Bride Groom Wedding Songs — The First Dance
The first dance can be extremely traditional or downright fun, it’s all dependent on “your” style. Are you a conventional type couple who enjoy time honored and established customs or do you want to kick it up a notch and surprise people with a little fun. Either way is perfect when you are following your personalities and characters – this day most definitely should reflect who you are, not what you think anyone else would want or expect to see!
Bride groom wedding songs usually have some personal significance to the couple — whether sexy and slow or fast and funky. So when you are considering bride groom wedding songs, where should you look for inspiration? There are a few places that may give you the insight you need to find the one that both of you think is absolutely perfect for the moment. The first “place” most couples start looking, and honestly the place that usually most bride groom wedding songs are pulled from, are significant songs from your past.
In the end, the search for the perfect First Dance Song can take hours, days, even weeks to finalize, so just have fun and, most importantly, find one that you two feel best portrays you as a couple.”
While it isn’t a necessity, a song with personal significance may be the perfect place to start. From the song that was playing on the jukebox (or in today’s techy world, the docked iPod) when you two first met or the one that was roaring at the club you two first caught glances, many use that significant song as their choice and the reasons are obvious. It was the first song you two shared a moment to, why not make it the first song you start sharing a life to? But what if you don’t remember the song that was playing when you first met (that would be my problem, as I have no memory), or there wasn’t a song playing when you first met, or the song that was playing was Ton Loc’s Wild Thing or Funky Cold Medina (not necessarily appropriate – or maybe it is – if you lean toward the fun & funky)? Think through your entire relationship, is there a song that you always find you and your fiancé enjoying when it plays, or a favorite band that you have in common?
A lot of couples do something fun and engaging like starting out with an overly sappy, “meaningful” love song then stop it abruptly in the middle as their DJ or musician changes the music that takes them to a tune that will help get their guests on their feet and start celebrating with them. This can be a great way to get the party going at the reception! And if you are willing to put a little more effort into it and enjoy putting on a show, how fun would it be to do something like the couple in this video did. . .Click here for a Fun First Dance idea
For some fantastic ideas on how to create fun for you and guests, we highly recommend the book The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever! — a truly great guide to creating an unforgettably fun celebration. Learn more about this great guide by checking out our review of the book in our Resources & Reviews section.
Choices for bride groom wedding songs are almost endless, so you may be better off starting with a wide scope and narrowing it down by preference. For instance, start by asking yourself questions like if the song should be old or new? What type of tempo do you want? Do you want one that is well known or something completely new to most of your friends and family? In the end, the search for the perfect song can take hours, days, even weeks to finalize, so just have fun and, most importantly, find one that you two feel best portrays you as a couple.
By Cheryl Cox, Editor of YourWeddingDollars.com, See “Note from the Editor” for more information on Cheryl and her credentials.
“Create Your Own Wedding — Own Your Style, Not Someone Else’s — and do it all while keeping money in your pocket!”
The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever! — A Book Review
The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever! is authored by Peter Merry who owns Merry Weddings and lives in Southern California with his wife. Peter served nationally as President of the American Disc Jockey Association, and his entertainment background includes performing stand-up comedy at the Improv and hosting his very own talk radio show. He describes himself as a “Wedding Entertainment Director” and is passionate about helping couples create unforgettably fun wedding receptions, and he proves it with all his great tips and ideas in The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever!
“If you could only choose three words to describe your dream reception . . . What 3 words would you choose? If one of your top choices is FUN, this book was written just for you.”
What do most people remember most often about a wedding? Surveys indicate that the most memorable moments occurred at the reception celebration following the wedding ceremony and this book helps you create many of those memorable moments with a wealth of fun ideas from personalizing the wedding party’s grand entrance to memorable father/daughter dances and learning creative ways to liven up the dinner hour. As Peter puts it . . . “If you could only choose three words to describe your dream reception . . . What 3 words would you choose? If one of your top choices is FUN, this book was written just for you.”
Most brides and grooms say they want to have FUN at their reception, but can’t really pull the trigger on what “fun” is. They know they have been to weddings that didn’t really cut it in the entertainment department, but can’t quite put into words how to make their own wedding better and more entertaining for their guests.
YourWeddingDollars.com believes The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever!
It is possible to be both realistic and creative and to spend wisely without cutting corners. However, planning and research are essential in order to create an outstanding, memorable experience for your friends and family and that is why Peter goes over the planning and research in detail. His example weddings and lists of pros and cons provide brides and grooms with a number of realistic examples of how their planning might turn out given different choices you might make, and his years of experience as a “Wedding Entertainment Director” allow him to address a variety of options, such as the daytime wedding vs. the evening wedding, scheduling a wedding at different times throughout the year, when and how to schedule photos, and what type of entertainment to hire.
Peter helps you to think about just what your priorities really are. If your wedding reception is a “photography event” or a “flower event” or a “food event,”, then The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever! won’t be of any help to you. But, if you truly want to entertain your guests and have The Best Wedding Reception . . . Ever! . . .
then we highly recommend this resource.
Weddings can be a big expense and take months if not a year or two to plan, reading a few books and articles on how to invest your time and money only makes sense. If FUN is a priority to you, then we recommend you get a hold of this book, and you can do so through Amazon.com.
By Cheryl Cox, Editor of YourWeddingDollars.com, See “Note from the Editor” for more information on Cheryl and her credentials.
“Create Your Own Wedding — Own Your Style, Not Someone Else’s — and do it all while keeping money in your pocket!”
Choosing Father Bride Dance Songs
When a bride asks her father to dance for a father and daughter dance at her wedding this is one dance he will not want to pass up even if he doesn’t like to dance. The father and daughter dance is meant to signify the transitional between childhood and adulthood. This is your turn to thank your father for his love and support throughout the years, so choosing the right song is important. There are thousands of Father Bride dance songs that are appropriate for this traditional dance and choosing the best one can be one of the hardest decisions of a wedding.
This special dance can be nerve wracking for both fathers and brides which is why it is so important to choose a song that has a special meaning between the two of you, but is not so sappy that it makes your guests want to throw up a little. There are plenty of great father and bride songs that will convey the love of the moment and special relationship between the father and bride without being too cheesy or sappy, unless of course sappy is the feeling you are going for and in that case there are even more mushy songs you can use.
The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing father and bride songs is the relationship and emotion between the father and bride. If you have a tender loving relationship and want a sentimental song, there is no shortage of songs that would be fitting. There are sentimental songs from every genre, from rock to jazz, that have a touching sentiment about the special bond between a father and daughter.
Some Popular “Sentimental” Father Bride Dance Songs are:
Daddy’s Little Girl by Al Martino
Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle
I’ll Always Be Right There by Brian Adams
Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
My Eyes Adored You by Frankie Valli
I Loved Her First by Heartland
Dance with My Father by Luther Vandross
In My Daughter’s Eyes by Martina McBride
Everything I Do by Brian Adams
A Song for My Daughter by Ray Allaire
However, many times the right special and memorable father and bride songs are not overly sentimental. Many brides might prefer to pick a song that reflects the special relationship between her and her father which might be more focused on learning, guidance, and the future rather than “mushy” feelings. Even though these types of songs might be less common, there are still plenty around.
Some Great “Not to Sentimental” Father Bride Dance Songs are:
Daughter by Loudon Wainwright
How You’ve Grown by 10,000 Maniacs
Still Fighting It by Ben Folds
Your Choice of Music for the Entire Reception Creates the Atmosphere
A fabulous resource not only for Father Bride Dance Songs, but all the music for your reception — not to mention a great resource for creating the entire wedding reception atmosphere that you want — is a “kit” created by Adrian Mak, a Master of Ceremonies and DJ who has attended thousands of wedding receptions.
His kit includes the biggest quality list of wedding songs you’ll find on the net and it notes which ones are lyrically suited for each wedding tradition. Over 16 of the most popular traditions are listed (such as the first dance, father daughter dance, bridal party entrance, cake cutting, etc.).
There is nothing better than being amongst a happy, partying group of folks and as Adrian Mak says, the atmosphere that your guests experience at your wedding reception (for which your music choices play a huge role in) will decide if they relax, dance, and truly enjoy your wedding reception.
To find out more about this great resource or to order your copy of The Wedding Reception Kit, just Click Here! At only $17.00, it’s worth every penny if you want to create just the right “atmosphere” for the wedding style you envision — and there’s a money back guarantee; so you have nothing to lose.
Examples of Other Brides Father Daughter Dance Song Choices
I read a blog a while back where many brides were offering how they chose their father bride dance songs; these are two excerpts from that blog:
One said: “Think back to your childhood and I’m sure there is a song in there somewhere that played on a fun day or you used to rock in the car to with just your dad. Some kind of memory, who cares if it’s Highway to Hell by ACDC…its about you and your dad!
Another bride shared that her father was an alcoholic when she was growing up, and in her teen years he walked away from the liquor and became an amazing parent and mentor, and in celebration of that she chose Have a little Faith in Me by John Hiatt for her father/daughter dance.
You get the idea… whichever song you choose for your father daughter dance will be perfect because the special relationship between a father and daughter is what makes this life milestone dance a memory you will have forever.
By Cheryl Cox, Editor of YourWeddingDollars.com, See “Note from the Editor” for more information on Cheryl and her credentials.