Getting married to the love of your life is one of the most incredible moments of your life. When you’re planning your wedding with the love of your life, you want everything to be planned to perfection. You will want to work on your wedding’s decor, and the ambiance for the day so that it looks exactly like you envision it. Your wedding day is a dream come true, the beginning of many great moments of your life, and the day you and your soulmate promise to stick by each other’s side no matter what. With that said, your wedding day will require detailed planning, including the wedding day food menu, the wedding signature cocktail, and the wedding floral details. However, there are some smaller wedding details that need to be planned and discussed before the wedding arrives. One such detail is the first dance song. Sure enough, there are some couples who have a song, which is usually their song, picked out for their first dance. However, if you’re not one of those people, there’s a chance that you may not really know which song would be perfect for your first dance. If that sounds like you, then we have good news for you! Here we talk about weddings, wedding inspiration, and all things pretty that go into planning the perfect wedding, which is why we can’t let you go into wedding planning without any knowledge of what to do when you’re thinking of a song that would be perfect for your first dance. Today, let’s talk about the most romantic oldies songs to jam to for your first dance! 

The Oldies Songs to use for your First Dance: A List

We will divide the list of songs you can use for your first dance into two sections. The first section of the blog will entail a list of some songs that are perfect for a slow dance. You can waltz and twirl around the dance floor to these songs. However, these are not absolutely “slow” songs, but it sets a slow cadence when you choreograph your dance. So, let’s get started! 

1. Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley
   Elvis Presley’s mega favorite and popular song, Can’t Help Falling In Love, is one of our favorites. The lyrics of the song are just perfect for you to twirl and become lost in your partner’s eyes! We love this song for many reasons that go beyond the beautiful melody and Elvis’ masterful voice. Whether you’re looking to throw a vintage-inspired wedding or you’re throwing an elegant, small wedding, this song will fit the basics of your wedding! What’s more, you can look up the choreography for this song for your first dance and learn how to dance to it without the help of a professional teacher. Since the song is so popular, you’ll easily find a way to do the dance on your own. 

1. The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra
   This song is another universal favorite! This song is all about what a wedding symbolizes. When you listen to the song carefully, you hear a love story, a dream love story that all of us wish for. And this is the reason why we feel that this song is perfect for a wedding and your first dance. You can try out a few different dance routines to find your vibe with the song. For us, this song talks to us about all of the best parts of love, all of the parts that make love feel like love, and we feel this is the best way to start off your marriage with the love of your life. Although every kind of song and music will go with any wedding, we feel that this song is perfect for a celestial-themed wedding. Or any wedding theme that incorporates romantic details. 

1. Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups
   This song is one of our personal favorites, and every line in the song makes us think of love. This song is perfect for your wedding first dance because the moment you start listening to it, you can see a couple smiling and all giddy as they tie the knot in a church. You can use this song in two different ways for your wedding. The first way to use this song for your wedding is to use this song for your wedding ceremony entrance and then use the song for your first dance. To switch things up, you don’t need to use the same song. We have a great wedding idea for you to try! If you have a wedding band, you can put in a request with your wedding band to perform their version of the song for your ceremony and have the original one for your first dance, or vice versa.
   
   Tip for this: Before you decide to have your wedding band cover the song, remember to hear them perform the song. Before you decide which version of the song goes where make sure that you have the wedding band perform the song. This will help you understand which melodies are you practicing your dance routine with! 

1. "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers
   This song is one of the oldest songs, and truly is a song that inspires yearning! We love this song for many reasons. But one of the biggest reasons why this song inspires our adoration is what it means, the lyrics paint a lovely picture. The song is a great way to start your wedding reception party. First of all, the song will help you set the romantic tone for your wedding. And secondly, it will give you a chance to choreograph a lovely and romantic dance routine! The soulful voice of the singer is soothing and sets the stage for your first dance. Despite being an old song, there’s something about this song that makes it timeless and gives it the quality of fitting every kind of wedding. 

1. The Masterplan by Oasis
   Although this song is not exactly a “romantic song,” It is one of those songs that make you want to dance, feel and take a chance on life. And these reasons are why we feel that this song is perfect for your first dance. The music and the song completely marry each other and will set the tone for your amazing wedding reception party. This song will also help you set the tone for your wedding guests to start grooving after your first dance. You can also use this song to dance with your parents. This song to us is the perfect first dance song even though it is not exactly an “oldie.” 

1. “Heaven,” by Bryan Adams
   If you’re looking for a song that speaks to you, a song that makes you love your soulmate even more, and a song that gives you a great start to your wedding party after the wedding ceremony, then this is the one for you! This song is romantic, and lovely and makes you fall in love with everything. The lyrics of the song are cute and extremely charming. This song to us is perfect for any wedding. However, if you ask us, we feel that if you’re throwing a wedding around Valentine’s Day or you have an ultra-romantic wedding theme for your wedding, then the song will fit right in. However, if you’re looking for a song along the same lines, especially in terms of emotions this song evokes, John Legend’s All of Me is also just as good and perfect for a wedding. 

1. Put Your Head on My Shoulder by Paul Anka
   Paul Anka is one of the most prolific singers, and rightfully so. His talent is unimaginable and worth noting from music to delivery of words. His timeless voice along with the amazing songs he put out at the prime of his career still some of the most amazingly romantic songs. Put Your Head on My Shoulder is yet another example of some of his soulful romantic songs. This song can work well for just about any wedding, whether you’re throwing an intimate indoor wedding or you’re throwing an exciting outdoor wedding, this song will add more charms to your wedding. One of the best parts about using this song is that you use this song to actually have your partner put their head on your shoulder, or you could do it as well. 

1. Ben E. King by Stand By Me
   Let’s end this section with an absolutely perfect song for your wedding day! So, this song, we don’t even have words to express how it makes us feel. This song is uber romantic and is perfect to profess your love for your partner. This song gives us gooseflesh because it is that good! The song leaves you feeling more in love with your partner, enjoying your dance better, and motivating you to stand next to your partner, no matter what may stand in your way. The lines, “ And darlin', darlin', stand by me, Oh, stand by me, Oh, stand now,” are what make our hearts go soft. As for which wedding it is perfect for, we feel that an outdoor summer wedding is a perfect time to dance to it. However, this song can be perfect for pretty much any wedding! 

Oldies Songs: Rock and Other Songs for your First Dance

One of the best ways to add more charms to your wedding is to choose everything that your heart says yes to. And this also means that you will need the correct first dance song as well! Apart from slow romantic songs, you can also use some rock romantic songs to express your love for your partner. If you’re more of a bolder music lover and love steel drums and guitar riffs, then perhaps these ideas will sound better to you:

1. “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith
   This is yet another amazing option to use for your wedding. Aerosmith is perfect, and this song is one of those songs that instantly catch your attention. This song is featured in the Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck-starrer, Armageddon, and somehow escaped the failure of the movie. This song can lead to an amazing, romantic, and intense dance routine for your wedding day. Use this rock ballad on your wedding day to have your wedding guests invested in your dance and swaying to enjoy the night. 

1. “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen
   Although this is not a very popular wedding song choice, this song is a very good choice if you end up marrying your best friend and your soulmate in one! What we love the most about this song is that it is not exactly a “rock” song, but almost sounds like a pop rock! This piece of music from Queen is a great ode to your partner and will be exceptionally cute. You can use this song to get the party started. And if you’re thinking of doing something different, then you can use this and one more song from the band to go full-throttle into your wedding reception! And we're sure, you must have guessed the song that we’re talking about. If you want to add some interesting touches to your wedding dance and you want to inject more excitement into the wedding and your wedding guests, then you can use Queen’s We Will Rock You by the end of your dance. You can create a mash-up of the song for your wedding and ensure that the favorite parts of the song are easy to pinpoint when you’re dancing! You can use this opportunity to do something fun and happy for your wedding.

1. “Faithfully” by Journey
2. This song is one of those songs that gives us a lot to think about and teaches us things, without even meaning to, a truly beautiful song, if you ask. “Faithfully” is probably one of those rock songs that are not only perfect in every way but are full of amazing words and thought-provoking words. And let’s not forget, this song has one of the greatest guitar solos, ever! This song is perfect for the first dance because it is not just about pushing through life and its hardships, but is about, “Faithfully, I’m still yours.” We’re sure this will not make your partner feel safe in your company but this song will also help you to make a promise to your partner without using words. Can you imagine how incredibly romantic it will be? You can use this song in any wedding setting of course. But we feel that this song and a classy black and white wedding theme are perfect for it. We can already imagine the groom in a sharp black tuxedo and the bride in a fluffy princess-style wedding dress twirling under a spotlight. 

1. “You & Me” by Dave Matthews Band
   We’re not sure about others, but this song sounds like a rock song with splashes of country music. But that’s not the point we’re trying to make, what we love about this song is that it is an amazing love song, and it talks about the future, exactly what you’d want from the song for your first dance. And yes, we know that this song came out only in 2009, but since it is a decade old, we decided to mix it up with our list of songs. 

1. “Wonderwall” by Oasis
   This song is unique and unforgettable for a lot of reasons. What stands out to us are the lyrics and the unforgettable fashion Liam sang it, which is what makes it unique. This late 90s song is one of those songs that make you want to sing along and dance along too! There are a lot of meanings behind the word “Wonderwall.” For us to explain why we love this song for your first dance, we’ll have to get into all of the reasons. So, we’ll keep the explanations short. When the song first came out, the media jumped and made the song seem as if it was Liam, the band’s singer’s wife, now ex-wife. In a few interviews, Liam has stated that it was never about his then-wife, he says “Wonderwall” was supposed to represent an imaginary friend, who’d come and save you from yourself. Now that we have these explanations out, let’s tell you what we interpret them as. This song’s meaning to us runs deeper than looking for a friend to save us, or for a partner, alone. It is an amalgamation of both. For us, a “Wonderwall” is a product that came about because of the love of two people. And that’s why it is a great song to dance to. You can even include a few actions to make your first dance more interactive.  

Bonus: A Mix of Songs You Can Use
This section of the blog does not adhere to the understanding of “oldies” or something like that. This is a bonus section that will list out some songs that you can use for your first dance or as a part of your wedding! All of these songs are amazing and have some of the best meanings, which are very romantic to us. 

1. Every Breath You Take by Sting
   There will be no list of romantic songs without this one. Sting has a way with words, and this song is a great example of how it can switch things up. The lyrics of the song are amazing, and talk of deep love, and it can go both ways, for the bride and groom. If you’re not sure of the song’s application for your first dance, you can simply use it as your wedding ceremony music, it will fit right in there as well. 

1. Coldplay / Johnny Cash by Til Kingdom Come
   This is another song that we love, and we love it with every bone in our bodies. This song is sweet, and soft and has amazing musical riffs. Meaningful in every way, the lyrics are amazing for your first dance and even your wedding exit! Unlike some songs, we love the entire piece, truly. This song sounds like a poem that was strung into an amazing song, and it can work amazingly well for a dreamy wedding setting. To add more charm to your wedding dance, you can have your wedding planner or the one who’s in charge of your wedding lights, switch up the lights to add a dramatic effect to your dance. 

1. The Lumineers by Ho Hey
   A lot of people have conflicting views on this song, and at one point, we did too. But now that the song is a little older, we find beauty in it. This peppy song is the perfect song to inject excitement into your wedding and make your wedding come alive. It is impossible to ignore this song’s lyrics, and the electric vibe of the song makes almost everyone want to sway their arms in the air. You can also have some neon lights or glow sticks as you take the floor. 

1. Welcome Home by Radical Face
   This song has an eerie “homecoming” vibe and we feel it will work exceptionally well for your first dance. The song has high and low tempos, which makes it perfect for a dance routine. Additionally, the song, when you hear it, reminds you of being home. There are a few sections of the song that talk about letting pain and past hurt go. And this reason alone is why we feel this is the perfect start to your wedding reception party! 

Apart from these options, let’s not forget, there are many new and old songs that fit perfectly well for a first dance at your wedding. Ed Sheeran’s One Life, Rihanna’s We Found Love, Christiana Perri’s A Thousand Years, Bruno Mars’s Treasure, Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Berlin’s Take My Heart Away, Ellie Goulding Love Me Like You Do, Bryan Adams (Everything I Do) I Do It For You and of course John Legend’s All of Me are some good fits. 

Things to Remember When You’re Thinking About a First Dance Song

Your first dance is as important as your wedding day. Just like every other special event and activity on your wedding day, your first dance will be witnessed by all of your wedding guests, which means you’ll need your dance to be prepared for the T! Now, since you already have a list of some of the most romantic love songs for your first dance, we have some more things for you to think of, and things to remember. 

1. Practice Makes Perfect
   One of the most important things to keep in mind is that your wedding dance will take a while to become perfect. It is important to not go in with sky-high expectations. Go in with realistic expectations and keep at your practice sessions. Ensure that you’re working with your partner. Before you decide to settle on a dance routine for your wedding dance, make sure that you keep your partner’s skills in mind as well. Before the selection, ask your partner if they are happy with the choice. 

1. You Can Choose a Mash-Up
   If you’re a fan of the oldies, and your partner loves some modernist music, or the other way round, remember that it is not the end of the world, it is just a challenge. Instead of thinking about making a decision between this and that, you can easily choose a mash-up or have a mash-up created specifically for your wedding day! This will help you to enjoy your wedding dance, and give you and your partner what you want! Like many couples who choose to have a whole new song created just for their wedding, you can look for a lyricist, a music producer, or a musician with a knack for mixing to create a custom-made song for you and your partner! 

1. Explore Your Options
   Speaking of custom-made songs, you can choose to have your wedding in a variety of styles, which is also true for your wedding dance. Instead of simply choosing to go by the traditional way of couple dance, you can choose to have a dramatic performance on any of the songs that we have listed or whichever song you choose in the end. You can also choose to perform as though you’re a stage performer, it is your wedding after all! 

1. Discuss with Your Partner
   Although this part does not need to be emphasized at length because it may sound too obvious, we would like to spell it out anyway! Since your wedding is mostly about the celebration of your love for your partner, remember to consider their wants and desires for the day. With your first dance, the key to a beautiful dance is to ensure that your partner is not uncomfortable when they’re taking the dance floor with you. Some of us are natural dancers, while others may not be. Make sure that you do not select a dance that goes beyond your partner’s skills. And if your partner is not confident but is enthusiastic about it, you and your partner can choose to practice it for a while. After your practice sessions, if you feel that the dance routine is choppy, you can choose a simple piece of music. 

Bonus: Choose a Song you Absolutely Love
Whether you choose to have a wedding video of the moment or you choose to cherish the moment in your memories, always remember that your wedding’s details are going to be very important. You should only choose the things you absolutely adore. If you want your wedding to look like what you envision it to, you will need the perfect wedding look, the best wedding decor, and the best wedding ideas. So, why should your first dance music choice be second to anything? When we say “this song is romantic” we are talking about what it makes us feel. However, you don’t have to choose the music or song only because it sounds wonderful to others or was referred to on a list. We encourage you to choose the song, the song that makes you remember your partner, the love you share with each other, and makes you want to dance with your soulmate as your wedding song!

With that, we are at the end of the wedding song list! We hope that the options that we mentioned above will help you to make the right music choice for your first dance. Although we have mentioned a few wedding ideas and themes to go with the songs, it does not mean they have to be used like that. We mentioned the wedding themes along with songs to give you more ideas and help you with your wedding planning process. However, those are just ideas, if you want to switch things up, you can by using this routine for your first dance as per your dancing skills for your wedding before choosing a musical piece for your wedding. One of the biggest mistakes most couples make is that they are over-optimistic about their dancing skills, which can lead to difficult routines needing to be mastered in a smaller time frame. So, if you love the sound of a song, and want it to be your song, remember to check the dance routines to go with the song of your choice so that you know which routine you’d love to perform and make yours. Once you have the routine, and you’re confident you can perform the dance, you can select the song for your wedding day!