Southern Wedding Traditions: the First Dance

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One of the most anticipated (in our minds, anyway) traditions at most Southern weddings comes after the ceremony, after the vows and the big first kiss: your first dance as a married couple. There are hundreds of thousands of love songs out there waiting to be added to your DJ’s playlist, which makes choosing the right one quite a task. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorites, including some classics, some covers, and a few your guests might not see coming (click any of the song titles to listen).

Looking for something all out romantic that will have your entire wedding party weeping? May we suggest:

Into My Arms: Nick Cave

And I believe in love

And I know that you do too

And I believe in some kind of path

That we can walk down, me and you

Wild Is the Wind: Cat Power

You touched me, and I hear the sound of mandolins

You kissed me, and with your kiss my life begins.

Of Angels and Angles: the Decemberists

There are angels in your angles,

There’s a low moon caught in your tangles

Shooting for slow and sultry? These may be more up your alley:

You’re the One: the Black Keys

Will you be true till life is done?

Be the one I adore

You're the one that I adore

Blood Bank: Bon Iver

You said, “Ain’t this just like the present

to be showing up like this?

As the moon waned to crescent

We started to kiss

If your wedding is a little less formal and a little more footloose, try these slightly more upbeat tunes: 

Hey Darling, Do You Gamble?: Lucero

I believe you should run with me until this Texas sun falls into the sea

if I shed this skin of iron and this breath of kerosene

Darling, would you take a chance on me?

You Are the Best Thing: Ray LaMontagne

We’ve come a long way, and baby

You know I hope and pray

That you’ll believe me when I say

This love will never fade away

Sweet Darlin’: She & Him

Sweet darling, come hold me

Just a little bit longer now

If there’s a mustache on your groom and your bridesmaids are in mismatched florals with Zooey D. bangs, one of these might be the right fit:

I’ll Be Your Bird: M. Ward

I'm not the tiger you never had

I'm not the first hit when you got it bad

I'm not your second, I'm not your third

But I'll be your bird

The Book of Love: The Magnetic Fields

The book of love is long and boring

And written very long ago

It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes

And things we're all too young to know, but

I, I love it when you give me things

And you, you ought to give me wedding rings

Going to Georgia: the Mountain Goats

The most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway

Is that it’s you, and that you’re standing in the doorway

and you smile as you ease the gun from my hand 

And I’m frozen with joy right where I stand. 

Do you have a song chosen? Already married and have a great memory of your first dance? Let us know in the comments!