How to Choose an Awesome ‘First Dance’ Song

Your first dance should be awesome - so we're here to help!

Your first dance as a married couple is an unforgettable moment – you can breathe a sigh of relief as you've shared your vows, delivered speeches and cut the cake - it's time to let your hair down (quite literally for some brides) as the highly-anticipated wedding reception of the year has well and truly started! All eyes are on you: after all the months of planning, this is your moment.

Here comes the problem - with your 'wedmin' list growing by the week, and your poor brain fried from all the decisions you have to make, how can you narrow down all the songs you love down to just one, perfect song?

A song which means something to you both, whether it was playing in the background when you first kissed, or reminds you of a special holiday should be top of your list, of course. However, if your favourite track has a tempo that doesn't suit your preferred style of dancing for the big day, then you might want to take note of the top 10 first dance tracks on Spotify:

1.     Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

2.    Etta James – At Last

3.    Ray LaMontagne – You Are the Best Thing

4.    John Legend – All of Me

5.    Christina Perri – A Thousand Years

6.    Adele – Make You Feel My Love

7.    Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up

8.    Michael Bublé – Everything

9.   Jack Johnson – Better Together

10.  Lonestar – Amazed

If you possess two left feet and lack a sense of rhythm, opt for a song with a good, strong beat which you and your guests can nod their head and shake their hips to.  If you’re feeling nervous about your first dance and would rather it was over and done with as soon as possible, choose a classic song and communicate your anxiety with your band or DJ who can cut the song short and mix it into a popular floor-filler which will get your guests pumping.

If your music taste is far from mainstream and you fancy going off-piste on the dancefloor, make a list of your favourite songs and practice dancing to them - in a mirror - after a few glasses of bubbly (all in name of research) and see which one looks and feels right for the two of you. Once you have a shortlist of songs, check them against these criteria:

-Can your wedding band/DJ play the track?

-Is the song 3 minutes long or less?

-Are the lyrics appropriate?

If you answer yes to the above, then it’s a winner! If you prefer to go against the grain and you’re planning an unconventional wedding, we’ve collated a list of unique ‘first dance’ songs for the non-traditionalists out there:

1.     Dire Straits – Romeo and Juliet

2.     Gary Wright – DreamWeaver

3.     Yazoo - Only You

4.     Jose Gonzales – Heartbeats

5.     Neil Young – Harvest Moon

6.     Pharrell Wiliams - Happy

7.     Sam Smith - Latch

8.     David Bowie – Heroes

9.     Ray LaMontagne – Trouble

10.  Bright Eyes – First Day Of My Life

We hope this guide has helped you find your perfect ‘first dance’ song, we’d love to know what you have chosen for your wedding day, so please write us a comment below, or on Facebook & Instagram.