Every bride and groom goes through the dilemma of choosing their first wedding dance. For some it’s a simple and sometimes obvious choice, for others, it’s a complete nightmare. Then again some just don’t bother at all and opt not to have one at all.
Those that don’t have a problem selecting one normally go with the piece of music that they first met or got to know each other to…! It could also be part of a movie soundtrack that was a favourite of the happy couple at the time their relationship first blossomed. Generally speaking, some songs that are chosen are upbeat and bouncy, feel-good tunes and some are slow romantic ballads or even soft rock anthems.
No Dance At All!!!
Strange as it may seem, there are brides and grooms that are just not into music in any way and almost rebel against having a first dance. Some feel pressured into having one to appease their families wishes and end up “going through the motions” rather than going through the emotions, just to keep them quiet.
Same-Sex Marriages
On the whole, most couples take the choice of their first dance as a very important piece of music. Realising that in years to come, it’s something that they will look back on and be able to say that that was their tune. This can be especially poignant with same-sex couples who enter into marriage. They invest a lot of emotion into their decision to get married in the first place, more so than straight couples, as some have had to go through a certain amount of bigotry and prejudicious about their life choices.
Our Advice
If we were to offer any advice on choosing such a personal thing, it would be to select a piece of music that you both know and like, with words that speak of how you both feel about each other. Not because it has a catchy tune or that your friends like it or even cos it’s No.1 in the charts at the time. Ideally, we would say think long and hard over your choice unless there it one outstanding track that jumps out at you, then fair enough, that might just be the one.
A Special Routine
We have to consider that you also might want to make your first dance into a spectacular performance, complete with a full-on choreographed dance routine, to shock and amaze all your guests. This can take hours of careful planning and rehearsals to perfect, especially if you are going to involve some of your wedding party in a kind of a “flash mob” style first dance, that builds and builds as the track progresses.
A Choreographer?
If you are thinking of going down that route you need to engage the services of a choreographer or semi-professional dancer to guide you and point you in the right direction, literally. If you don’t know a dancer or instructor, check your local dance school as they will be able you help you out and most will have done it before.
Specially Mixed Music
You might need a specially prepared musical mix putting together made up of the right music choices, all cleverly linked together. Then if you’re not handy with editing software to cut it all together, you will need to seek out someone who is. The answer to this could be found in your wedding DJ. He will have access to more or less all your song choices and most will be familiar with editing them all together.
Based on my experience and feedback from my website, I’ve compiled a Top Ten of popular First Dance songs, some of which you will be familiar with and some will come as a pleasant surprise…
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
- Amazed – Lonestar
- Everything – Michael Bublé
- All Of Me – John Legend
- Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – Andy Williams
- Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
- Stand By Me – Ben E.King
- Ho Hey – The Lumineers
- L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole
- You Give Me Something – James Morrison
- Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
- Because You Loved Me – Whitney Houston
- The One – Kodaline
- I knew I Loved You – Savage Garden
- From This Moment – Shania Twain
- Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis
- Walking After You – Foo Fighters
- Theory of a Dead Man – All or Nothing
- I’ll Be There – The Jackson 5
- My First, My Last, My Everything – Barry White
- If you say My Eyes are Beautiful – Whitney Houston, Jermaine Jackson Duet
- Wedding Day – Bee Gees