Your choices for a first dance song are literally endless, but sometimes you need some help finding the perfect track to set the tone of your wedding reception. With wedding season being pushed back a year for many of our bridal couples (and many newly engaged couples starting to plan their 2021 wedding), we thought we would compile a list of some of the best wedding dance songs we've heard in the last few months.
Your first dance as a couple is a tradition that deserves special attention. It’s something very personal and should reflect not only where you’ve come from as a couple, but where you’re heading. We've put together a short list of some of our favourite wedding songs this year.
The Best First Dance Songs of 2021
1. Consider Me - Allen Stone
What do you do when you're a singer/songwriter and you're struggling to find the perfect words for your wedding vows? You write a beautiful, wonderfully romantic song! This stunning new song from Allen Stone will create a wonderfully romantic but contemporary tone to your wedding reception.
2. In Case You Don't Live Forever - Ben Platt
This piano focused track from Ben Platt is most well known for being used in Netflix series "Love on the Spectrum. We love the moving lyrics can already picture a wedding dance filled with romantic dips and a lift for the crescendo.
3. No Judgement (Acoustic Version) - Niall Horan
Niall Horan rose to prominence as part of boy band One Direction. This quirky acoustic song is perfect for that couple that has been together forever and knows each others like, dislikes and loves every quirk, because it's love.
4. Conversations In The Dark - John Legend
We're not entirely sure there can be a "best of" list of wedding first dance songs without John Legend appearing somewhere. This sweet song details the moments while falling in love, when a couple is chatting quietly together after the rest of the world has fallen asleep. "I'll be there when you get lonely, lonely/ Keep the secrets that you told me, told me/ And your love is all you owe me/ And I won't break your heart," he muses in the heart-melting chorus.
5. What A Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers
If you're looking for a first dance song that is upbeat and is going to get the party started. We can already picture the bridal party joining in for the Grease-like handjive that features in the video clip. While sometimes it's hard to find a fast song where the lyrics are meaningful enough this song delivers with this line "I'd move the Earth or lose a fight just to see you smile/ 'Cause you got no flaws, no flaws/ I'm not tryin' to be your part-time lover/ Sign me up for that full-time, I'm yours/ All yours."
6. Lover - Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is another artist that features often in the Best Wedding Song lists. While Lover was released in late August 2019, we still think this song deserves a place on our 2021 list just because last year crushed wedding plans across the world and this song never got a chance to shine. This slow sugary sweet wedding dance song is perfect for a couple looking for a slight twist on the usual wedding balads.
7. Finally // Beautiful Stranger - Halsey
Halsey's haunting voice sets this slow romantic song off beautifully. This song talks about the fear of loving someone and past pain being over for a brighter beginning.
“I’ve never recognized a purer face
You stopped me in my tracks and put me right in my place
Used to think that lovin’ meant a painful chase
But you’re right here now and I think you’ll stay”
8. Riptide - Vance Joy
Riptide by Vance Joy started to become popular in early 2020, but then Covid-19 hit and weddings got pushed back or made smaller and like "Lover" by Taylor Swift, this song missed out on becoming the sure-fire wedding hit it was bound to be. We still love it and it's a great one for a couple looking for something meaningful but upbeat.
9. Can’t Help Falling in Love — Haley Reinhart
We love an updated cover of a classic song. This modern take on the Elvis classic "Can't Help Falling in Love" is perfect for creating a wedding dance with a timeless elegance.
10. The Bones – Maren Morris (with Hozier)
This song from Maren Morris & Hozier is perfect for that couple that has been together a while.
When the bones are good, the rest don't matter
Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter
Let it break 'cause you and I remain the same
When there ain't a crack in the foundation
Baby, I know any storm we're facing
Will blow right over while we stay put
The house don't fall when the bones are good
