25 Perfect Father-Daughter Songs For Your Wedding Playlist

On your wedding day, you are going to be experiencing some very special moments.  As a professional wedding DJ whose sole focus is on the music and making sure the absolute best soundtrack is created for this most special day, I am here to tell you that the power of music is even more evident during these key moments on a bride and groom's wedding day. There are very special, key moments during your wedding reception that drive this point home. First, there is your first dance. This is one of the first moments of the wedding reception where the spotlight is on the bride and groom. The second key moment (which almost always conjures up tears of joy) is when the bride dances with her father. 

Modern brides should spend some with their father choosing the perfect song for this most special moment of the day. Choose a song that might define your relationship through the years. Perhaps it could be a song you grew up, or maybe a song with lyrics that describe your love to the T.  The love that father has for his daughter is one that is tender, and unique.  If you just got engaged and are looking to get started in choosing this very special song, grab a note pad, and take some notes as you scroll through this post. Throughout my blog, I've spoken about the father-daughter dance, and if you look closely, you'll notice this particular selection of songs is heavier on country. For more ideas for father-daughter dance songs, be sure to check out this other link.

Download These 25 Perfect Songs For The Father - Daughter Dance From Spotify NOW
Perhaps you'd rather not take notes and you'd like to "hear" the selections you see in this blog post. Well, I've built a very valuable Spotify profile for my clients to gain inspiration when they sit down and begin to curate the soundtrack for their wedding reception. All you need to do is head over to Spotify and search for DJ Mike Bills.

Because You Loved Me  | Celine Dion
Back in the winter of 1996, Celine Dion would release the furth album of her career, Falling Into You. "Because You Loved Me" would be released in conjunction with the release of the movie Up Close And Personal.  The song would top both the Billboard Hot 100 and adult contemporary chart.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight | Elton John
Ah yes, The Lion King. It was one of my favorite movies of the 90s. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" was released in May of 1994 as part of the soundtrack of this very popular movie. The song would break into the Top 5 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the adult contemporary chart.

Daughters | John Mayer
In the fall of 2004 when "Daughters" began rotation on radio stations across America, I thought to myself that this would definitely become a popular wedding song, and did it ever.  "Daughters" would peak at #2 on the adult contemporary chart, and #1 on the Adult alternative chart.

God Only Knows | The Beach Boys
Pitchfork ranked this song one of the greatest of the entire 1960s. Well, for one, it was only on one of the greatest albums of all time. Pet Sounds was the eleventh album from the Beach Boys and was released back in the spring of 1966. "God Only Knows" would barely crack the Top 40 in America, but would peak at #2 in England.

How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You) | James Taylor
This cover was the first song to be released from James Taylor's 1975 album Gorilla.  Originally released by the late Marvin Gaye in 1964, James Taylor's version would peak at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 1 on the Easy Listening chart.

I Loved Her First | Heartland
From the country side of things, "I Loved Her First" is the ultimate father - daughter dance song.  Released back in the summer of 2006, Heartland would score a #1 song on the Hot Country charts with this instant wedding classic.

In My Life | The Beatles
This wedding classic comes in at Number 23 on the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time put together by Rolling Stone magazine.  Yuo can find the song on the classic 1965 Beatles album Rubber Soul.

Isn't She Lovely | Stevie Wonder
Up above I mentioned Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys was one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Well, you can also Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder to that list as well. You'll want your wedding DJ to play the edit of this song because the original is 6 1/2 minutes long, plus has a toddler crying in the intro too. 

Just the Way You Are |  Billy Joel
Billy Joel released his album The Stranger in September of 1977. "Just The Way You Are" was the first song to be released to radio and would reach Number 1 on the Easy Listening chart and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Long and Winding Road  | The Beatles
This Beatles classic would be released one month after the Beatles would call it quits. Released in May of 1970, It would be the last time they would a Number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

Love Is a Beautiful Thing | Phil Vassar
Originally written by Jeffrey Steele and Craig Wiseman, "Love Is A Beautiful Thing" is a country song first released by Paul Brandt in the late 1990s, and then would be covered by Phil Vassar in 2007. The song would peak at #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

My Father's Eyes | Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is considered to be one of the greatest guitar players in history. He would release the album Pilgrim in February of 1998. "My Father's Eyes" would peak at #7 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.

Stand by Me | Ben E. King
R&B and Soul, especially Motown are still very popular requests at a lot of weddings. Even close to 60 years since it's release, "Stand By Me" is in heavy rotation. 

There Goes My Life | Kenny Chesney
Written by Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher, Kenny Chesney would record and release the song in the Fall of 2003 from his album When The Sun Goes Down. Kenny would score a #1 song on the Hot Country Charts and a song that is a popular country favorite for the father / daughter dance song.

Unforgettable  | Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole
In 1991, Natalie Cole would release her album Unforgettable....with Love and would feature her version of her father's classic "Unforgettable".  Her father's voice would also appear on the recording.  The song would peak at #3 on the adult contemporary chart. 

The Way You Look Tonight  | Frank Sinatra
There isn't much to say about Frank Sinatra, other than he remains in high demand by  alot of my clients. For even more song ideas from Frank Sinatra when creating your wedding playlist, be sure to click over to the preceding link.

When The Stars Go Blue | Tim McGraw
Originally written and performed by Ryan Adams, Tim McGraw would record his version and release it on his record Tim McGraw Reflected: Greatest Hits Vol. 2. The song would peak at #4 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

When You Say Nothing At All | Alison Krauss
Long before Alison Krauss was teaming up with Robert Plant and singing Led Zeppelin, she would record and release her song of "When You Say Nothing At All" with her band Union Station in 1995. Her version would peak at #3 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Wind Beneath My Wings | Bette Midler
The song was originally written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley and it was Bette Midler's version that would become the most popular version. Her version was used in the soundtrack for the movie Beaches in 1988, and would reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

You Decorated My Life | Kenny Rogers
Back in the late 70s, Kenny Rogers was enjoying some crossover success as an artist, seeing a lot of his releases on both the country charts and the Hot 100. This song would peak at #7 on the Hot 100, and Number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1979.

You Look So Good in Love | George Strait
Released back in 1983,  George Strait would record the song for his album Right or Wrong. The song would peak at #1 on the Hot Country Song chart.

You Raise Me Up | Josh Groban
You might remember Josh Groban performing this song during Super Bowl XXXVIII. He would record his version of the song and release it on the album Closer. The single would be released in September of 2004 and would become a Number 1 hit on the adult contemporary chart.

You're the Inspiration | Chicago
Being a power-user of Spotify, I can tell you that "You're The Inspiration" is the second most streamed song on the platform from the band with 133 million streams lifetime. Written by David Foster and Peter Cetera, the song was released in October of 1984 and would peak at #3 on the Hot 100 chart, as well as #1 on the adult contemporary chart.

You've Got a Friend | James Taylor
Originally written and recorded by Carole King on her Tapestry album, James Taylor would release his version on his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.  His version would top the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1971.

My Wish | Rascal Flatts
Written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson, Rascal Flatts would record the song for their 2006 album Me and My Gang.   The song would top the Hot Country Songs chart, and cross over to the adult contemporary charts and peak at #13.

Wanna Set Up A Time To Talk To Mike Bills About Being Your Wedding DJ?

If you are recently engaged or in the finishing stages of your wedding planning and preparation and need to hire a top notch, professional and insured DJ, you'll want to click the link up above. When you click the link up above, you'll be taken over to my contact so that you can submit your contact information Online wedding and music planning is available for the busiest of brides and grooms! Hope you enjoyed this collection of some of the most popular father-daughter dance songs. It should help prepare you to create the soundtrack for the most important day of your life. I would love to be your wedding DJ and I look forward to speaking with you about your wedding.