50 Recommended First Dance Songs for Weddings

Browsing the internet, there are some awful lists of suggested special songs for weddings that were clearly not compiled by musical people.  Below are listed 50 awesome tracks to consider for a bride and groom's first dance.  These tracks span various genres and the majority have been used by Ambient DJs' past clients.

The first 25 tracks are Modern or Alternative Tracks, while the second 25 are traditional and timeless selections!

25 Modern or Alternative First Dance Songs

1) You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne
2) Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
3) Slave to Love - Bryan Ferry
4) Desire - Ryan Adams
5) The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
6) I Only Have Eyes for You - Jamie Cullum
7) All That You'll Be - Emma Bunton
8) Marry Me - Train
9) I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
10) Better Together - Jack Johnson
11) Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
12) In a Little While - U2
13) Two Love Birds - Robin Thicke
14) By Your Side - Sade
15) Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
16) Lovesong - The Cure, or 311
17) The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
18) All Mine - Portishead
19) The Luckiest - Ben Folds
20) My Favourite Book - Stars
21) Do You Realize - The Flaming Lips
22) True Companion - Marc Cohn
23) For a Moment Like This - Kelly Clarkson
24) Awake - Secondhand Serenade
25) Make a Memory - Bon Jovi

25 Traditional and Timeless First Dance Songs

1) When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
2) You Make Me Feel Brand New - The Stylistics
3) These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding
4) It Had To Be You - Harry Connick, Jr.
5) The Way You Look Tonight - Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra
6) Crazy Love - Van Morrison
7) I Will - The Beatles
8) Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
9) Amazed - Lonestar
10) The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Marcia Griffiths
11) Saving All My Love For You - Whitney Houston
12) Heaven - Bryan Adams
13) Don't Want To Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
14) At Last - Etta James
15) Always and Forever - Heatwave
16) All My Life - K.C. and Jojo
17) Through the Fire - Chaka Khan
18) From This Moment - Shania Twain w/Bryan White
19) It's Your Love - Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
20) Can't Help Falling in Love With You - Elvis Presley
21) Beautiful in My Eyes - Joshua Kadison
22) Crazy for You - Madonna
23) Lost in Love - Air Supply
24) Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
25) We Have All the Time in the World - Louis Armstrong

To learn more about our award-winning wedding DJ service, please visit Ambient DJ on the worldwide web at http://www.ambientdj.com 

Hot Summer 2011 Playlist

Summer is a great time for parties.  The sun, surf and sand has everybody in a great mood and ready to celebrate into the evening hours!  Here are 30 hot tracks for the summer, courtesy of Ambient DJs' head honcho Gregg Hollmann, aka DJ Jagged.  They are listed in no particular order.

1) Don't Wanna Go Home - Jason DeRulo (dance)

2) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon Five w/Christina Aguilera (dance)

3) My Feelings For You - Avicii  & Sebastien Drums (dance)

4) I'm Still Hot - Luciana (dance/electro)

5) Turbulence - Steve Aoki w/Lil Jon and Laidback Luke (dance/electro)

6) I'm Drinking Red Bull  & Rum - Beenie Man and Fambo (dancehall reggae)

7) Hold You - Gyptian (reggae)

8) Night Nurse (Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix) - Gregory Isaacs (reggae)

9) Loca - Shakira w/Dizzee Rascal (Latin)

10) Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) - Katy Perry (Pop)

11) Grove Street Party - Waka Flocka Flame (Hip Hop)

12) Novacane - Frank Ocean (R&B)

13) I'm on One - DJ Khaled f/Drake, Rick Ross and Lil' Wayne (R&B)

14) Motivation - Kelly Rowland f/Lil Wayne (R&B)

15) Right There - Nicole Scherzinger w/50 Cent (R&B)

16) On the Floor - Jennifer Lopez with Pitbull (dance)

17) Cinema (Skrillex Remix) - Benny Benassi (dubstep)

18) Sofi Needs a Ladder - DeadMau5 (techno)

19) Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun (alternative)

20) Under Cover of Darkness - The Strokes (alternative)

21) Sunlight (Gloves Remix) - Bag Raiders (dance)

22) Stand By Me (Latin House Version) - Prince Royce (Latin)

23) It's Real - Real Estate (alternative)

24) Young Blood - The Naked and the Famous (alternative)

25) C'est La Vie (Montana & Stewart Instrumental Mix) - Colin Sales & S.U.Z.I.E. (house)

26) Primavera (f/Lety) - Francesco Gomez (Latin House)

27) Danza Kuduro - Don Omar (Latin)

28) Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette (dance)

29) Give Me Everything Tonight (Pitbull w/Nayer and Afrojack) (dance) 

30) Beautiful People (Disco Fries Remix) - Chris Brown (dance)
31) This is My Life - Edward Maya (House)

Wedding at Wallace Hall - Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, NYC

Our company's meme is Ambient DJ Service, "Keeping New Jersey in the Mix."  However, we regularly perform in both Pennsylvania and Manhattan.  In fact, this past weekend, both of my weddings were out-of-state, with the second being held on Park Avenue in New York City at Wallace Hall, found below the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola located on the corner of Park Avenue and 84th Street.

Like many of our clients, Christine and Lawrence learned about our company via internet research.  The couple was married in the cathedral at ground level, with the reception moving downstairs to Wallace Hall.  When first viewing a floor plan, I was wondering, how are 340 guests going to fit in this space? However, after conducting a site visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the grand scale of the room.  To fill a room this big with sound, we utilized an enhanced sound system with a sub-woofer.  Additional touches included uplighting the sweetheart table on the main stage, as well as the wood-panelled walls behind our DJ booth.

After acknowledging a list of family members from their tables, the parents entered to the downtempo  Empire State of Mind pt. 2 - Alicia Keys, before the bridal party entered to the energetic Empire State of Mind with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.  Lawrence and Christine enjoyed their First Dance to Mariah Carey's (w/Brian McKnight) "Whenever You Call." 

As per the client's preference, dinner music featured soft classical music with selections by Debussy, Chopin, Yo-Yo Ma and Andres Segovia.  A combined parent dance to Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" occurred after dinner, followed by an in-laws dance to "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.  It was also very cool that during his speech, the groom gave a shout-out to Ambient DJ Service for helping to make the day such a success!

The final hour featured a high-energy modern dance mix with smiles and hands in air!  

I do not normally comment on food in wedding logs; but in this case the food provided by Real Food Catering was exceptional - particularly the shrimp cocktail which had a Thai seasoning with hints of cilantro and coconut milk.  I must also say that the drive home was particularly interesting, resembling the video game "Crazy Taxi" with numerous human and inanimate obstacles.

Thank you Christine and Lawrence for entrusting us with your special day and putting us in an Empire State of Mind!

Our DJ booth was located on the upper level stage

(T) Uplit Sweetheart Table, (B) Peaking the Dancefloor

Mike Amoroso, our talented NYC-based web designer and assistant for the evening!

To learn more about our award-winning wedding DJ Service, visit Ambient DJ Service on the web at http://www.ambientdj.com.

Wedding at the Mansion at Ridley Creek

This past Friday, Ambient DJ Service had the honor of providing music and entertainment at Nicole and Fred's wedding reception at the Mansion at Ridley Creek in Newtown Square, PA.

The Mansion is located deep inside a state park.  As a result, the event needed to be concluded by 9 PM,  resulting in an early start time of 3:30 PM for the ceremony.  Load-ins at mansions are typically harder than at banquet halls, and this event was no exception.  For the ceremony, the bride fell in love with the sounds of the Vitamin String Quartet (performs classical cover versions of popular songs).  The bridal party entered to VSQ's version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" while the bride and her dad processed to the VSQ's version of the Arcade Fire song "Neighborhood No. 1 (Tunnels)".

After enjoying a beautiful outdoors ceremony in pleasant July weather with the ambient sounds of the woods, the action moved indoors.  Reflecting the couple's Indie rock tastes, the mix was stacked with artists such as Mumford and Sons, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Adele, Wilco, Radiohead and The National.

Guests enjoyed an evening of fine dining, cocktails and dancefloor fun. The 80s were particularly popular with the ladies!  Congratulations Nicole and Fred!

The beautiful bride is walked down the aisle by her Dad

Onsite Ceremony at the Mansion at Ridley Creek

Exchanging Vows

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Fred Clothier IV!

Feeling the Beats of Ambient DJ Service

DJ Command Center

We placed an LED par can to uplight the cake table

Key Tracks:
Desire - Ryan Adams (ceremony)
Paparazzi - Cover Version by Vitamin String Quartet (ceremony)
Born This Way (dance remix) - Lady Gaga (grand entrance of bridal party)
That Time - Regina Spektor (grand entrance of bride and groom)
My Favourite Book - Stars (First Dance)
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper (open dancing)
Material Girl - Madonna (open dancing)
Home - Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros (ceremony recessional and open dancing)
Young Blood - The Naked and Famous (cocktail hour)
All I Want is You - Barry Louis Polisar (cakecutting)
Nobody Does it Better - Carly Simon (slow dance)
Harvest Moon - Neil Young (slow dance)

Special thanks to the other fine professionals working at this event:  Dan from Christina's Catering, Amy and Mert from Amy Tucker Photography, and "go-getter" Len from La Penna's Envisioned Video.

Wedding at Knob Hill Golf Club

This past weekend, Ambient DJ performed at the wedding reception of Matt & Sheilla held at the Knob Hill Golf Club in Manalapan, NJ.  In addition to DJ services, we also provided uplighting and a Photo Booth.  The ballroom at Knob Hill is perfect for uplighting given its high ceilings and abundant columns.

Our Radiance Package with backlit facade and Wall Wash

Transforming the room with Uplighting (18 cans)

For cocktail hour, we provided music in the adjacent bar/grill room (the Sycamore Grille), stacking the mix with vocal performances as per the bride's preference. We included tracks by the likes of Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, the Plain White Tees, Marc Anthony; and also some modern Broadway show tunes.

The 150 or so guests moved into the main ballroom at 7 PM, and I lined up a large entourage featuring a combination of sponsors, parents, junior bridal party members, bridesmaids and groomsmen... and of course, the newlyweds!  Introductions went smoothly to the selected songs of "James Bond Theme" (Oakenfold Remix), "Soul Bossa Nova" - Quincy Jones, and "Danger Zone" - Kenny Loggins.  Sheilla and Matt's first dance song was "Awake" by Secondhand Serenade.

Between appetizers, Father Gene requested some tracks for Filipino-style line dancing.   I obliged by playing "September" - Earth Wind & Fire, followed by the "Chilli Cha-Cha."  After dinner, of course, I played the ever popular "Todo Todo Todo!"Father Gene was a great lead, and it was a refreshing surprise to see a priest at the center of the dance floor action! 

With nightfall, the uplighting really started to pop.  Throughout the reception, guests enjoyed the Ambient DJ PhotoBooth in the lobby, with some utilizing props procured from a theatrical shop. Dancing kicked in hard after dinner, opening with modern dance fared, followed later on by classic ballads.  For the Grand Finale, guests made a giant circle, with the bride and groom dancing in the center of the circle, to "That's What Friends are For."  

Impressionistic Scene of Matt & Sheilla's Final Dance

Congratulations, and many thanks to Matt and Sheilla - you were an awesome couple to work for, being so laid-back and thoughtful! Thanks to DJ Brian who operated the PhotoBooth while celebrating his 39th birthday, and to DJ Mike Bignell who pitched in on all facets of the event.  It was truly a team effort!

DJ Mike Bignell

Key Tracks:
Awake - Secondhand Serenade (First Dance)

I Loved Her First - Heartland (Father-Daughter dance)

Song for My Son (country version) - Donna Lee Honeywell (Mother-Son dance)

The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson (slow dance)

Todo, Todo, Todo! (Line Dance)

Just Dance - Lady Gaga (Party Starter)

The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra (Anniversary Dance)
I Honestly Love You - Lea Salonga (ballad)

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (sing-a-long)

I Wanna Grow Old With You - Adam Sandler (Cakecutting)

That's What Friends Are For - Dionne Warwick & Friends (Last Dance)

Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight - The Spaniels (Encore)

For more information about Ambient DJs' award-winning wedding DJ service, please visit us on the web at http://www.ambientdj.com.  

4th of July Weekend Wedding - Christopher & Pauline

On Saturday July 2nd, I performed at the wedding reception of Christopher and Pauline at the NorthamptonValley Country Club in Richboro, PA.  Pauline learned about Ambient DJ while attending a wedding that I performed at several years ago at the Nassau Inn in Princeton.

Chris and Pauline reside in Georgia, and all of the preparations were done via e-mail and phone.  It was nice to finally meet the happy couple in-person!  Bucks County, PA is beautiful country, and the venue club had a relaxed country ambience on this beautiful warm, sunny day.

Unique touches for the couple's celebration included:

* a comedic video slideshow re-creating the couple's courtship and engagement, played just before their grand entrance;

* dramatic grand entrance of bride and groom to Sirius (use for Chicago Bulls), with basketball jargon such as "man in the middle" and "power forward" used;

* Moving speeches by the fathers of the groom and bride, with family members translating from Korean and Chinese into English, respectively. A special moment came when the groom's father was having trouble reading his speech, and the groom joined him, with cellphone flashlight in one hand, and the other hand draped over his dad's shoulder;

* A freshly-picked peaches station for party favors;
* A dinner station that included an eclectic choice of leg of lamb!;
* A sparkler send-off - what a great touch for 4th of July!

The dancefloor kicked in hard at the appropriate time, with the bride and groom in the center of the action.

The happy couple celebrating with family and friends

Cute Cake Topper

Party Favors - Freshly Picked Peaches Station!

Sparkler Send-Off!

Ambient DJs' Radiance Package

Key tracks:
* Sirius - Alan Parsons Project (grand entrance)
* Lucky - Jason Mraz with Colbie Callait (first dance)
* Jai Ho! - A.H. Rahman (party starter)
* Cupid Shuffle - Cupid (line dance)
* Firework - Katy Perry (seasonal selection)
* Tearin' Up My Heart (Boy Band throwback)
* What is Love - Haddaway (90s throwback)
* Another Night - Real McCoy (90s throwback)

Special shout-out to photographer Erika Manzano from Captured by Erika who was a pleasure to work with.  You can check out her website and awesome blog here

4th of July Playlist

It's Fourth of July weekend, and time to fire up those grills for backyard barbecues and partake of the enjoyment made possible by the efforts of America's Founding Fathers.  These sacrifices were not insignificant, as described in "1776" written by esteemed historian David McCullough.

Recommended Reading!

Below are presented Ambient DJs' top selections for this weekend:

1) Born Free - Kid Rock (southern rock)

2) Toes - Zac Brown Band (southern rock)

3) Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (rock)

4) Summertime - Shaggy (reggae)

5) Living in America - James Brown (funk)

6) American Pie - Don McClean (folk)

7) God Bless the U.S.A. - Lee Greenwood (folk)

8) All Summer Long - Kid Rock (southern rock)

9) Don't Wanna Go Home - Jason DeRulo (dance)

10) Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (rap)

11) Hot Summer Night - David Tavare f/2 Elvissa (dance)

12) America - Simon and Garfunkel (folk)

13) America - Neil Diamond (pop standard)

14) Fire Burning - Sean Kingston (dance)

15) Stars & Stripes Forever - U.S. Marine Marching Band

16) Jammin' - Bob Marley (reggae)

17) Pink Houses - John Cougar Mellencamp (rock)

18) Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett (beach music)

19) My Kinda Party - Jason Aldean (country)

20) Freedom 90 - George Michael (90s)

Please comment with your own favorites!

Last Fourth of July's Wedding Reception of Marina and Sabir

Tomorrow, we'll be rocking out at the Soffel's summer party with some of these tunes, and many more!

To book Ambient DJ for your next summer party, please visit us on the web at www.ambientdj.com.