How to Choose a Wedding Song for Your First Dance

You may or may not be engaged yet, but chances are good that you've already thought long and hard about a wedding song that you and your spouse will share for your first dance. If you haven't, that's fine, too (and probably normal), but you might want to start thinking about it soon; that first dance is important!

The first wedding dance between the bride and groom not only sets the tone for the wedding reception, but it truly sets the tone for your entire marriage. This is your entry into the world as a joined couple. Your wedding song selection is a way to present your abiding love before all of your friends and family that will watch you develop as a couple. Choose wisely!

Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect first dance wedding song:

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Imagination
• CDs, MP3s, records, and an Internet connection
• Balanced conversation with your partner
• Patience. Lots of patience.

Dream and Little Dream

1. First, when it comes time to select your first dance wedding song, take time to think about what this first song is all about. It's about taking your first steps together as man and wife. It will showcase your affection for all present...and for all who view your photos online and in albums for years to come. This song should represent the nature of your relationship and your hopes for your life together.

2. Talk openly about possible songs. It's quite possible that you and your partner both already have at least one song in mind that may work. If not, your partner's suggestions may spark a new song idea for you and visa versa. During this initial conversation, make sure that you and your partner are on the same page about what the song and dance mean to you.

3. Discuss the dance itself. Based on your previous discussion, should the dance be fast, slow, moderate...a line dance? Do either of you have particular dancing skills you'd like to lean upon? By discussing the temp of the dance, you should be able to begin narrowing down the thousands of options to a closer pool.

4. Turn on those speakers and start playing. Go through the library of albums and songs that you, your partner, your friends, and family members have - song clip by song clip. You'll notice right away that songs will start to jump out at you...maybe almost too many songs. Write them all down to revisit later. You don't have to make your song selection today, but having a list of the top 50, 40, 30, 10, or 5 songs is a great place to start. Now all you need is perseverance, patience, and the loving dancing arms of your future spouse.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't rush. If you are using a DJ for your reception, you can select your song up to a week before the wedding...as long as it's a popular song he or she will have in the library.
• While it's okay to use songs that friends and family have already used in their weddings, you may want to try to select a unique number.
• If using a song that was a first dance song for a friend or family member, ask them first. They might be delighted to share...or they could be shamefully offended at your wedding.

Resources

• Popular Wedding Songs