First dance – Hampshire wedding DJ
Have you ever been to a wedding and the First Dance has almost been an afterthought? Or even worse, you had no idea that it happened at all!
Well that will not happen if you book us, as we will make sure that everything has been properly organised and planned in advance. 9 times out of 10 an entrance is a good bet, as it can often take a bit of time to get guests in the right position, so saves you the awkward situation of hanging about. We would also try to get as many guests as possible up and around the dance floor area, depending on the venue. There is nothing worse than doing a first dance in a massive open space and having everyone staring at you from their chairs.
We would also often combine other formalities with the first dance because spreading things out will confuse and disengage the guests, especially on a nice day when rounding up your guests is more challenging! Most commonly, we combine the Father/ Daughter Dance and Cake Cut with the First Dance. Making sure that you guys are ready is key and then informing anyone who is also involved (such as the Father of the Bride). We will check that we have all the correct information and music cued and then let guests know what’s coming up with 10 minutes’ notice.
We use lighting to change the various sections of a First Dance. It’s usually static and pink to start with and then we brighten up the room. When we can see that the photographer has got his shot, or that you want people to join you, we will often darken the room and invite other guests on to the dance floor.
Want something a bit different for your first dance?
It’s your wedding after all, so why not play the music you like the most rather than the usual tracks? A word of warning though, if you want a track that is either fast, Alternative, or not very well known, it’s well worth coming up with a dancing plan that will keep your guests enthralled throughout. If you want guests to join you then pick the perfect point for the finale lift or twirl etc! Getting your friends and family on side prior to the dance is the key here.
Here is a First Dance playing quite a heavy (but very popular) track. They originally suggested going straight into the track, but we advised to have a classical version first and then launch into it for maximum impact. As you can see, the Best Man (on crutches) and other key Groomsmen/ Bridesmaids are ready to jump on the floor, encouraging other guests to join them. It worked a treat! We would recommend that you follow up with something a bit more guest friendly/ laid back to encourage them to stay on the floor.
Here is an example of a well choreographed first dance. They have clearly spent a long time practicing this dance and the guests are also in a perfect position round the floor. Often a smaller room is very beneficial for a good first dance as people are all in one place and near the action, so have their full attention!
If you both want to do a choreographed first dance, there are many dance teachers and dance schools that specialise in this. Usually the groom might be a little apprehensive, so why not combine it with a nice meal or lunch out as well and make a special occasion of it once a week? Check out the video below – this couple own a theatre production company, so this is an exceptional example.
Below are a few example of First Dances from over the years:
A few First Dance ideas (in no particular order):
1. Marry You – Bruno Mars
2. Accidently In Love – Counting Crows
3. Brighter Than Sunshine – Aqualung
4. For Once In My Life – Stevie Wonder
5. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
6. Everything – Michael Bublé
7. Love On Top – Beyonce
8. You Got the Love – Candi Staton
9. Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
10. 1, 2, 3, 4 – Feist
11. At Last – Etta James
12. Dream a Little Dream of Me – The Mamas & The Papas
13. Candy – Paolo Nutini
14. Greatest Day – Take That
15. It Must Be Love – Madness
16. (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You – UB40
17. It Had To Be You – Harry Connick Jr
18. Cupid – Sam Cooke
19. One Day Like This – Elbow
20. Close to Me – The Cure
21. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor
22. More Than Words – Extreme
23. Baby, Now That I’ve Found You – Alison Krauss
24. Feeling Good – Muse
25. She – Elvis Costello
26. If There Is Something – Roxy Music
27. Just Say Yes – Snow Patrol
28. Stand By Me – Ben E King
29. The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
30. I Only Have Eyes For You – Billie Holiday
31. Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden
32. At My Most Beautiful – REM
33. Unforgettable – Nat King Cole
34. Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
35. What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
36. Gotta Get You Into My Life – The Beatles
37. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen
38. Wonderwall – Oasis
39. Yellow – Coldplay
40. You’re Beautiful – James Blunt
41. You’re The First, The Last, My Everything – Barry White
42. Your Song – Ellie Goulding
43. You Do Something To Me – Paul Weller
44. Make You Feel My Love – Adele
45. Everlong – Foo Fighters 46. Higher Love – James Vincent McMorrow
47. Better Together – Jack Johnson
48. I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
49. You Make It Real – James Morrison
50. Iris – The Goo Goo Dolls
51. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
52. Stay With Me – Sam Smith
53. Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
54. All Of Me – John Legend
55. Only Love – Ben Howard
56. Grow Old With Me – Tom Odell
57. How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
58. I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz
59. XO – Beyonce
60. Happy – Pharrell Wiliams
61. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
62. Run – Leona Lewis
63. Everything I Do – Bryan Adams
64. You’re Still The One – Shania Twain
65. Chasing Pavements – Adele
66. Come What May – Moulin Rouge
67. Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Babe – Barry White
68. Just The Way You Are – Barry White
69. Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Eva Cassidy
70. Let There Be Love – Nat King Cole
71. L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole
72. Rule The World – Take That
73. Never Forget – Take That
74. Time Of My Life – Dirty Dancing
75. Can You Feel The Love Tonight
76. Hero – Enrique Iglesias
77. Explosions – Ellie Goulding
78. You’ve Got The Love – Florence And The Machine
79. Kiss From A Rose – Seal
80. Des’ree – Kissing You
81. Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
82. Let It Be – The Beatles
83. Hey Jude – The Beatles
84. When You Say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating
85. Elton John – Your Song
86. I Get The Sweetest Feeling – Jackie Wilson
87. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye
88. How Sweet It Is – Marvin Gaye
89. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
90. No One – Alicia Keys
91. Angels – Robbie Williams
92. Flying Without Wings – Westlife
93. Sway – Michael Bublé
94. Moon River – Frank Sinatra
95. Sky Full Of Stars – Coldplay
96. We Found Love – Rihanna
97. I Only Want To Be With You – Dusty Springfield
98. She’s The One – Robbie Williams
99. Same Love – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
100. Friday I’m In Love – The Cure