Great First Dance: La Vie En Rose

LA VIE EN ROSE

All first dances are special, but every now and then a certain song is chosen that is simply perfect. La Vie En Rose has been performed by a number of artists and for this particular wedding Jack Nicholson’s rendition was chosen (From the movie Something’s Gotta Give.

Here it is:

La Vie En Rose - Jack Nicholson

Here is the more traditional version by Louis Armstrong as featured in the hit animation WALL-E:

La Vie En Rose - Louis Armstrong

 

Choosing your First Dance

A SIMPLE TASK FOR SOME?

Some Bride and Grooms, Civil Partners know from the onset what will be their First Dance. Others simply haven’t got the foggiest. Yet choosing your first dance can be a difficult task depending on your wedding theme, your taste, whether to have a song played by your Wedding DJ or perhaps sung live by your Wedding Singer? So, I have put together a few points to help you decide on the perfect first dance for your special day.

FIVE TOP TIPS

1. Decide whether you want true romance or the comedy factor! First dance’s don’t always need to be romantic and slow. One wedding I remember the Bride and Groom chose The Hair Bear Bunch and were jumping up and down having a ball, not a smooch in site just roars of laughter for their fellow wedding guests.
2. Think of your favourite artist’s. If, for example, your a huge Lionel Ritchie fan then you’ll have a wide selection of ballads to choose from. On the other hand if your a Marilyn Manson fan it will be more difficult to find a special song in his discography! 
3. Maybe you intend to have your First Dance choreographed? In which case you will have a catalogue of suggestions from your dance teacher. They will have choreographed many first dances and will be able to advise on the most suitable track and dance steps for your taste and dancing talent!
4. There is a good chance you will be booking Wedding Entertainment for your Big Day so use them! Ask your Wedding DJ, Wedding Singer or Band what they suggest, as they will know the theme you are going for. They will also have years of experience in Weddings and will have seen many different types of First Dance’s.
5. If all else fails! Open a bottle of wine, go through your ipod or CD collection and choose 10 to 20 songs you like. Write the titles on post it notes, scrunch them up and pull one out of a bag! At least you won’t need to spend too much time pondering over it and you will get a First Dance you like!

I hope this gives you a starting point. For further information check out our other blogs on First Dance Favourites and Surprise First Dance suggestions.

First Dance – Sung or Played

TO BE SUNG OR NOT TO BE SUNG

Ah yes, that is the question, because with the modern day first dance there are no rules! I mean just take a look at the Surprise First Dance – how far is THAT from your traditional ballad. With such a wide choice of contemporary wedding entertainment available many people are turning to alternatives and one of the more special touches that you may want to consider is a first dance, sung LIVE!!

This basically involves your professional Wedding Singer performing your chosen first dance live, instead of having it played by your Wedding DJ as most people would.

THE LIVE FIRST DANCE

In my opinion live wedding music is much more moving than pre-recorded music and it can create a wonderful ‘In the moment’ feel. Having your first dance performed live will add a special touch to an already very special wedding day moment.

For some suggestions on First Dance songs that can be sung live visit Wedding Singer Luca’s Repertoire or if you’d prefer your special first dance to be played see our other post on First Dance suggestions.

The Surprise First Dance

WHY HAVE A SURPRISE FIRST DANCE?

So you’ve wowed your guests with your stunning dress, you’ve chosen the perfect flower displays, the menu is set to everyone’s taste, you’ve had the emotional speeches and all remains in the very important first dance.

Your first dance is announced and you make your way to the dance floor. The music begins, then in true first dance style a ballad starts up and all of your wedding guests coo and cheer. Then suddenly the CD scratches or skips and an upbeat song kicks in. What comes next is something that shocks your guests to the core – Your surprise first dance!

Surprise First Dance

There you have it, one final wow factor to add to your special day - a fabulous, choreographed first dance. If you would like some ideas click here for surprise first dance suggestions.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Choose carefully … maybe stay away from ballroom dances as they take a great deal of concentration and hours of practice. Luckily the couple in this video clip only had a few initial ballroom style moves to learn. Let’s face it there is nothing worse than a bride telling off her groom for doing the wrong step!

Your Wedding DJ or Wedding Singer will be happy to work with you, to put together the perfect surprise first dance track.

Just remember, do it for fun and if you want a special slow song for the evening, just for you, maybe ask for it as a last dance. That way you get the best of both worlds - Fun AND romance. What more could you ask for?

Surprise First Dance Suggestions

HOW TO CHOOSE A SURPRISE FIRST DANCE

As a modern bride and groom you may want to have a totally different first dance experience. Perhaps you want your first dance to be more FUN than romance!

As an experienced Wedding DJ I have seen some spectacular First Dances and if choreographed cleverly, can really add the finishing touches to your Wedding Day. If you would like to see a bride and groom in action visit our other blog – The Surprise First Dance. Here you can watch a YouTube clip of a couple having a whole lot of fun!

I have put together a list of 20 surprise first dance suggestions, that I hope will help you decide on the first dance you want to shock your guests with!

20 Surprise First Dance Suggestions

1. Outkast Hey Ya
2. Madness Must be love
3. Take That Relight my Fire
4. Sir Mix a Lot Baby got Back
5. Barry White The first, My last, My everything
6. King Julien I Like to move it
7. Mr C Cha Cha Slide
8. Grease The One the I want/ Megamix
9. Michael Jackson Thriller
10. Bob Sinclair Everybody dance now
11. M C Hammer Can’t touch this
12. Tiffany Think we’re alone now
13. Girls Aloud Love Machine
14. Run DMC It’s like that
15. The Proclaimers 500 Miles
16. Chubby Checker Let’s twist again
17. Dirty Dancing Do you love me
18. Blues Brothers Everybody needs somebody
19. Status Quo Rocking all over the world
20. ABBA Gimme Gimme Gimme

That should get the brain juices flowing! Remember too that you don’t have to do your surprise first dance alone! You can encourage your wedding guests to join in after a while so they can be part of your spectacular first dance too.

If you need a tailored music track then don’t hesitate to ask your Wedding DJ or Wedding Singer, who will have the experience of customising songs.

The Second Dance

SECOND DANCE SUGGESTIONS

There are many traditions that are upheld in weddings but having a second or third dance doesn’t come up all that often – well from this DJ’s point of view anyway! The second dance can be a great way of ensuring you get all your guests on floor early, especially if you have opted to have your first dance all to yourself.

Whether you want to get your party off to a great start, or perhaps you would like to have one of your parent's memorable songs (like their old first dance) there are a number of great songs to choose from.

20 SONGS FOR YOUR SECOND DANCE

1. You’re the first, the last, my everything - Barry White
2. My Girl - The Temptations
3. Can’t Take My Eyes Off you - Andy Williams
4. One Love - Bob Marley
5. Mr Brightside - Killers
6. I don’t feel like dancing - Scissor Sisters
7. Stuck on You - Lionel Richie
8. I want to wake up with you - Boris Gardner
9. Kingston Town - UB40
10. Celebration - Kool & The Gang
11. Build me up Buttercup - The Foundations
12. Valerie - Amy Winehouse
13. The Promise - Girls Aloud
14. Everything - Michael Buble
15. I’ve had the time of my life -Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
16. Take good care of my Baby - Bobby Vee (great for father and daughter)
17. Just for Tonight - One Night
18. Only One - Mary J Blige (feat. U2)
19. Stand by Me - Ben E King
20. It must be love - Madness

There are so many excellent tracks out there to choose from for your second dance that it can be difficult. Just remember that it’s your day and you know your guests better than the Wedding DJ or Wedding Singer, so choose something that will suite one and all.

Feel free to also check out the post on First Dance Songs.

Sally
Wedding DJ
www.VocalShow.co.uk

100 First Dance Favourites

YOUR FIRST DANCE

Whether you'll be having it sung live by a professional Wedding Singer or simply played by your Wedding DJ your first dance remains the key note of your evening wedding reception. You'll want it to be memorable as well as being something that you feel completely comfortable with. Although it's important that you choose the right song, there's nothing wrong with picking a few more of your favourites to have for maybe a second dance and last dance!

FIRST DANCE SONGS

Here's an alphabetical list of 100 first dance songs for you to choose from. There's pretty much something for everyone here and you should be able to sample most of these first dance songs on YouTube.

1. 9 Million Bicycles - Katie Melua
2. A million love songs – Take That
3. A moment like this - Kelly Clarkson
4. A whole new world - P. Bryson & R. Bell
5. All I want is you – U2
6. All my life – Kci and JoJo
7. Always and forever – Luther Vandross
8. Amazed - Lonestar
9. Angels - Robbie Williams
10. Annie’s song – John Denver
11. At last – Etta James
12. Be mine – David Gray
13. Because of you - Tony Bennett
14. Because you loved me - Celine Dion
15. Better together – Jack Johnson
16. But I do love you – LeAnne Rimes
17. By your side – Sade
18. Can you feel the love tonight - Elton John
19. Can’t get enough of your love – Barry White
20. Can’t help falling in love - Elvis
21. Can’t take my eyes off you – Andy Williams
22. Chasing cars – Snow Patrol
23. Close to you - Carpenters
24. Closest thing to crazy – Katie Melua
25. Come rain, come shine - Bette Midler
26. Could I have this dance - Anne Murray
27. Crazy for you – Madonna
28. Don’t know much - L. Ronstadt and A. Neville
29. Don’t want to miss a thing - Aerosmith
30. Dream catch me – Newton Faulkner
31. Dreams – Gabrielle
32. Endless love - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
33. Eternal flame - The Bangles
34. Everlasting love – Jamie Cullum
35. Everybody loves somebody - Dean Martin
36. Everything – Michael Bublé
37. (Everything I do) I do it for you - Bryan Adams
38. Everything I own – David Gate
39. Fly me to the moon – Frank Sinatra
40. Flying without wings - Westlife
41. For once in my life – Stevie Wonder
42. From this moment - Shania Twain
43. Girl from Ipanema - Frank Sinatra
44. Glory of love – Peter Cetera
45. Greatest day – Take that
46. Groovy kind of love - Phil Collins
47. Grow old with you - Adam Sandler
48. Have I told you lately - Van Morrison
49. Heaven (Candlelight version) - DJ Sammy and Bryan Adams
50. Here and Now - Luther Vandross
51. Hero – Enrique Iglesias
52. How sweet it is (To be loved by you) – James Taylor
53. I don’t want to miss a thing – Aerosmith
54. I finally found someone - Bryan Adams & Barbra Streisand
55. I got you babe – Sonny and Cher
56. I just called to say I love you – Stevie Wonder
57. I love the way you love me - Faith Hill
58. I only have eyes for you - Art Garfunkel
59. I swear – All 4 one
60. I’ve finally found someone – Bryan Adams and Barbera Streisand
61. I’ve had the time of my life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
62. In your eyes - Peter Gabriel
63. Islands in the stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
64. It had to be you – Harry Connick Jr
65. It must be love – Madness
66. Just the two of us – Bill Withers
67. Just the way you are - Billy Joel
68. Let’s stay together - Al Green
69. Loving you – Minnie Ripperton
70. Moonriver – Andy Williams
71. My girl – The Temptations
72. Never gonna leave your side - Daniel Bedingfield
73. No matter what - Boyzone
74. Perfect day – Lou Reed
75. Save the best for last – Vanessa Williams
76. Sexual healing – Marvin Gaye
77. She – Elvis Costello
78. She’s the one - Robbie Williams
79. Stuck on you - Lionel Richie
80. That’s Amore – Dean Martin
81. The best is yet to come – Frank Sinatra
82. The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
83. The first time ever I saw your face – Roberta Flack
84. The luckiest – Ben Folds
85. The Rose – Bette Midler
86. The way you look tonight – Michael Bublé
87. Three times a lady - Lionel Richie
88. True colours – Cyndi Lauper
89. Truly – Lionel Richie
90. Truly, madly, deeply – Savage Garden
91. Unbreakable - Westlife
92. Use somebody – Kings of Leon
93. What a wonderful world - Louis Armstrong
94. When a man loves a woman – Percy Sledge
95. When I say I do – Clint Black
96. When you say nothing at all - Ronan Keating
97. Wonderful tonight - Eric Clapton
98. You do something to me – Paul Weller
99. You’re my best friend – Queen
100. Your song - Elton John

Feel free to also check out the post on Second Dance Songs.

Sally
Wedding DJ
www.VocalShow.co.uk