We went back through every first dance in our planning app since 2024. That's 91 Sound Love weddings. We expected a top ten. What we found was better: no song showed up more than twice.
The most popular first dance song at our weddings is the one that's actually yours.
The only songs that repeated
Out of 91 first dances, just five songs were picked by two couples each:
"ALL MY LOVE" by Coldplay
"Work Song" by Hozier
"Tennessee Whiskey," once the Chris Stapleton version and once Teddy Swims
"Stargazing" by Myles Smith
"Beyond" by Leon Bridges
The usual "most popular first dance songs" lists didn't hold up at all. Songs like "Perfect" and "At Last" didn't appear once. "A Thousand Years," "All of Me" and "Can't Help Falling in Love" each showed up exactly one time.
What we're actually seeing
Country, a lot of it. Roughly a quarter of our couples went country, from Shania Twain and Chris Stapleton to Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Morgan Wallen and Cody Johnson.
Timeless classics. About one in ten picked an oldie: Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Smokey Robinson and The Flamingos all made the list.
Movie and TV moments. Disney, High School Musical, The Greatest Showman, Schitt's Creek, Arcane and even a Studio Ghibli waltz.
Songs from all over. Bring Me The Horizon, Paramore, NSYNC, Chance the Rapper, a Bollywood favorite and a Ben Harper live cut. If it means something to you, it works.
How to pick yours
Pick the one that means something. A song you both "kind of like" isn't it. The song from your first road trip is.
Watch the length. Anything over about four minutes can feel long when everyone's watching. We can make a clean edit so it ends right where you want.
Think about the energy. If the song builds or drops, make sure that moment matches what you want photographed.
Plan the handoff. Decide if you want guests to join halfway through, or if the floor stays yours until the end.
We'll help you nail it
Your first dance song is one of the first things we talk about in planning, and we build the night around it. If you want a custom edit or a mashup, we can make that too.
Ready to start planning? Check your date and let's talk.
