The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect First Dance Song for Cool Couples
- marriedttmusic
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 7
The first dance—it's one of the most anticipated moments of many wedding receptions. The lights dim, the DJ or band makes the announcement, and all eyes are on the newlyweds as they take to the dance floor for the very first time as a married couple. It can be a bit of fun or a deeply personal statement, a few minutes of intimate connection amidst the joyful chaos of your big day. However…
You may think the first dance idea is a little outdated and you’re not going to bother, that’s cool. You might want to do a traditional American ‘Dance with my father/mother’, also cool if that floats your boat. But if you are having a first dance, or even two, you’re going to need an amazing song for it - however unconventional.
At Married To The Music we reckon we’ve witnessed over 500 first dances. Some of the highlights we’ve experienced are:
- A stripped back version of Jess Glynn’s ‘My Love’ bursting into the dance version complete with lasers
- A gorgeous, understated acoustic live band version of ‘La Vie En Rose’
- A massive choreographed family dance to Blues Brother’s ‘Everybody Needs Somebody’
- Confetti cannons coordinated perfectly for the massive drop in Rudimental and John Newman’s ‘Feel the Love’
- A secret sax performance organised by a groom staged to look like a technical hitch with the first dance song, but bursting into an a cappella Jubel intro. We’re very proud to add that there were tears of joy from the bride.
Some first dances we’ve seen have been really lovely and soppy, some really fun, some completely out of time, some choreographed to the nth degree. It’s important to remember that what made all these dances special was that they’ve all been unique to the couple so actually, we think you can’t go wrong.
CHOOSING THE FIRST DANCE SONG - A STEP BY STEP GUIDE
So how about choosing that all important song? Let’s say you don’t have ‘a song’. You’ll probably start by asking Chat GPT for the best first dance songs. We’re not saying this is a bad place to start, but check out our First Dances for Cool People playlist first.
Create a collaborative playlist with your fiance early on in the wedding planning process and add songs you like when you hear them out and about. When you’ve got a nice collection of about 20 songs on you can have a listen together over a bottle of wine. It might just
Think of what you want the first dance moment to feel like
It can be a lovely moment to really show everyone who you are as a couple. Are you mega loved up (course you are)? Is this a new thing? Are you best friends? Are you VERY fun? Are you a bit silly? Do you want to surprise people? Super soppy? Do you want to include a showstopping lift?
Try it on
When you think you have a couple of contenders, have a go at it just to make sure you can actually dance to it in a comfortable way. It’s worth 4 minutes of your time dancing together in the kitchen to avoid the longest 4 minutes of your life ever in front of everyone on your wedding day.
The lyrics
The lyrics to your first dance song are often at the forefront of first dance decision making. The lyrics are a great opportunity to tell a little story to your guests. Consider the song’s subject matter so that you’re not dancing to a break up song…it has happened.
Who is going to play your first dance?
Once you’ve made your decision, we’d love to hear about it and suggest an act to play it for you. You can have a look at all of our acts here. What do you think would sound amazing?
On the wedding day
The classic ‘join us on the dancefloor’ stunt is a great shout if you’re a bit nervous or you want to get the party going straight away. Just give the signal to the bridesmaids or mates and if they’re good friends they’ll be there in a flash to lead the way for everyone else. We often get asked to shorten the first dance
Check out our slightly more unique first dances spotify playlist for some great songs that are less popular but great, memorable tracks to soundtrack the first dance.
Hopefully you're now well on the way to choosing an incredible first dance song for your wedding - get in touch and we'll help you make it a reality, no matter how unconventional.
Thanks for reading and as always, please check out our links below
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