancing your way into forever to the happy sounds of plucky violins, bouncy piano chords and the happy promise of being inspired by such a powerful phenomenon as true love.

  1. Like Real People Do—Hozier

This almost-choral folk song speaks of acceptance and holding onto the moment with its chorus of “we should just kiss like real people do” will give you the feeling of being the only two people in the whole world despite being watched by a roomful of friends and family members celebrating your most auspicious occasion. And isn’t that what true love is all about? 

  1. I Choose You – Sara Bareilles

Sara gives us a song custom-crafted for first dances. From the proclamation of its title to its “tell the world that we finally got it all right” chorus to its gentle pop-samba guitar-and-handclap delivery, you’ll be swaying joyfully in the glow of true love, and your guests will be bopping along in their seats as they watch your happiness unfold.

  1. Blessed – Thomas Rhett

This country/R&B throwback tune lends a waltzy bounce to your first dance, the descriptions of deep dedication and the idea that being “lucky just ain’t enough” when describing a love so powerful. It’s a honey-sweet introduction to your reception and a glowing invitation for your guests to celebrate your union with some happy dancing of their own.

  1. Overjoyed—Stevie Wonder

There may be no more perfect lyrical summation of commitment than this R&B classic from a musical genius like none other. “Over time, I’ve been building my castle of love, just for two…” It reads like a romantic ode from another era, but it plays like a swelling ballad of ultimate commitment to love that allows for a gentle slow dance beginning and a triumphant call to total jubilation by the end.

  1. Endless Love – Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

“My love…you’re every breath that I take…” This classic emotional duet will bring happy tears to everyone in the hall as it begins tenuously and tremulously like every true love does and slowly builds to that wondrous pinnacle of commitment. As a song for your first dance as man and wife, you can’t do any better.

What are your favorite choices for first dance songs? We’d love to hear what’s on your list. Connect with us on social media, on Instagram @allegrostl and Facebook as Allegro Entertainment and tells what tunes you’ve got cued up for your first wedding dance!

Songs To Walk You Down the Aisle

Music sets the mood and brings your guests into your most significant wedding moment, and no moment is more captivating than your walk down the aisle. Beyond the traditional march and the evergreen Pachelbel’s Canon in D, you can personalize your wedding with a theme that captures the spirit of your personal connection to your partner. Of course, if you have a signature song as a couple – something romantic and meaningful – you have a perfect aisle theme already. But if your favorite tune is a little too techno for the tone of your wedding or doesn’t quite fit the moment and you’re just not feeling good about the obvious selections, here are some choices for wedding themes that can make your big moment a proper experience for everyone—especially you and your beloved!

  1. You Are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne

For a wedding with a contemporary feel, this horn-soaked slice of R&B bliss will set your ceremony off to a rollicking start. Ray’s chorus of pleading declarations echoed by honey-sweet backing vocals expresses everything your guests will need to know about your love and start your celebration off with a warm groove.

  1. I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

A perennial favorite and long-time chart topper, this brisk and breezy little tune perfectly sums up a walk down the aisle. Jingling ukulele chords and Jason’s easygoing tones are as great a match for a beach wedding or an outdoor ceremony as they are for an intimate, candlelit indoor celebration.

  1. Come Away with Me – Norah Jones

If you want a tune with a nostalgic feel but a contemporary presentation, consider this lovely song from a classic voice that brings a 21st century feel to jazzy standard songwriting, with a message of two people escaping the world for the sake of love. Romance is the order of the day, after all!

  1. The Book of Love – Peter Gabriel

There won’t be a dry eye in the house by the time this valentine to the notion of eternal love is finished. Gabriel’s whiskey-and-smoke voice set against a curtain of romantic strings sets an orchestral tone paced perfectly for your aisle stroll. By the time final line “You want to give me wedding rings” comes around, you’ll be front and center for your big moment.

  1. I And Love And You – The Avett Brothers

Few musicians on the modern landscape capture the emotional sense of a wedding march than these talented siblings, and this chiming folk tune attests to the strength of a simple melody and a stirring chamber arrangement. A gentle, earthy tale about life on the road, the lyrics can easily be reimagined as the story of the challenges of love that have led two people to their pinnacle moment. 

  1. No One – Alicia Keys

If you’re looking for a bit of a thumper, this one has you covered. A gently driving beat and a minimalist arrangement provide a sonic landscape for Alicia’s soulful plea of commitment and devotion. A fantastic choice if your tastes tend toward a more upbeat option that will synchronize your guests and get their heads happily bobbing along in time!

  1. Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You – Damien Rice

Maybe one of the most tender, haunting love songs ever, this fragile rumination on the unexpected power of love builds to a soaring peak that can be timed for a wonderful touch of romantic drama for your trip down the aisle. A wonderful choice for the couple who favors a bit of storytelling in their ceremony.

  1. Best of My Love – The Emotions

If you’re looking to put a bit more spring in your step as you take the big walk, think about using this joyful classic. With its sun-splashed horns, bouncy rhythm and cheerful melody – not to mention a message of sheer and complete commitment – you can invite your guests to their feet to join you in a celebratory dance before the reception even begins! As a bonus bopper, pair it with This Will Be by Natalie Cole for a full-blown wedding aisle dance party.

  1. Fix You – Coldplay

An anthem of utter commitment, this buoyant wonderwork brings you the best of both worlds: soft introductory verses to set a delicate entrance that build to a triumphant climax proclaiming dedication to love even during the most trying times. It’s a heartswell of a tune that will broadcast your shared devotion in no uncertain terms.

  1. Glitter in the Air – Pink

A simple story told in a series of romantic images about letting go for the sake of love, this plaintive ballad is a study in celebrating the magic and excitement that comes with taking a leap of faith with the one who holds your heart. And closing with the sentiment “Will it ever get better than tonight?” is a pitch-perfect entrée into your ceremony and exchange of vows. 

Of course, there’s a whole world of music out there that would make a perfect theme for your walk down the aisle. And the theme and tone of your wedding will suggest the right music for you and your occasion. Consider the setting, décor, and tone of your wedding to make sure your theme is in keeping with the vibe you’re trying to create and listen to a wide range of choices with an open mind. You might find the right tune in a genre that you aren’t familiar with but that sets your hearts on fire as soon as you hear it. Also consider the pacing of your wedding; if you have several bridesmaids and groomsmen, you might choose a longer song to allow the full processional within the length of the song. You might also think about having two songs, one for the processional and a special one just for the bride. And because it’s YOUR wedding, you can choose what ever music suits your mood – the possibilities are practically endless!