By Chris Lynam
Ready to party down at your wedding? Finally, you’ll be able to let your hair down and relax after so many months of planning! But wait just a minute, have you gotten your music planned out? Let’s check out a few things to remember before you flip the speakers on!
Here are five things to remember when planning for your wedding dance music:
Save The R&B For The Reception
As great as it is to sway side to side to the sounds of Boys 2 Men, R. Kelly, and the occasional Jodeci track you need to avoid this trap at all costs. Nothing about your wedding should remind people of high school, especially your first dance. Use this music to wind down the reception. Your first dance should set the mood… but not the R&B mood.
Locking In On “Your Song”
Let’s say you met at a coffee shop, fell in love, and there was Bob Marley music playing in the background. You could, for a matter of public record, claim that “Exodus” is your song. But who’s really keeping tabs? No one. No matter what your song is, it’s important to have a few backups and get outside opinions on what feels ‘right’ for your First Dance.
Listening Music is Hard To Dance To
There is listening music, and dancing music. Similar to point 2, there are songs that are just meant for sitting and enjoying. If you’re going to take dance lessons before your wedding, your instructor is an expert at this, so before you decide on something by Strauss for your Cinderella first dance moment, take a breath, run it past your teacher, and maybe they have the dance version of a happy medium.
Long Songs
Follow this rule: Holding your breath. If you can’t hold your breath for the duration of your song, or a good part of it, then it’s probably too long. The industry standard performance time is 90 seconds. It passes the holding your breath test and keeps the audience engaged. As much as we’d all like to see the wedding dance version of Rapper’s Delight or Bohemian Rhapsody, we’d suggest something that wouldn’t cause your lungs, or audience, to collapse.
Way Too Popular Songs
Yes, there are popular songs that you may love to dance to, but will the NaeNae song, or Hotline Bling, be timeless by your 5 year anniversary? Maybe not.
So What Should You Look For In Your Wedding Dance Music?
Schedule a dance lesson!
Do not pass go, do not put this off until the last minute because you took a dance class in college. The first dance is a fun, exciting moment, and you should know what you’re going to do when you’re out on the dance floor in front of your friends and family!
Find a variety of music
Everything for your wedding will be based on your ideas. It’s not different with your wedding dance. Bring music as inspiration, not as a the final say. Be open to suggestions from wedding vendors who have seen it all – good and bad!
Relax
Too often, brides and grooms feel like they are breaking some universal rules, in some secret wedding day playbook, and they start to stress and overthink things. Learning to dance together can actually reduce stress, help you connect, and, oh yeah, it may come in handy as a sparkling new married couple.
[…] and tears if you want. There’s no one holding you back when it comes to your first dance. Why not hire someone to help you choreograph something spectacular? Or if you happen to be a magician, you can do something super swanky like […]