“Young, drunk and thought it would be funny.” 35 women share their first dance songs.

Choosing a wedding song is no simple task. 

While some couples opt for a timeless ballad to walk down the aisle to, others might choose a more personal song that reminds them of their relationship and personality. The options are endless!

We’ve uncovered the world’s most popular first dance songs and some of the most inappropriate first dance songs Mamamia readers have had to bear witness to at a wedding.

But what we are interested in hearing about now are the stories behind first dance songs and why people chose the track that they did.

Here are 35 women’s stories, ranging from the hilarious, heartfelt and very sweet.

Watch: Celebrity wedding first dance songs. Post continues below.

‘Everlong’ by Foo Fighters. 

“We went with the acoustic version of ‘Everlong.’ We liked the lyrics and love the song, so it was a good choice for us.”

‘You Send Me’ by Sam Cooke. 

“We love the old-school song ‘You Send Me’ by Sam Cooke. Totally our style and preferred era. We wanted to do a small choreographed dance, and we loved a particular line in the song. My husband got down on one knee and then I did a twirl as part of it. It’s a great classic song and a lovely memory.”

‘Son of a Preacher’ by Dusty Springfield.

"Chose it because I married the son of a preacher…"

‘Mirrors’ by Justin Timberlake and ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ by Frank Sinatra. 

“Ours was supposed to be ‘Mirrors.’ Then as we got up for the first dance, our band said they didn’t know the song. So, we had ‘The Way You Look Tonight.' On the way to our room after the reception, my new husband and I danced to our proper song in the moonlight by the water.”

Image: Getty.

‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele (original by Bob Dylan).

“The Bob Dylan version is actually my partner’s mum’s favourite song. She sadly passed before I had the chance to meet her, so when my husband and I got married, I knew this song would mean a lot to him. He said it was extra special, as to him it felt like she could be a part of the celebration on some level.”

‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ by Elton John.

“From The Lion King, I still love this song and could waltz to it without looking like I had two left feet on the dance floor.”

‘Moon River’ by Paul Kelly and Neil Finn (originally performed by Audrey Hepburn).

“We chose ‘Moon River’ 30 years ago. These lines spoke to us: ‘two drifters off to see the world, there’s such a lot of world to see.’ Beautiful.”

‘What A Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong.

“For us, it was about recognising that our lives together weren’t just about the two of us, but everything and everyone around us.”

‘That’s Amore’ by Dean Martin.

Yes, the ‘big pizza’ one is what we had for our wedding! We did a waltz to it. Apparently, my hubby’s grandparents were amazing ‘waltzers’ back in the day, so we wanted to honour that. His grandpa was unwell at the time and we knew there may not be much time left, so we wanted to honour him and his Italian heritage.”

‘You Make My Dreams’ by Daryl Hall and John Oates.

“We chose this one as it’s upbeat and a great song.”

Image: Getty.

‘Photograph’ by Ed Sheeran. 

“We chose to have a remix of ‘Photograph’ by Ed Sheeran. My husband used to be a DJ and would play me this version of the song during his sets when we first started dating.”

‘Sparks’ by Coldplay. 

“There is this scene in the film Wedding Crashers, where Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson are kind of longing to hook up, with this song by Coldplay playing in the background. There was just so much chemistry and love and it really stuck with me, so I knew when I got married that it would be my first dance song. Sucked into my partner, she didn’t get a choice! Haha, no she did actually like it as well thank goodness.”

‘Adore You’ by Harry Styles.

“As a millennial, of course I chose a song by Harry Styles. He’s hot and I love his music. And my husband luckily felt the same way.”

‘Feels Like Home’ by Martha Marlow (original Randy Newman).

“Our first dance was to 'Feels Like Home.' It sounds ridiculously corny, but during the dance it really felt like everything else just fell away. It was lovely.”

‘That’s How Strong My Love Is’ by Otis Redding. 

“We had mostly Otis Redding songs for our wedding. Our first dance was to ‘That’s How Strong My Love Is.’ No particular reason behind it, besides the fact that we wanted something that would never age.”

Image: Getty.

‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers. 

“We had a live band karaoke, and one of our friends sang ‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers. It was deeply apt, as my love was about to embark on a motorbike trip from London to Magadan in far, far Eastern Siberia, Russia. It was ridiculous and amazing: the most fun.”

‘Songbird’ by Eva Cassidy (original Fleetwood Mac).

“This song still makes me tear up!”

‘Love is All Around’ by Wet Wet Wet. 

“This song was an absolute hit at the time I got married in the mid ‘90s. We both loved it. Needless to say, I ended up hating the song after it became way too popular thanks to the one and only Christmas film Love Actually. And I’ve got to say, it’s probably not my favourite tune either considering I’m now divorced.”

‘Leather and Lace’ by Holiday Sidewinder and Andrew Stockdale (original by Stevie Nicks).

“My partner and I couldn’t decide which song to choose. We were worried we wouldn’t find one and would have to go with something tacky. But one night, we were watching a music game show program Rockwiz, and we saw Holiday Sidewinder and Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother cover a Stevie Nicks song called ‘Leather and Lace.’ At the end of the show, we just looked at each other and said let’s do this one. I think it’s quite unique.”

Image: Getty.

‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley. 

“This was actually my dad’s favourite song, and given he was such an Elvis fan, I thought it fitting to choose it as my first dance wedding song. Especially given the fact he is no longer with us, and had passed before my wedding, it was a very special nod to him.”

‘(Everything I Do) I Do It for You’ by Bryan Adams.

“We chose this song after watching the Robin Hood film where the song was featured. My husband was my then-boyfriend at the time, and he brought marshmallows for us to eat while we watched the movie on video. I absolutely hate marshmallows but painstakingly ate half the packet because I was too nervous to tell him. We still laugh about it today, 25 years later.”

‘Strangers in the Night’ by Frank Sinatra.

“It was performed by a live orchestra and live singer. My husband proposed to me in the place we met with the song playing.”

Listen: Hitched is a Mamamia podcast and 10-week wedding crash course hosted by wedding planning guru, Aleisha McCormack. In this episode, Aleisha unpacks the topic of wedding budgets and how to get married without going broke. Post continues after audio.

‘Unsure.’

“Oh my God. I’ve completely forgotten what song it was! And then, I sheepishly asked my hubby, and he’s forgotten too. I remember doing the dance, but I was pretty drunk on various cocktails by that time of night.”

‘All of Me’ by John Legend. 

“What a classic wedding song honestly. Probably a bit too common if I were to consider it now, but still really glad we went for this one. My wife and I when we heard the lyrics, we knew it was a great one for us.”

‘At Last’ by Etta James.

“It took us ten years to walk down the aisle, so our first dance song was very fitting.”

‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin. 

“It was a second marriage for both of us and the song was about a new world and a new start. We’ve been happily married for 26 years now.”

Image: Getty.

‘Bless The Broken Road’ by Rascal Flatts.

“I was working in a before and after school care at the time, caring for children aged 5-12 who were watching the Hannah Montana movie on repeat. To block out the movie, I kept listening to this song by Rascal Flatts on repeat and I just loved it.”

‘Adore’ by Amy Shark and ‘Shake Ya Ass’ by Mystikal.

“This song was so reminiscent of when we met and started dating. Then half-way through the track, it changed to ‘Shake Ya Ass’ by Mystikal, because we don’t take ourselves too seriously.” 

‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ by the Rolling Stones. 

“Young, drunk and thought it would be funny.”

‘She Keeps Me Warm’ by Mary Lambert.

“We had a country and western dress-up bush dance wedding. So, we didn’t have a first dance song as such, as we immediately started dancing with all our guests. The song probably had something to do with heel and toe! We played Mary Lambert’s ‘She Keeps Me Warm’ at the beginning of the ceremony: it was magical, and in April this year during a brief COVID-hiatus in restrictions. I married my female partner of 14 years, so that was why it was so special.”

‘Your Song’ by Elton John. 

“Now my partner and I have since split, but I still have super fond memories of us dancing together to this Elton John hit. We were simultaneously laughing and crying the whole time.”

“Our first dance song was ‘From This Moment On’ by Shania Twain. We actually went to dance lessons to properly learn the Rhumba for it. As a complete surprise, particularly for my parents, we actually pulled it off!”

‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses. 

“God, I still love my wedding song. Yes, it’s not as ‘conventional’ as other classic weddings, but at least it’s not boring and spoke to both mine and my partner’s personality.”

‘If I Should Fall Behind’ by Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band. 

“My husband loved the song well before he met me, and he had a lot of love for the words and meaning behind it. No one else really knew the song, but it was so lovely to dance to. Now we put it on 11 years later and dance with our kids to it.”

‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran.

“Our first dance song was this classic Ed Sheeran hit. The lyrics were about falling in love as kids. My husband and I met in high school, started dating straight after school but didn’t marry for about 14 years, so the lyrics fitted our story perfectly.”

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.