 Cheesey from InStyle.com)
Getting married but don't want anything too cheesy for your first dance? Here's some cool first dance song ideas for your first spin as husband and wife.
Picking a first dance song for your wedding is the easiest thing in the world - but only if you and your fiancé have a song that's unofficially 'yours'.
If you don't happen to be one of those couples then it can be a bit of a self-conscious process. Do you keep it safe with classic first dance song territory or impress the music snobs with something a little bit off-beat? Do you slow dance your way through a John Legend ballad - see Kim and Kanye's slightly awkward first dance, where they actually had John Legend singing live (if only) - or book in some first dance lessons so you can impress a faintly alarmed crowd of guests with a Dirty Dancing lift? Decisions, decisions...
Whatever your preference, we've gathered up a few non-cheesy first dance songs to get you started. And if you want some A-list inspiration, scroll down to find out what 11 celebrity couples picked for their first dance.
1) Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
Good for: soft, romantic vocals that you can still dance to
Good for: that beautiful lyric 'love's the greatest thing... that we have' (first dance heaven)
Good for: a really beautiful slow dance
Good for: serious pointy-finger-lip-synch stuff
Good for: a moving, soft, beautiful first dance
Good for: those euphoric arpeggios you can spin around the dancefloor to
7) You Got the Love – Candi Staton
Good for: those very appropriate lyrics "sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air, I know I can count on you"
8) Coming Home - Leon Bridges
Good for: a modern first dance song that already feels like an old classic
9) Gotta Get You Into My Life - The Beatles
Good for: a Beatles track that's not too obvious
10) Candy - Paolo Nutini
Good for: romantic and whimsical. 'I'll even wash your clothes' croons Paolo - start as you mean to go on and all that...
Good for: a simple, beautiful piano ballad
Good for: a little bit softer and more romantic than the Oasis original (sorry, Liam!)
13) Madness - It Must Be Love
Good for: a happy tune that's so easy to dance to
14) I've Got My Mind Set On You - George Harrison
Good for: really-getting-into-it dancing
15) Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Lauren Hill
Good for: someone who wants a classic first dance song with a cool, updated twist (and Lauren Hill's voice is amazing)
16) God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Good for: Beach Boys / Love Actually fans
17) Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac
Good for: 'I wanna be with you everywhere' is surely the best wedding song lyric ever?
18) If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keys
Good for: romantic slow dancing
19) Heroes - David Bowie
Good for: anyone! Who doesn't love a bit of Bowie?
20) Four Five Seconds - Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney
Good for: just a really great track - "if I go to jail tonight, promise you'll pay my bail" has a certain, er, romance to it we suppose...
21) Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay
Good for: beautiful, raw romantic lyrics
Good for: slow, romantic with John Legend's honey vocals
23) Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Good for: a nice slice of pop music everyone can sing along to
Good for: raw romance
Celebrity first dance song choices. What did the A-list go for?
1) Prince Will and Kate Middleton
First dance song: Elton John's Your Song (perfomed live by Ellie Goulding)
2) Kate Moss and Jamie Hince
First dance song: If There Is Something by Roxy Music
3) Beyonce and Jay Z
First dance song: Crazy In Love (the first song they collaborated on together - sweet)
4) Barack and Michelle Obama
First dance song: You And I by Stevie Wonder
5) David and Victoria Beckham
First dance song: It Had To Be You by Starlight Orchestra
6) Reese Witherspoon and Jim Tosh
First dance song: Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan
7) Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan
First dance song: Last Night On Earth by Green Day
8) Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley
First dance song: Heavenly Day by Patti Griffin
9) Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi
First dance song: Ribbon In The Sky by Stevie Wonder
10) Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
First dance song: Songbird by Fleetwood Mac
11) Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
First dance song: At Last by Etta James
Need inspiration for the rest of your wedding? We've rounded up the best alternative weddings shoes as well as affordable wedding decoration ideas and alternative wedding dress designers who won't make you look like a meringue. We've also collated some seriously beautiful wedding readings that will make your guests cry
How to plan your first dance (by an expert)
Want some more advice on picking the perfect first dance song if you've booked a band? We asked Ben Matthews from top acoustic band The London Essentials - who performed at the wedding of Holly Branson - for some tips.
Do embrace the cheese if you want to
"Before you choose the first dance song make sure you book a band that still have a glint in their eyes! If the band has a good energy, that’s what’s going to spread through the room. Any song can lose its cheesy reputation with a band that can make it come alive all over again."
Don't stress about a fancy choreographed routine
"Remember, it's your day. If you’re the contemporary Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers then go to town, but no pressure. Ask the band to get the guests to join you on the dancefloor halfway through the song. You don’t need to be Lord of the Dance."
Don't make last minute changes
"If you've been listening to a different version of a classic song and want the band to play it then do say so. It’s probably best to give due notice though. I have a friend who was playing in a duo for a wedding, they were asked the day before the wedding to playing Natalie Cole’s brilliant ‘This Will Be (an Everlasting Love)’ as the first dance. There’s just no way to do that song justice as a duo with one day’s notice. It really stressed him out saying he couldn’t do it (most musicians reallly care about this kind of thing!) We’ve had to change a couple of songs last minute, once to a ska version, which was a fun challenge if a tad stressful!"
Enjoy yourself!
"It's always noticeable when the bride and groom treat their wedding as a party and want to have fun. They’re usually the most memorable weddings."
