Wedding Song Tips

Almost every wedding reception features the new couple's spotlight dance, during which the dance floor is cleared so that all the wedding guests can witness the bride and groom's first romantic moments together as a married couple. With all ears and eyes on you at this special moment, you'll want to dance to a song that reflects your relationship and the sentiment of the day. This page offers ideas for finding the perfect wedding song and lists The Knot's top five song picks for a few different styles of music."The Knot: Wedding Song Tips

1. Browse your music collection
2. Assess your style as a couple
3. Look at wedding song lists
4. Go down memory lane
5. Read different lyrics
6. Consult with your dance instructor
7. Consider the classics
8. Stick to a theme
9. Check with the DJ or band

1. "All Of My Love" (Led Zeppelin)The Knot: Top Rock Wedding Songs
2. "Angie" (The Rolling Stones)The Knot: Top Rock Wedding Songs
3. "Beth" (KISS)The Knot: Top Rock Wedding Songs
4. "Feels So Right" (Alabama)The Knot: Top Rock Wedding Songs
5. "Head Over Feet" (Alanis Morissette)The Knot: Top Rock Wedding Songs

1. "Alison" (Elvis Costello)The Knot: Top Hipster Wedding Songs
2. "All I Want Is You" (U2)The Knot: Top Hipster Wedding Songs
3. "As" (Stevie Wonder)The Knot: Top Hipster Wedding Songs
4. "Blood Of Eden" (Peter Gabriel)The Knot: Top Hipster Wedding Songs
5. "Crash" (Dave Matthews Band)The Knot: Top Hipster Wedding Songs

1. "A Long And Lasting Love" (Crystal Gayle)The Knot: Top Country Wedding Songs
2. "All I Have" (Beth Nielson Chapman)The Knot: Top Country Wedding Songs
3. "All I Long For" (Michael English & Susan Ashton)The Knot: Top Country Wedding Songs
4. "All I Need To Know" (Kenny Chesney)The Knot: Top Country Wedding Songs
5. "Annie's Song" (John Denver)The Knot: Top Country Wedding Songs

For a more complete guide to choosing the music for a first dance, visit How to Choose a Wedding Song.

1. Browse Your Music Collection: Break out your record collection or skim through your iPod to search your favorite artists' catalogues. This is a good way to dig up love songs from your past or lyrics that move you. Whether you're an Elvis Presley, Radiohead, or Sarah McLachlan fan, you'll probably be able to find some top-notch wedding song options among your personal stacks.
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     Search for the perfect song. (Creative Commons photo by James Tucker)
2. Assess Your Couple Style: Just like every person, every couple has a unique personality. Whether you and your betrothed are genuine class acts, pranksters or pure country, choose a wedding song that expresses the character of your union.
   • If you're jesters, amuse your wedding guests by cutting a rug to "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off".
   • If you're die-hard romantics, you can gaze at each other and sway to "In Your Eyes".
3. Look at Wedding Song Lists: Many websites have lists of different types of wedding songs. Here are a few popular lists of wedding songs to consider: rock, jazz, hip, indie and popular wedding songs.
   • For more wedding song lists, visit the wedding song list section of How to Choose a Wedding Song.
4. Go Down Memory Lane: Think back through your relationship to what music was playing during those special moments, perhaps at the time when you got engaged, to find a song that has special meaning for you both.
5. Read the Lyrics: Before you celebrate your union with a beautiful love song about a break up, read the lyrics of any songs that you are considering for your first dance. Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" might sound beautiful, but do you really want for your debut dance as a married couple to be set to a song about heroin addiction?
6. Tell Your Tale Through Song: Pick a song that speaks to your feelings about each other, your relationship and the occasion of your marriage.
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     Tell your tale through song. (Creative Commons photo by Debi Stith)
7. Consult with Your Dance Instructor: When you've narrowed your list of potential wedding songs down to a few choices, bring them to your dance instructor or choreographer to ask if they match a particular dance style. If you don't have a few songs in mind, ask your instructor for ideas.
8. Consider the Classics: Frank Sinatra and Van Morrison have been good enough for many couples over the years, so they just might be onto something. Listen to the master crooners to see if songs such as "Moondance" or "Fly Me to the Moon" suit your tastes.
9. Stick to the Theme: If you've chosen a wedding theme, choose a wedding song that fits it. Take the character of the occasion to another level by tying the song together with the dress, the decorations and the vibe of your wedding.
10. Consider the Passage of Time: Choose a wedding song with staying power. You might not be able to stop listening to this week's hot new love song, but you might be tired of it in a year or two, not to mention ten, when you sit down to watch your wedding video.
11. Choose Two Wedding Songs: A popular trend these days is for the newly married couple to share a sentimental dance to a slow song followed by an upbeat pop song, accompanied by choreographed dancing.
    • Check out Mahalo's Mix It Up section in How to Choose a Wedding Song for more information on this trend.

    • Wow your wedding guests with a choreographed dance to a funky jam, such as "Thriller".

12. Add Spoken Words: If you find that your wedding song alone fails to convey the magnitude of what you will feel on your wedding day, consider adding your own words to the mix. You can record anecdotes about your relationship before the wedding and ask the DJ to mix them into your wedding song.
13. Include Your Guests: Your first dance together as a married couple is certainly an important moment for the two of you, but consider your wedding guests' experiences too. As witnesses to your union, they will get the greatest pleasure from understanding and sharing in the sentiment of your wedding song.
14. Check with the DJ or Band: Make sure that your DJ has your wedding song, and the correct version of it too, in his collection or that the band that you've hired knows the music and lyrics well enough to perform it.

• For more information, please see Mahalo's guide to How to Choose a Wedding Song.

• WeddingChannel.com: Q&A: What Are The Traditional "Spotlight" Dances At A Reception?

• The Knot: How to Find Your Song

• Expert Village: How to Choose a Wedding Dance Song

• Wedaholic: How to Successfully Choose Your Wedding Songs and Music (June 2, 2006)

• Martha Stewart: Your First Dance

• The Wall Street Journal: The First Dance Spins Out of Control (April 27,2007)

• Martha Stewart: Music for Every Moment

• The Knot: 35 Jazzy First Dance Songs

• The Knot: 30 Hip First Dance Songs

• Wanderlist.com: Indie Rock Love Songs

• The Knot: 33 Rockin' First Dance Songs

• WeddingSutra.com: The First Dance

• WeddingSolutions.com: Choosing Your Wedding Music

• weddingpath: Your first dance

• YouTube: Wedding Thriller Dance (3:03)

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