Between the venue, the flowers, the dress, the guest list, and the countless other decisions that need to be made when planning a wedding, one of the most enjoyable selections is the music. Will you kick off your reception by slow dancing to that tune you’ve loved since you met your spouse in college? Will you walk down the aisle to a song whose lyrics somehow articulate the inarticulable aspects of love? The idea is especially important for musicians, who know more than anyone how a song can set the mood for a marriage. We asked a few Southern artists what songs they played at their own weddings.
Drew and Ellie Holcomb of Drew Holcomb
“Our first dance was Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered,’” Drew says. “We wanted the first dance to set the tone for a night of unashamed fun and a full dance floor. It worked. Someone gave us great advice: ‘Stay on the dance floor and make people come out there and dance if they want to say hello or congratulations.’ The dance floor was full until we drove off on my father-in-law’s Vespa.”
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins
“We chose ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ by Frank Sinatra,” Thomas Rhett says. “When Lauren and I were dating, we loved cooking, opening a bottle of wine, and listening to Frank Sinatra together. We’d write a note on the wine bottles to always remember what we were doing when we drank them. We still have all of them. When I proposed, I asked Lauren to marry me by writing it on a wine bottle, and when I got down on one knee, Frank Sinatra was playing in the restaurant. So, Sinatra was the soundtrack to our dating life and our actual engagement—and we knew one of his songs needed to be our first dance song.”
Amanda and Abner Ramirez of Johnnyswim
“Our first dance was to ‘La Vie en Rose,’” Amanda says. “Abner flew me to Paris on a day’s notice and proposed on the Pont Alexandre III bridge, so the song not only resonated with us because of the lyrics but also because of our history. As it turns out, almost six years later, our firstborn son happened to be born to the song as well, so now it means even more to us and plays in our home often.”
Sarah and Austin McCombie of Chatham Rabbits
“Believe it or not, we actually didn’t have a first dance song,” Sarah says. “Our reception was at our house, and we were too busy chatting with friends and eating Brunswick stew and peach cobbler to dance. But our ceremony was full of music. I walked down the aisle to my brother playing ‘If I Needed You’ by Townes Van Zandt and then we exited to Tim O’Brien’s ‘Pretty Fair Maid.’ We’re celebrating ten years of marriage this year, and these songs have been a part of our soundtrack since day one.”
Brett Young and Taylor Young
“We chose ‘Forever Young’—for obvious reasons,” Brett says, laughing. “But we also wanted a song that wasn’t a go-to for people, that would be specific to us and our day. We also asked close friends of ours, Ben and Sara Caver, to record a version for us. We are huge fans of theirs and they did it as a wedding gift. It was special to have our own version of our first dance song and it was a moment we will always remember.”
Charlton Singleton of Ranky Tanky and MaryJo Singleton
“Crazy enough, my wife and I did not have a first dance when we got married,” Charlton says. “Our wedding was small, and most of my friends that attended were musicians. We made a deal that we were not going to hire anyone to perform at our wedding because it would feel like work and we wanted everyone to just hang out and celebrate. We made CDs of a bunch of our favorite songs and just pushed play on a boombox. With that said, if we had to choose a song that we would call ‘our song,’ it would probably be ‘My Girl’ as recorded by the Temptations. I used to play a lot of wedding gigs and of course that song is one of the standards. Whenever I play it, I FaceTime her.”
