Jon and I don't have an "our song." It's never really bothered me - though I think we should all take this opportunity to listen to Taylor Swift's take on it - and, honestly, we kind of have different taste in music anyway so the chances of us agreeing on contemporary singers/bands is kind of rare. But, obviously, we had to come together to pick a first dance song. After all, it's the last first dance we'll ever have!
My attitude is that the first dance ranks up in the top five most traditional moments of a wedding, so I didn't feel like we had to get super creative in choosing a song. But it won't surprise those of you who have been around for a while that Jon hated the idea of doing something that makes it onto every "most popular" list, so he rejected a few of the possibilities I proposed. He didn't really have his own ideas for this, though, and we sort of stumbled along for the better part of a year before another expat blogger, a Scot married to her handsome American, told me what their first dance song was and it just clicked. I mean, it was one of those "why didn't we think of that?" moments. When I mentioned it to Jon, he, surprised, said he liked it, and we seized on that as success. (He has since become much more enthusiastic about it, I promise.) I won't name my friend or link to her blog* even though you might be able to guess who she is because I think she wrote about it there, too, and I want it to be a surprise for you, dear readers!
In the meantime, though, I thought I'd share some of the other options I'd have been happy with. My absolute favorite was the Norah Jones cover of Elvis' Love Me Tender; I feel no shame in telling you that I discovered this version while watching The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. (It's the part where Anne Hathaway is dancing with Chris Pine by the lake even though she's supposed to be marrying an English lord. You know, the scene with the most romantic thumb war ever? That one.) I don't think I actually suggested In My Life, by the Beatles, to Jon though I'm not sure why, and I know I didn't bring up The Way You Look Tonight or Dream a Little Dream because he would have shot them down as too cliché. I did suggest The Rolling Stones' Wild Horses, but I'm pretty sure he thought I was kidding.
But, in the end, the song we've chosen with is so appropriate for us and it's not too much of a ballad - it's got some pep, which is ideal because we plan to ask a few strategic guests to join us on the dance floor with their dates after a minute or so to start the party. If you're reading this and are coming to our wedding, please help us out!
And tell me - what did you have as your first dance song? Or what will you have? Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with thinking about it ahead of time even if you're single. You're being proactive! It's cool.
*The blogger knows and I'll note her name and blog here after our wedding, don't worry! She definitely deserves public credit for this.
P.S. Have you checked out TripCommon and entered the giveaway yet?
