Your first dance as a married couple is easily one of the most iconic parts of a wedding. But how can you pick the perfect song for such an important moment when there’s so many first dance songs to choose from?
If you’re having trouble narrowing it down or even knowing where to start, check out this list of 25 romantic first dance songs to play at your wedding!
I’ve got multiple genres and styles covered, so you’re sure to find something you both like! Whether you want something classic and regal, something with rhythm and grooves, or something upbeat and fun, there’s something for everyone.
Listen to all the songs (plus more) in this Spotify playlist!
1. Heavenly – Priscilla Renea
“This love is heavenly, this love is meant to be.”
If you love a classic piano ballad, you’ll love this song by singer and songwriter Priscilla Renea. It starts out soft and twinkly with a subtle beat that’s perfect to sway to, and then finishes off with a sweeping, soulful ending that’ll make anyone’s heart race.
Watch the music video for Heavenly here:
(Song starts at 3:00)
2. Parallel Line – Keith Urban
“Take a little bit of my heart tonight…Maybe it’s time we put our hearts in a parallel line.”
I first heard this song when Keith Urban performed at the Stadium of Fire this past summer, and immediately knew someone needed to use it as a first dance song. Keith may be a country artist, but the song was also co-written by Ed Sheeran, so it has a great crossover sound that anyone can appreciate and enjoy.
Stephen L. Betts from Rolling Stone says, “Reminiscent of a Nineties slow jam, yet couched in contemporary Ed Sheeran-style intimacy, the tune spotlights Urban singing the verses in a higher register and giving the pleading lyrics a keener sense of urgency.”
3. Cut To The Feeling – Carly Rae Jepsen
“I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling
I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone”
Not the ballad type? First dance songs don’t always have to be slow! If upbeat synth-pop is more your speed, try jamming out to this tune by Carly Rae Jepsen!
It’s the perfect bubblegum-y song for how you feel about your forever crush. Vanity Fair praised it in its list of Best Songs of 2017 as an “ecstatic celebration” of “diving in headfirst with a new guy.”
4. Over And Over Again – Nathan Sykes
“So, don’t ever think I need more
I’ve got the one to live for
No one else will do, and I’m telling you
Just put your heart in my hands”
If you’re a fan of British pop like me, you’ll love this uber romantic track from Nathan Sykes. Formerly a member of the boy band The Wanted, Nathan sings about loving that special someone “over and over again” as the years pass.
If this song wasn’t already perfect for a first dance, there’s also a duet version with Ariana Grande that takes it to the next level.
5. You & I – Avant & KeKe Wyatt
“You and I, together for always
Baby I, breathe every single breathe for you”
There’s something about R&B that just brings out all the romance, and this song does that perfectly. A classic slow jam, You & I features amazing, soulful vocals from Avant and Keke Wyatt that’ll have you feeling all the feels.
A review from DJBooth stated “If you like love, then you’ll love Avant’s latest feature…the MO-B Entertainment/EMI singer reaches out to a special woman in his life, assuring her that not only that he loves her, but that he loves loving her.”
6. Speechless – Dan + Shay
“I’m speechless
Staring at you, standing there in that dress”
If you want to add some country flair to your wedding, you can’t miss Dan + Shay! When it comes to first dance songs, these two have it on lock. Their harmonies are out of this world and the music video for Speechless features real footage from the duo’s own weddings!
If you love this track as much as I do, you’ll also want to check out the acoustic duet remix with Tori Kelly!
7. Find Someone Like You – Snoh Aalegra
“I’ve been waitin’ my whole life, to find someone like you
Find someone like you
Baby I, I want this, I want this to last forever
Baby I, I want this, can we make this last forever?”
In this third single from Snoh’s sophomore album, Ugh, those feels again, she blends old school and contemporary R&B sounds with soulful melodies and passionate lyrics. It’s a little quicker-paced than a typical slow dance song, but still easy to flow with.
8. Can’t Help Falling In Love – Daniel Jang
If classical instruments complete your vision for the perfect first dance song, look no further than Daniel Jang’s beautiful violin cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” The iconic Elvis Presley hit has been reworked time and time again, but if you love strings as much as me, this version will send you straight to the moon. It’s probably the most elegant choice on this playlist, and I can almost guarantee there won’t be a dry eye in the audience as you twirl and sway the night away.
9. Is That Alright? – Lady Gaga
“Nothing you say wouldn’t interest me
All of your words are like poems to me
I would be honored if you would take me as I am”
“Is That Alright?” is a song from the 2018 film A Star Is Born. If you saw the movie, you know it’s a huge tearjerker, and this moving song is a great choice if you want something with a little drama. It’s a powerful ode to a long life together, with talk of building family trees, kisses in the rain, and declarations of love until your final breath.
10. 10,000 Hours – Dan + Shay feat. Justin Bieber
“I’d spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more
Oh, if that’s what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours“
Another foolproof choice from Dan + Shay, “10,000 Hours” is a mid-tempo track featuring Justin Bieber about the commitment and patience that goes into a long-term relationship. It was released four days after Bieber and Hailey Baldwin’s wedding, and also comes in a piano version if you love the lyrics but prefer something with a softer sound.
11. Consider Me – Allen Stone
“If you’re looking for somebody who
Don’t judge you from your past
And focuses on only things
That help to make it last”
If you love something with a little soulful groove, Allen Stone’s “Consider Me” is an upbeat invitation to a life of happiness and unconditional love. With lyrics like, “If you need appreciation without compensation…darling all I ask is you consider me,” this song is also a great choice for a proposal!
12. All I Ask Of You – Andrew Lloyd Webber
“Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime
Let me lead you from your solitude
Say you need me with you, here beside you
Anywhere you go, let me go too”
“All I Ask of You” is a song from the musical The Phantom Of The Opera, and discusses themes of commitment and romance with an operatic, old-world feel. There are many versions of the song out there, but my favorite has to be this rendition sung by Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton. The dramatic orchestra crescendo towards the end of the song invokes visions of waltzing through a luxurious ballroom, and is perfect for any couple who wants to feel like royalty.
13. Best Part of Me – Ed Sheeran feat. YEBBA
“Baby, the best part of me is you
Lately, everything’s makin’ sense, too
Oh, baby, I’m so in love with you”
No wedding playlist could be complete without the one and only Ed Sheeran. He’s penned many hits that are popular first dance songs, like Thinking Out Loud, Perfect, and Photograph. This feature with powerhouse vocalist YEBBA deserves to be yet another addition to the list of wedding reception favorites. With unbeatable harmonies, the song talks about feeling insecure in one’s imperfections, but being strengthened by someone who loves you unconditionally anyway.
14. One Of A Kind – Ronan Keating & Emeli Sandé
“Your love is one of a kind
Even long after we’re gone
Our love will always live on
Will you dance with me, as the choir sings?”
Ronan Keating, Irish singer of “I Hope You Dance” fame, is back to celebrate 20 years as a solo artist with new album Twenty Twenty. Kicking things off is this first single, “One Of A Kind,” a duet with Emeli Sandé about “pre-wedding excitement.” Ronan said of the song, “I guess I’ve been known for those first dance songs at weddings, and this has me written all over it…It’s all about the night before the wedding, the day of the wedding and spending the rest of your life together.”
15. 4Ever – Lil’ Mo
“Let’s make it official
We ain’t getting no younger, baby
And I’m ready to be with you
(Boo-boo) together for always
To have and to hold through sickness and through health”
This song may be from 2002, but it’s still one of my absolute favorites that never seems to get old. A bubbly, uptempo track, this is another fantastic option for couples that want a bop for their first dance song instead of a slow jam. Lil’ Mo sings about being ready to commit to her forever love and “walk down that aisle in all white” with a upbeat hip-hop feature from rapper Fabolous.
16. Lover – Taylor Swift
“And there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear
Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?”
The third single from Taylor Swift’s 2019 album of the same name, “Lover” combines indie folk and pop sounds over a “booming snare, slow tempo, and guitar-centric sound.” It has a bit of a retro feel, with Abby Aguirre of Vogue describing it as a “romantic, haunting, waltzy, singer-songwritery nugget.”
17. From The Ground Up – Dan + Shay
“And we’ll build this love from the ground up
Now ’til forever it’s all of me, all of you
Just take my hand
And I’ll be the man your dad hoped that I’d be”
Last but not least of the Dan + Shay tunes on this list is “From The Ground Up.” It’s a classic country pop ballad that talks about finding true love and building a strong, life-long relationship with someone. The song was inspired by the love shared by the duo’s grandparents, and was written shortly after Dan lost his grandfather and while Shay’s was in the hospital. It’s been described by the duo as “the most special song we’ve ever written.”
18. Best Part – Daniel Caesar & H.E.R.
“Where you go I follow
No matter how far
If life is a movie
Oh you’re the best part”
A dreamy, breathy ode to movie-like love and the person who gives you butterflies, “Best Part” is a beautiful choice for any couple who wants something soft and sweet for their first dance song. The duet won Best Collaboration at the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards, and singer and composer Jacob Collier describes it as an “all-time classic.” If you or your fiancé are the musical type, he even teaches you how to play it here.
19. How Deep Is Your Love – PJ Morton
“I believe in you, you know the door to my very soul
You’re the light I’m my deepest darkest hour
You’re my savior when I fall
And you may not think that I care for you
When you know down inside that I really do”
A bouncy, soulful reimagining of The Bee Gees’ hit, PJ Morton’s cover of “How Deep Is Love” is a great mix of the modern and the classic. In the Gumbo Unplugged (Live) album, PJ explains that he could hear the soul in the original “How Deep Is Your Love” and that it was one of his favorite songs.
20. Somebody Loved – Kina Grannis
“Rain turns the sand into mud
Wind turns the trees into bone
Stars turning high up above
And you turn me into somebody you loved”
Another beautiful cover, Kina Grannis takes this acoustic track by The Weepies and turns it into an even softer, folksy lullaby. With delicate vocals and guitar plucking, this song is perfect for a first dance under the stars or twinkly string lights, or a moment alone during an intimate elopement.
21. Falling Like The Stars – James Arthur
“I swear to God, I can see
Four kids and no sleep
We’ll have one on each knee, you and me”
“Falling Like The Stars” is the third single from British singer and songwriter James Arthur’s third album You. It features calming acoustic guitar and piano, and talks about falling for someone fast and hard like a shooting star falls from the sky. The touching video for the song showcases the emotions one can feel in a long distance relationship, featuring the story of a military wife anxiously waiting for her husband to come home from deployment.
If you’re a fan of James Arthur, also check out his song “Maybe” from the same album! It’s another great first dance song option.
22. Say You Will – Brandy
“Say you feel, feel the way I feel for you
Say you will do the things you promised to
Say you love me the way that I love you
Say you will, say you will”
Another great first dance song choice for fans of 2000’s R&B is this track from Brandy’s fourth album, Afrodisiac. Soulful and minimalistic, the midtempo song covers themes of commitment and settling down, with Brandy encouraging her then-fiancé to join her in her dreams of a lifelong partnership.
23. Fall On Me – A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera
“Fly like a cannonball straight to my soul
Tear me to pieces and make me feel whole
I’m willing to fight for it
To feel something new
To know what it’s like to be sharing a space with you”
After their smash hit “Say Something,” Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World are back with another amazing collaboration. This song takes a detour from the melancholy style of their last project, instead creating hopeful, cosmic imagery with lyrics such as “fall on me with all your light” and “a world we can’t see, a million particles passing through me.” The song was originally written for Andrea Bocelli and his son, Matteo Bocelli, and their version in Italian and English is also a great option for a first dance song. Looking for the song in your language? There’s even more versions in Spanish, French, German, and Russian!
24. That’s When I Knew – Alicia Keys
“It’s like my knees are all weak and the butterflies
They were dancing and taking all of my air
From that moment on it was very clear”
Alicia Keys sings about the moment she fell in love with husband Swizz Beats, and it’ll probably remind you of the moment you realized that special someone was the one!
25. No Matter Where You Are (Wedding Version) – Us The Duo
“I will stand by you
Even when we fall
I will be the rock, that holds you up
and lifts you high so you stand tall”
At their own wedding in 2014, Michael and Carissa Alvarado of Us The Duo did something a little different and wrote their vows into an upbeat song they performed for their guests. On their official YouTube channel, they say, “Since then, we’ve gotten countless e-mails and messages from couples wishing there was a slower version of this song to play at their own wedding or anniversary celebrations. We are SO excited to finally present to you our new, wedding-inspired version of ‘No Matter Where You Are.'”
Bonus Track: First Man – Camila Cabello
“I swear on my heart
That he’s a good man
I promise he loves me
He’d never hurt me
You held me so tight
Now someone else can”
This one isn’t technically a first dance song, but I had to include it for another important part of your wedding — the father and bride dance! Camila sings about her dad being the first man to love her before she found the one she wants to spend her life with. Watch her performance from the Grammy’s below for a real tearjerker!
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