Father Daughter Dance Songs
What are the best songs for the bride’s dance with her father?
The tradition of the bride dancing with her father is supposed to acknowledge that special relationship between a father and daughter, so picking the right song is important. There are several factors you want to consider including the tempo of the song (fast or slow) and the style (country, rock, jazz). Then there is the message of the song. You want a song that reflect the honor and love shared between you and your father.
When selecting the right song, don’t forget to talk to your father. After all, he is good for more than writing a check! Ask him if he has any ideas. If not, browse through this page and select a few songs and let him pick one. Use this as an opportunity to connect with your father and create a special wedding memory for later when things get so hectic.
Your wedding day is the day that the father lets go of his daughter and forever changes their lives. The bride has one last special moment with her father. There are memories of happy times and of precious times to come. You can quietly share this special wedding dance together or talk about many things; it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is the music selected for the father of the bride dance.
As you browse through the songs you will find that some of the songs listed seem written specifically for the father-bride dance. Perry Como’s “The Father of Girls,” John McDermott’s “Daughter of Mine,” Jimmy Buffet’s “Little Miss Magic” and Heartland’s “I Loved Her First” are a few examples of this. Other songs, such as “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” are popular songs that simply work well for this dance.
We’ve tried to find some of the best and most popular father and daughter dance songs to list here. We’ve avoided any songs that are more about romantic love or are traditional love songs (you can find them on either our Best First Dance Songs page or our Best Wedding Love Songs page.
Although traditionally the mother and groom dance separately from the bride and her father, many couples elect to combine these two dances in order to keep the reception moving. For that reason, we’ve broken down our list of songs into five major categories.
- Best Father of the Bride Dance Songs: Songs that express love between a father and daughter.
- Best Mother of the Groom Dance Songs: Songs that express love between a mother and son.
- Best Songs for Parent-Child Dance: Songs that work for either the father of the bride dance or the mother of the groom dance or a combined dance.
- Best Songs for the Family Dance: Songs that a mixture of songs that work for generic family dances as well as ones that would work for a nontraditional dance.
- Best Songs for the Bridal Party Dance: Songs that express feelings of friendship. These are the most generic songs combined with some of the faster dance songs.
We have not duplicated any songs on the father of the bride, mother of the groom, and parent dance pages. For your convenience, we have compiled the songs in a playlist, making it easy for you to listen to a sample or purchase a song. A detailed listing of the songs is provided below the playlist.
Best Wedding Songs for the Father of the Bride Dance
- “A Father’s Love” by Bob Carisle
- “Always Be Your Baby” by Natalie Grant
- “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
- “Butterfly Kisses” performed by Bob Carlisle
- “Changes” by Kelly and Ozzy Osbourne
- “Dad” by K’s Choice
- “Daddy” by Beyoncé
- “Daddy’s Girl” by Curtis Clay
- “Daddy’s Girl” performed by Katey Sagal
- “Daddy’s Hands” performed by Holly Dunn
- “Daddy’s Little Girl” performed by Karla Bonoff
- “Dance with My Father” performed by Luther Vandross
- “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright III
- “Daughter of Mine” by John McDermott
- “Daughters” performed by John Mayer
- “Drive (for Daddy Gene)” by Alan Jackson
- “Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon
- “Heaven’s Missing an Angel” by 98 Degrees
- “How Do You Fall In Love” by Alabama
- “How Much Do You Love Me” by John Berry
- “I Loved Her First” by Heartland
- “I Wish I Could” by Collin Raye
- “I Wish You Love” by Frank Sinatra
- “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” by Britney Spears
- “In My Arms” by Mark Wills
- “In My Daughter’s Eyes” performed by Martina McBride
- “Isn’t She Lovely” performed by Stevie Wonder
- “It’s for My Dad” by Nancy Sinatra
- “Landslide” performed by Fleetwood Mac or the Dixie Chicks
- “Little Miss Magic” by Jimmy Buffet
- “Love Without End, Amen” performed by George Strait
- “May Each Day” by Andy Williams
- “My Dad” by Chris Kilbride
- “My Father’s Eyes” performed by Amy Grant
- “My Girl” performed by the Temptations
- “My Little Girl” performed by Tim McGraw
- ” No Place that Far” by Sara Evans
- “She Walks With Me” by Michael W. Smith
- “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” by Maurice Chevalier
- “The Father of Girls” by Perry Como
- “There Goes My Life” by Kenny Chesney
- “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
- “Tough Little Boys” by Gary Allan
- “Turn Around” by Perry Como
- “Wind World” performed by Cat Stevens
- “Winter” by Tori Amos
- “You Look So Good in Love” by George Strait
- “You Needed Me” by Anne Murray
- “You’re a Big Girl Now” by Bob Dylan and Sylistics
- “Zoe Jane” by Staind