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Smooth Sounds
When you’re choosing the song for your first dance for your wedding, you’ll probably be thinking that it’s going to be your first and last first dance of your life.
It’ll also be the one time you’ll have other special dances, like a father-daughter dance (just a little different from the ones you had as a kid) and a mother-son dance.
Talk about a daunting choice. When it comes to picking tunes for your wedding, there are a lot of ways to decide – here are a few.
Go with the popular vote
Google “best wedding songs” or “songs for a first dance” and you’ll get tons of ideas. If you want to go with the people’s choice, it’s all about Ed Sheeran. In 2016, Spotify analyzed thousands of playlists titled “first dance” or “wedding reception,” and found that his classic “Thinking Out Loud” was the no. 1 first dance song. The Washington Post reported on wedding songs in 2017 and working also with Spotify using data since the platform began in 2008 named Sheeran the top artist played at weddings (of course for “Thinking Out Loud,” the most popular song). For inspiration on what to play for your own first dance, crowdsurf the internet for ideas – it’s still your choice whether to go with a unique, seldom-heard song or one everyone’s been talking about.
Go with your DJ
If you’re hiring a DJ, work with him or her to get to the perfect wedding playlist. Mary Ann Ross of Mary Ann Productions has 28 years of experience, and says that the first step in working with a couple is talking “a lot” because music selection is a team effort.
“Most DJ’s will tell you they play everything, but an honest DJ will have a detailed conversation during the booking process to make sure they can deliver the musical vision a couple is looking for on their wedding day,” Ross says.
Go with your heart
While listening to your DJ and looking up ideas on the internet are all good ideas, when it comes down to it, it’s still your day, and you’ll want to make sure you and whoever’s involved in special dances feel some connection to the song.
For choosing special songs like the couple’s entrance or first dance, Ross says that, “this one is easy – it needs to mean something to the couple. I don’t care if anyone else in the room ‘gets it.’”
As a DJ and new “MOG” (or mother of a groom) herself, Ross also suggests that couples ask their parents for a choice, as they’ll often already have a sentimental song in mind, secretly hoping their son or daughter will ask their opinion.