With so much focus on the song you and your fiancé will
dance to during your first dance, make sure you don’t forget another important
reception moment – the father-daughter dance.
While the tradition may have symbolized a father “giving
away” his daughter in the past, today’s father-daughter dance has come to mean
more. We have seen countless
father-daughter dances in the weddings we have performed at and one thing’s for
sure – the dance is simply a time for a father and his little girl to spend together. We love that the pressure has been lifted and
dads and their daughters can simply have a few moments together during such a
hectic day. They may spend it
reminiscing about the ceremony, laughing about something funny that happened
early in the day or something embarrassing your great uncle did, or spend it
chatting about how quickly life passes us by.
However it’s spent, it’s spent with smiles, and we love seeing it from
our vantage point.
We’ve definitely witnessed a great number of weddings over
the years and have spoken to hundreds of brides. Here are our top 5 pointers we have learned
about choosing your father-daughter dance song:
-
Try not to spend too much time stressing about
finding the “perfect song” since it may be hard finding songs with perfect
lyrics that represent your relationship with your father. Choose a song that is light and easy to move
to. You may have great dance moves to
hit just about any dance floor around but dad might have two left feet!
-
Ask dad for his input. He may feel a little apprehensive about
dancing in front of a crowd with all eyes on him (well, the eyes will really be
on you, but you know what we mean). Let
him suggest a few songs that he would be comfortable with and it may make the
process easier for him.
-
Once you find a song you can agree on, do a dry
run at least once prior to the big day.
Dad might not dance too often and he certainly doesn’t slow dance with
you often enough. Running through the
song at least once (with you wearing your wedding shoes so he’s used to the
height you will on your wedding day) will keep him at ease.
-
If dad is up for it and if time permits, take a
dance class or two to learn the basic footwork for your song. At the very least, it gives you time together
and in a way, a break from all the wedding planning. And it’s fun!
-
When in doubt, stick to the classics. There are so many wonderful songs that have
become popular at weddings for a reason - they warm people’s hearts. Artists that are always a safe bet include
Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr., The Beatles,
Elvis, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Celine Dion, Josh Groban
and many others.
Whatever song you choose, just remember to spend it enjoying
each other’s company. The song is just
about 3 minutes long and we assure you it will go by before you know it.
