Tag Archives: songs

Perfect Wedding Reception Songs

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If you’re looking for wedding reception songs to get everyone dancing, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ve rounded up the most popular songs played at weddings, with plenty of classic anthems and unique tunes that will have all your guests singing along.

25 Perfect Wedding Reception Songs Guaranteed to Fill the Dancefloor

Music can make or break your reception, so we’ve teamed up with one of the UK’s best party DJs, DJ Platinum and wedding singer Dominic from Sweet Soulful Sound, to bring you this definitive list of love songs – stick to these top tunes and you’ll create the perfect party atmosphere.

5 of the best first dance songs

First dance songs are traditionally romantic and tend to say something about you as a couple. But remember, they don’t have to be slow like the five popular choices here.

If your wedding ceremony isn’t traditional, then why have a traditional first dance? Go for something faster, choreograph a professional dance – perhaps a tango – or just have a mass dance with your friends.

  1. At Last by Etta James
  2. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
  3. Let’s Stay Together by Al Green
  4. Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
  5. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith

5 of the best wedding reception floorfillers

The one thing a lot of wedding guests always comment on is the wedding entertainment. Keep them dancing all night, and give them great memories of your big day with these classic floor fillers!

Why not choose one of these songs to play after the first dance to encourage everyone onto the dancefloor?

  1. Dancing Queen by ABBA
  2. Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars
  3. Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
  4. Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon
  5. Mr Brightside by The Killer

5 of the best wedding reception songs to end the night

We always suggest that a bride and groom make their exit before the lights come on at the end of the night. Who wants to see messy reception tables anyway?

Choose a song to be played at about 11.30pm, dance with all your guests and then make your final exit. We love running out of the venue under a tunnel of sparklers – the perfect photo opportunity!

  1. Come On Eileen Dexys Midnight Runners
  2. Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
  3. Don’t Stop Believing Journey
  4. Ho Hey The Lumineers
  5. All You Need is Love The Beatles

5 of the best sing-a-long wedding reception songs

Your wedding video should capture all the special moments of the big day, and by that we don’t just mean the emotional, romantic bits. It should also capture those candid moments with you and your friends laughing and jumping around on the dancefloor, having the time of your lives. These songs will help you do just that…

  1. Valerie Amy Winehouse
  2. Celebration Kool & The Gang
  3. Can’t Help Myself The Four Tops
  4. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel Tavares
  5. My Girl The Temptations

5 of the Best Father-Daughter Dance Songs

Not every bride has a dance with her father, but we think it’s a tradition that’s worth bringing back for 2019! Show your dad just how much he means to you (and that he’s still the number one man in  your life) with a dance at the reception. The songs below all have a great sentiment behind them but Father and Daughter by Paul Simon is our favourite here at Wedding Ideas HQ…

  1. My Girl First The Temptations
  2. Father And Daughter Paul Simon
  3. Isn’t She Lovely Stevie Wonder
  4. When You Need Me Bruce Springsteen
  5. Ain’t That Love Ray Charles

Make your music work for you

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You don’t just want any old band playing any old song. You want a wedding band that feels unique to you. Here’s how you can ensure that you have a special performance on your big day.

Get Them to Change the Lyrics

So simple but oh so effective! Yes, you can simply ask for your wedding band to change the lyrics of your song! And by ‘your song’, we mean the song that is special to yourself and your partner, not Elton John’s classic, because to be honest that does not need changing at all. Okay, fine, I guess you can change it if you like. It is your wedding after all!

Request a Song

With a wedding band, requesting a song is a tad harder than with a wedding DJ. If you’re not the kind of person to plan too far ahead (you are planning a wedding so it seems unlikely), then you could hire a DJ for the evening and request a song with no doubt at all that your DJ will be able to play it, however with a wedding band, it takes a bit more planning. Make sure you get in contact in good time before the wedding itself and most wedding bands are more than happy to accommodate your request.

Dress Up

Although it’s not their favourite thing in the world, depending on the costume of course, wedding bands are occasionally asked to dress up to fit the theme of a wedding. Perhaps you’re a massive Alice in Wonderland fan wanting a trio of Mad Hatters, or maybe you want them all dressed in pink. Whatever it is, it’s always worth asking to ensure that your wedding is exactly how you imagined it all those years ago!

Surprise!

Surprises at weddings always go down brilliantly but pulling this off requires either the bride or groom to contact the band in advance. Of course, that’s not always the case, as Maroon 5 simply turned up to a whole host of weddings without apparently telling anybody involved in any of them. Generally speaking wedding music shouldn’t just do what they want to do. That’s not how it works.

Write a Song

This is probably the most expensive option on the list but also, if you get it right, the one that puts your wedding far and away above everyone else’s in terms of romance. Yes, you could get together with the band in advance and write a song about your soon to be husband or wife. And then you sing it on the big day! The downsides to this plan include the fact that it may be horrendously cheesy and, err, there might be a reason you’re not fronting a band, but if your partner enjoys it then it’s well worth doing!

 

Make your music memorable

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Music is a very personal to each individual and it will play a very important part in your wedding. You don’t have to be from a particular faith to enjoy a piece of music, just go what feels best for you. The Wedding ceremony music has to be right for both of you, and to have the right piece played, you will remember your wedding day for years to come.

To help you choose, this is a list of some wedding music that you might want to consider including in your repertoire:

Wedding Ceremony Music– The Common Requests

 

1. “Air in G” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (J.S. Bach)

2. “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9(Beethoven)

3. “Trumpet Voluntary” or “Prince of Denmark’s March” (J. Clarke)

4. “Clair de Lune” (C. Debussy)

5. “Hornpipe” from Water Music Suite (G.F. Handel)

6. “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (F. Mendelssohn)

7. “Canon in D” (J. Pachelbel)

9. “Allegro from Spring”, first movement theme from The Four Seasons (A. Vivaldi)

10. “Bridal March” from the opera Lohengrin or “Here Comes the Bride” (R. Wagner)

Wedding Ceremony Music Alternatives

 

Favourite choices for Christian weddings:

 

1. “Amazing Grace” (American Folk Melody)

2. “Ave Maria” (F. Schubert)

3. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (J. S. Bach)

4. “The Lord’s Prayer” (A.H. Malotte)

5. “Simple Gifts” (Elder Joseph)

 

Favourite choices for Jewish weddings:

 

1. “Dodi Li” (N. Chen)

2. “Erev Ba” (O. Avissar & A. Levanon)

3. “Siman Tov” (traditional Israeli song)

4. “Sunrise Sunset” from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”

Favourite choices for Celtic weddings:

1. “Mairia’s Wedding”

2. “Star of the County Down”

3. “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”

4. “Skye Boat Song”

5. “My Wild Irish Rose”