Wedding First Dance Songs

I am a sucker for first dances at weddings. I get choked up watching these milestone moments at every single wedding.  Songs are so tied to our emotions.   It is hard to give specific suggestions on wedding first dance songs, father-daughter songs, or mother-son songs but I am going to give some any way!

OUR FIRST DANCE

For starters, my first dance song with my husband was “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds.  When we were dating, Lucas would make me mix cds.   At the time (circa 2001), that was OUR song.   We felt like the luckiest people in the world to have met. When it came time to pick our first dance song in 2010, that made the most sense. It was sentimental and sweet and “us”.

PARENT DANCES

Since becoming a mother to a little boy, I have to say that the mother-son songs get me good.  I can imagine the day when I will be dancing with my son.   At that time he will probably be taller than me.  I daydream about what I will say to him and how happy he will be that day as he becomes a husband.

As my mind starts to wander  about first dance songs, here are some contenders I have come up with.

Days Like This by Van Morrison
I imagine this song as my constant maternal reminder to my son that when life gets hard and marriage feels like work to remember days like this. “When you don’t need to worry there’ll be days like this” I hope he will always look back on his wedding day as one of the best days of his life.

Stand by Me by Ben E King
I danced to this song with my dad at my wedding and I love the idea of passing our first dance on. Even though I know he will now have his spouse to stand by him, unfortunately he can’t get rid of me.

Forever Young  by Bob Dylan

Have you ever seen the series Parenthood? It is one of my all time favorite shows and I devoured it when I was pregnant. This song is in the opening and I absolutely love the sentiments.  Bob Dylan’s version is the classic, but I also love Norah Jones’s rendition.

Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles

In the same vein as Stand by Me, my husband danced with his mom to Here Comes the Sun by Nina Simone as did his brothers. I love family traditions so this may become another favorite.

The best advice  is to go with a song regardless of whether or not it fits the mold.  Choose a song that gives you a goosebumps.

Photo credit: Christina Lilly Photography

Bridesmaid Gift Guide

The season of gift giving is upon us.  I am rounding up some great gift ideas for your bridesmaids in this wedding gift guide that will come in handy any time of the year.

For the jet setter

Traveling for a girls’ weekend or for business, your best friends can travel in style with one of these personalized and fashionable gifts. I am a big fan of these cute Pack-it Sac Sets. Each set comes with one small and one large canvas clutch and customized with each girl’s initials.

We all know that we can never have enough bags.  In my opinion, you can’t go wrong gifting a functional, yet beautiful bag like this Luxury Leather Tote with an understated monogram.  I also love this gold dipped tote that is big enough to carry everything your girls will need on the wedding day.

For the  wedding day

Just about every moment of the wedding day is a photo opportunity. Having your bridesmaids and you in matching robes has become a must have detail. I tried out the navy Victorian floral robe monogramed with “bride” from Bridesmaid Gifts Boutique for size and I love it! The florals are beautiful.  I love how muted the colors are and perfect for a fall wedding.  For a bit more “glam”, try these satin nightgowns in silver, gold or blush pink with “Team Bride” on the back for the best pre-wedding sleepover you can imagine.  I can see the champagne popping pictures now!

For the beauty lover

One of my favorite items might be this Maddison Makeup Bag.  I love the textured quilted fabric and the typewriter monogram style. My makeup bag is one of my most cherished items.  I have a feeling your girls are the same.

Imagine gifting your ‘maids with the gift of never losing a piece of jewelry in your suitcase.  Or not having to untangle a necklace again. Priceless. I love how sweet and dainty these vegan leather jewelry cases are.  Inside you can include a necklace or earrings that they can wear to complement their dress on the wedding day!

Whatever you choose to gift them is just the icing on the cake of your friendship.

If you are looking for groomsmen gift ideas, check out our guide for guys here!

Photo credit: Love & Light Photographs

Florals: Wallflowers Florist

Venue: Mantoloking Yacht Club