I often hear from brides who have unique situations or requests for the father/daughter dance. Some brides are especially sentimental, and want to avoid balling like a baby during the dance with their father, so they want something sweet, but not overly emotional. Other brides think all that sappy stuff is just plain gross, and want to avoid it all costs. A few brides have mentioned to me that they will be dancing with their step-father, their father-in-law, their uncle, or their grandpa, and they want a song that’s not all about fatherhood, but still suits the occasion. Some want to do the waltz, others want to keep some pep in their step with an upbeat song. So I have a few lists for you today, to help you find the type of song you’re looking for for your father/daughter dance. (There are a few overlaps.) Each song will take you to Spotify so you can give it a listen Hope it helps!
Jeffrey & Julia Woods via Style Me Pretty
Popular & Classic Choices
Bob Carlisle – Butterfly Kisses
Steven Curtis Chapman – Cinderella
The Country Dance Kings – I Loved Her First (Cover of Heartland)
The Beatles Recovered Band – In My Life (Cover of The Beatles
Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely
Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are
Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole – Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World
Nat King Cole – Unforgettable (Duet with Natalie Cole)
Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
Sweet & Sentimental
Paul Simon – Father And Daughter
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
Billy Joel – Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
The Ultimate Beatles Cover Band – I Will (Cover of The Beatles)
Darius Rucker – It Won’t Be Like This For Long
Natalie Merchant – Kind & Generous
Jimmy Buffett – Little Miss Magic
Bruce Springsteen – When You Need Me
John Fogerty – I Will Walk With You
Elvis Presley – The Wonder Of You
Kenny Chesney – There Goes My Life
Kenny Rogers – Through The Years
Nickel Creek – When You Come Back Down
Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
Joe Cocker – Darling Be Home Soon
James Taylor – You’ve Got A Friend
Bon Jovi – Thank You For Loving Me
Otis Redding – That’s How Strong My Love Is
Déjà Vu – You’ll Always Be My Baby (Cover of Sara Evans)
Sisters watch on as their father dances with the bride, Ryan Flynn via Moment Junkie
Endearing But Not Overly Emotional
Loudon Wainwright III – Daughter
Bad English – When I See You Smile
James Taylor – Shower The People
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young – Teach Your Children
Upbeat & Fun
Marvin Gaye – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
The Temptations – The Way You Do The Things You Do
Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
Louis Armstrong – I Won’t Dance
Spiral Staircase – More Today Than Yesterday
Sam Cooke – Nothing Can Change This Love
Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – I Wanna Be Just Like You
Van Morrison – Jackie Wilson Said
Frank Sinatra – Too Marvelous For Words
Studio 99 – Two of Us (Cover of The Beatles)
Bellamy Brothers – Let Your Love Flow
James Taylor – Your Smiling Face
The Rolling Stones – She’s A Rainbow
Stacy Reeves Photography via Style Me Pretty
For Stepdads/Dads-In-Law/Uncles/Grandpas/Etc.
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
The Beatles Recovered Band – In My Life (Cover of The Beatles)
John Fogerty – I Will Walk With You
Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are
Natalie Merchant – Kind & Generous
The Rolling Stones – She’s A Rainbow
Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole – Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World
James Taylor – You’ve Got A Friend
James Taylor – Shower The People
Otis Redding – That’s How Strong My Love Is
Out-Of-The-Box
Sarah McLachlan – Ordinary Miracle
Great White – Thank You (Cover of Led Zeppelin)
The Muppets – Rainbow Connection
John Denver – Sunshine On My Shoulders
10,000 Maniacs – How You’ve Grown
The Beatles Recovered Band – Blackbird (Cover of The Beatles
Vitamin String Quartet – Sweet Child O’ Mine
Déjà Vu – Nightingale (Cover of Norah Jones)
Rufus Wainwright – Across The Universe
Frankie Avalon – Bobby Sox To Stockings
The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
Norman Blake – You Are My Sunshine
The Stylistics – You’re a Big Girl Now
LOVE this post – and some seriously awesome songs. I think i would love to dance to “american girl” as a fun upbeat father-daughter dance song!
[...] A long list of ideas for father/daughter dance songs - everything from the very emotional to the upbeat and [...]
What a great selection of songs, love the variety!
[...] she recently wrote an entire post on father daughter dance songs with songs listed by overall feel. For me, I’m skipping past the first two sections to the [...]
What a great list! Although I would never choose Moondance by Van Morrison to dance to with my father…the lyrics are about making love and not being able to wait until the sun comes up to do it. My dad and I just aren’t that close!!
These are great songs! So many if them would have been great for wedding. The song I ultimately chose was “Rope the Moon” by John Michael Montgomery. It was perfect…