Traditionally, the first dance song at every wedding was always a waltz and still today the first dance is often referred to as the ‘first waltz’ or ‘bridal waltz’. It really doesn’t get much more romantic than Audrey Hepburn singing one of the most popular waltzes of all time Moon River from the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. You too can bring that “Strictly Come Dancing” glamour to your wedding with the help of our professional dancing teachers – Vicki and Fredric. They provide first dance lessons to wedding couples at their dancing school and will teach you how to have a perfectly choreographed first dance routine.
Although a waltz is still a great choice, for the 21st Century Bride and Groom there is an incredibly diverse repertoire of music available. What you choose for your first dance on your wedding day is also a serious statement of personal style: sleek and modern, sexy and simple, refined, decadent or demure – the choice is yours. To see what’s popular this season, check out wedding music trends and ideas.
If you are a little nervous, or you don’t like all eyes on you, then go for a first dance song that you can easily move to and then let the band invite your guests to join you on the dance floor. Do check out the lyrics. Every year the song “I Will Always Love You” is in the top 20 list of top wedding first dance songs. Nevertheless, the line “I’m not what you need” is clearly about breaking up!
Think carefully before performing a choreographed first dance routine – it can be more stressful than you think! But, if you do choose to, it should be a fun, enjoyable and light-hearted experience.
Divided into categories for the dancers and non-dancers among you, here are a few great wedding first dance suggestions along with the relevant dance (where appropriate). We ran a Top 10 First Dance Wedding Songs poll on our website for over a year and the results of that are also below:
A waltz is a great choice for a first dance as it has reasonably simple dance steps and looks very majestic.
- Moon River (Andy Williams)
- I’ll Be Loving You Always (Frank Sinatra)
- Around The World (Nat King Cole)
- True Love (Bing Crosby)
- Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra)
- Fascination (Al Martino / Nat King Cole)
With the resurgence of cinematic and literary influences like The Great Gatsby, Anna Karenina, Downton Abbey and A Royal Affair, 1920’s vintage Hollywood glamour love songs are roaring back into popularity. Here are a few of our top vintage wedding first dances.
- It Had To Be You – Foxtrot
- Love Is The Sweetest Thing
- If You Were The Only Girl In The World – Waltz
- Tea For Two – Cha Cha
- My Blue Heaven
These great movie songs from the 1930’s form an integral part of the Great American Songbook repertoire. Songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter are ideal for an elegant choreographed first dance routine or for an informal spin around the dance floor.
- The Way You Look Tonight – Foxtrot
- Night and Day – Foxtrot or Quickstep
- Cheek To Cheek – Quickstep
- Let’s Face The Music And Dance – Quickstep
- Nice Work If You Can Get It – Quickstep
A little more informal, the Rat Pack songs make ideal wedding first dances and have a certain bounce to them that is both uplifting and classy. They could be easily choreographed if necessary but are equally just as good to sway along to.
- Come Fly With Me – Quickstep (Frank Sinatra(
- Fly Me To The Moon – Foxtrot (Frank Sinatra)
- More – Foxtrot (Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin)
- Sway – Cha Cha
- The Best Is Yet To Come – Foxtrot
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Foxtrot
- Nice ‘N’ Easy – Slow Foxtrot
These timeless evergreen love songs have wonderful lyrics with meaning and a great melody too. You really can’t go wrong with a wedding first dance to one of these!
- At Last – Slow Dance
- Just The Way You Are – Rhumba
- I Only Have Eyes For You – Foxtrot
- When I Fall In Love – Slow Foxtrot
- What A Wonderful World – Slow Dance
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
- Unforgettable – Slow Dance
- You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Rhumba
- You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You – Slow Foxtrot
Looking for some inspiration for a second wedding first dance song? Here’s some great songs that celebrate finding love again.
- At Last – Etta James
- Just The Way You Are – Billy Joel
- That’s All
- The Second Time Around – Frank Sinatra
- Walking Back To Happiness – Helen Shapiro
- You’ve Got a Friend – James Taylor
It’s always inspiring to know what the rich and famous choose for their wedding first dance song and here are a few celebrity choices:
- At Last – Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster / Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban / Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore
- Moon River – Billy Joel and Katie Lee
- Someone to Watch Over Me – Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr
- In a Sentimental Mood – Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman
- Love and Marriage – Kirk Douglas and Anne Buydens
- Fly Me To The Moon – Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance) and Niamh O’Brien
- Unchained Melody – Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Mariska Hargitay (“Law and Order: SVU”) and Peter Hermann
- Beyond The Sea – Lucy Lawless (“Xena”) and Rob Tapert
- It Had To Be You – Sharon Stone and Phil Bronstein / LeAnn Rimes and Dean Sheremet / Victoria Adams and David Beckham
- Your Song – Kate Middleton and Prince William
- Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime – Michael Buble & Luisana Lopilato
Here’s our top ten wedding first dance songs as chosen by couples who completed our poll:
- The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
- At Last – Etta James
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – Frankie Valli
- Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
- It Had To Be You – Harry Connick Jr
- Cheek To Cheek – Ella Fitzgerald
- Have I Told You Lately – Van Morrison
- More – Bobby Darin
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Frank Sinatra
- L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole
