You only get married once so you want to make sure that your first dance is to the right song for you and your partner.  Some of the most popular first dance songs we have played are:  “At Last”, “A Thousand Years”, “You Are the Best Thing”, and “The Way You Look Tonight”.  Some less common tunes we have done are, “Don’t Stop Me Now” (from the Polar Express), “And I Love You So”, and “For Sentimental Reasons”.

Often times we have couples express that they want their dance short because they don’t want to be in the spotlight.  We do this by doing one verse and one chorus of the song.  Being a people-pleaser by nature, I don’t try to convince them to dance to the whole song.  In the spur of the moment, our team makes the decision so that the romantic mood lingers as long as possible.

For couples that want to be featured more than usual, they have a first dance choreographed to a specific song to showcase their skills.  It’s extremely entertaining to see them show off their dancing techniques they have been practicing for months.   We have seen choreographed dances to “Fly Me To the Moon” (Ella Fitzgerald version), “I’m Yours” (Jason Mraz) and “Signed Sealed Delivered” (Stevie Wonder).

The songs we play most for dances with parents and “designated” parents include:  “What A Wonderful World”, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, “Child of Mine” (Carole King) and “Sweet Child of Mine” (Taken by Trees version).  There’s been an increase in 80’s and 90’s classics like “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “Eternal Flame”.  For special themed weddings such as 50’s sock hop dances and Vintage events, songs can be specific to those eras.  For example, some special dances to songs from the 50’s include “You Send Me”, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “You Belong To Me”.

There are two emotional special dances that have always stayed in the back of my mind.  The first was a bride dancing with her father to “I’ll Be Seeing You”.  It was one of our Vintage-themed weddings at the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago.   He had been very sick but had made it to his daughter’s wedding.  It was incredibly touching and poignant. Another moment was for the parent dance for another one of our couples.  The bride had lost her mother and the groom had lost his father.  So instead of 2 different parent dances, they danced to “Child of Mine” with their living parent.  From that point on, the energy was upbeat and fun.

Take the time to find a song you feel an emotional connection to.  It’s a 3-5 minute moment that goes all too soon.