This Magic Moment

Your first dance will be one of the most important parts of your entire Wedding event! It is often one of the first things that you and your future spouse will do together as a newly married couple. As you look forward to your special moment with the new Mr. or Mrs., here are 5 important things to remember when planning your first dance.

1) Fun or Classic?

Do you want your first dance to be fun and goofy or classic and intimate? If you and your new spouse are both a couple of goofballs that love hamming it up, then by all means go for it. This is your party and you can laugh if you want to. If you want the moment to be more intimate and heartwarming, however, make sure you do a little ground work on the front end. A little preparation here can go a long way. Grab a bottle of wine and run through it a couple of times with your significant other - When you see the videos, photos, and Instagram posts of yourselves after the fact, you will be glad that you did.

2) Lyrics, Lyrics, Lyrics!

Your first dance will be a moment to cherish for the rest of your lives together. For this reason, it’s important to make sure you pay attention to the lyrics of your song choice. We all love Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me”, a beautiful song for sure, but it’s about a one night stand and a heck of a lot of loneliness. Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” is a timeless love song no doubt. Too bad everyone else in the reception hall is going to be thinking about a sinking ship and a drowning Leo. Make sure you and your fiancée choose a song with lyrics that capture the love you two share.

3) First Dance Timing

When during your reception will you choose to have your first dance? Typically, we see the first dance happen as soon as the newly married couple is introduced, but there’s no reason that it HAS to be there. Feel free to sit down, take a breather, and grab a bite to eat. You and your spouse will be tired, so it may be nice to get off your feet for a couple minutes. Let you guests party and surprise them with the big moment halfway through the reception. It’s also great to put at the close of your evening and can be a fantastic way to end on a high note.

4) Live or Recorded?

Is your first dance going to be performed by a live band or by a DJ with an iPod? If you would prefer to hear the song the same exact way that you’ve heard it a million times, then it might just be best to have a recorded version played. You could easily have a DJ or family member run an iPod through a speaker for your first dance, but there is nothing that replaces the intimacy and energy of hearing your song performed live.

5) How Long Should it Be?

Have you thought about how long you want your first dance to be? At my wedding, my wife and I chose a song that had a 30 second intro that we didn’t really know about. I’ll be honest - it was pretty awkward to have all of our guests just sitting and staring at us before our song even kicked in. The magic number for us has been right around a minute to a minute and a half. That gives enough time for a couple verses and a couple choruses, so you won’t have to stand up there for too long. Make time to practice it, so you can see what feels right to you.

Most Importantly, make it your own...

I hope you and your future spouse have the most unforgettable first dance possible. If you want to check out our favorite songs for making your wedding reception a HUGE SUCCESS click below to grab our Favorite Wedding Reception Playlist.

Get Our Favorite Wedding Reception Dance Songs
as a Spotify Playlist

...or, read our blog about why we find ourselves constantly picking these songs.