Play "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder (1976, 6:34) and you're done. He wrote it about his newborn daughter. It's bright without being silly, and most guests will mouth along. The album cut is long (the back half is a harmonica jam), so ask the DJ to fade it near 3:00. Every one of the father daughter dance songs on this page comes with its length, because the length decides where the fade goes. Planning the groom's turn as well? The mother son dance songs list works the same way.
The ones dads cry to
Oh, these hurt. They're the slow, story-heavy father daughter wedding songs that cover a whole childhood in one song, and plenty of dads who swore they'd keep it together go at the second verse. Most of them run near four minutes, which feels long with the whole family watching, so pick a fade point before the day. If you play one from this group, make it the third, even if your aunt lobbies hard for the first.
- "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle (1996, 5:34). Long. If you need it shorter, cut a middle verse and keep the last one, since that's the wedding verse.
- "Daughters" by John Mayer (2003, 3:58). The chorus talks straight to fathers, with the whole room listening in. The tempo never changes, so nobody has to count.
- "Father and Daughter" by Paul Simon (2002, 4:12). Paul Simon wrote it for an animated film, of all things. It's the plainest promise a dad could make, and the easiest one here to sway to.
- "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" by Billy Joel (1993, 3:33). Written for his daughter when she was small. Keep the steps tiny.
- "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion (1996, 4:33). For a daughter thanking her dad, rather than the other way around. It builds the whole way, so save it for a dad who doesn't mind an audience.
- "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler (1988, 4:54). Same idea, eight years older. Fade it around 3:30 or the back tables start checking their phones.
- "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac (1975, 3:19). About getting older and being scared of change. One version note. The Dixie Chicks cover from 2002 is the country take, if that's more his speed.
- "In My Life" by The Beatles (1965, 2:26). Two and a half minutes, so he can't fall apart for long.
- "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman (2007, 4:21). A dad who keeps rushing bedtime, until it hits him that she won't ask him to dance forever.
- "Butterfly Fly Away" by Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus (2009, 3:08). Sung by an actual father and daughter (Billy Ray is her dad), and anyone who grew up on Hannah Montana will place it in two notes.
Country father daughter songs he knows from the truck radio
If your dad has kept the same country station on since before you could reach the dial, lucky you. Country writers come back to fathers and daughters over and over, so expect steel guitar and a lot of driveways. All but one of these country father daughter songs come in under 4:30. The DJ will like that.
- "I Loved Her First" by Heartland (2006, 3:36). Half of it's dad talking to the groom, and he's kind about it. Play it right after the first dance, while the groom's still standing nearby.
- "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw (2006, 3:43). From the soundtrack to Flicka, a horse movie he starred in. Gentle, with no surprises in the tempo.
- "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts (2006, 4:05). A list of hopes for her life, closer to a toast than a love song.
- "There Goes My Life" by Kenny Chesney (2003, 5:02). Verse one is a scared young guy hearing he'll be a dad. The last verse is her car pulling out of the driveway.
- "It Won't Be Like This for Long" by Darius Rucker (2008, 3:44). Each verse skips a few years ahead, and the last one is the hardest to sit through.
- "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins (2007, 3:44). Mid-tempo, and easy on a dad who never learned to slow dance.
- "Stealing Cinderella" by Chuck Wicks (2007, 4:03). Sung by the boyfriend sitting in her parents' living room, looking at her childhood photos while he works up the nerve to ask. Sweet and funny in about equal parts.
- "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn (1986, 3:33). Written from the daughter's side, so this one's hers to give him.
- "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack (2000, 4:58). Parent-to-kid advice, sung by a mom. Dads borrow it anyway, and the title tells him what to do next.
- "Daddy Dance with Me" by Krystal Keith (2013, 4:18). Toby Keith's daughter recorded it, and it's about this exact dance.
- "In My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride (2003, 3:14). There's nothing in it a dad can't mean, even though a mom is singing.
Standards and crooners a live band can play
Safe hands, all of them. With a live band, the easiest songs for father daughter dance duty are the ones already in their repertoire (ask at the first meeting, not the week before), and the band's singer counting in softly is half the charm. The record lengths matter less once a band is involved, so agree on where they stop (two choruses is plenty). Of the two Sinatras, pick the second if your dad can twirl.
- "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra (1964, 3:22). A gentle swing that forgives a dad who only knows the box step. Fred Astaire sang it first, in a 1936 film, if your dad likes trivia.
- "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong (1967, 2:21). Short. Good news for a dad who gets weepy fast.
- "Daddy's Little Girl" by The Mills Brothers (1950, 2:44). Old-fashioned harmony, and the most on-the-nose title on this page.
- "Smile" by Nat King Cole (1954, 2:52). Charlie Chaplin wrote the melody for one of his films, years before anyone added words.
- "Moon River" by Andy Williams (1962, 2:44). It's a waltz, so if he took lessons for this, here's where they pay off.
- "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley (1961, 3:02). Romantic on paper. On a dance floor with her dad, it just sounds tender.
- "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King (1961, 2:57). The bass line starts and the older half of the room sits up.
- "You Make Me Feel So Young" by Frank Sinatra (1956, 2:57). Brisk enough for a spin and a dip, and he'll look like he planned it.
Newer father daughter dance songs from the last 15 years
Maybe you're the one who made the playlists for every car trip, and your dad still asks what's playing. These came out in the last 15 years, so they'll sound like you. A few were written about parents and kids, and the rest just happen to fit. Most are short enough to play start to finish, but time the version the DJ will actually play, since a streaming single can run a few seconds off the album cut.
- "Home" by Phillip Phillips (2012, 3:30). Stompy and warm, with a promise to make a place for her wherever she lands.
- "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw (2015, 4:19). Lori McKenna wrote it, and it's a parent's advice, one plain line after another. A fade after the second chorus is fine.
- "Dear Theodosia" by Leslie Odom Jr. and Lin-Manuel Miranda (2015, 3:04). Two new fathers singing to their babies (it's from Hamilton), and Odom's half is sung to a daughter.
- "Like My Father" by Jax (2021, 3:03). A daughter says she wants someone who treats her the way her dad does. The groom can take that as a hint.
- "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara (2015, 3:50). Tells a girl she's fine exactly as she is, which most dads have been trying to say for years.
- "Try" by Colbie Caillat (2014, 3:44). Slow and plain, for the daughter who spent her teens trying too hard to please everyone.
- "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves (2018, 3:35). Mostly piano and voice, and a comfort after a hard year in the family.
- "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran (2014, 4:19). About holding on to someone through a picture. No wonder it ends up under so many slideshows.
- "I Lived" by OneRepublic (2013, 3:55). Too bouncy for some dads. Great for the kid who climbed everything and broke an arm twice.
For a dad who'd rather get a laugh
Not every dad wants four minutes of eye contact in front of a hundred guests. He polished his shoes the night before and practiced in the garage, sure. But slow isn't a rule, and a fast song gets the floor open early (the DJ will thank you, because nobody wants to be the first couple out there after the parents). If she's spinning, pin the veil up first. Cufflinks catch it.
- "My Girl" by The Temptations (1964, 2:55). Everyone over 40 knows the finger snaps, so expect help from the tables.
- "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper (1983, 3:58). There's a little line to her dad in the lyrics. It lands better at a wedding than anywhere else.
- "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé (2008, 3:13). Only if he'll learn the hand flip (practice in the kitchen first, curtains closed).
- "Dancing Queen" by ABBA (1976, 3:51). She's well past 17. Nobody's checking.
- "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers (1977, 4:15). Dip her on that very long held note near the end. If he can hold the dip as long as Bill Withers holds the note, he's earned a drink.
- "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers (1988, 3:39). Two Scottish twins shouting a chorus. The guests will join in by the second one.
- "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (1967, 2:29). A duet, so he takes Marvin's lines and she takes Tammi's.
The slow-then-fast mashup
Half a slow song is plenty for most dads. Let a tender one run to about 1:30, then cut hard to something fast. One pairing that works is "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker (1974, 2:43) into "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift (2014, 3:39). The first is short and sincere, and the second gives him permission to be ridiculous. Nervous dads can flip it, fast first and slow to finish.
Give the DJ the cue in writing (in pen, on the run sheet) and make it exact, like this: "Chloe and her dad. Joe Cocker from the top. Hard cut at 1:30, no fade. Taylor Swift from 0:00." A crossfade sounds like a mistake here, so ask for a clean stop.
Get the train bustled with a ribbon before the dance starts, because she'll be moving. And rehearse the switch once at home, so he isn't still swaying when the drums come in.
A song with her name in it
None of the father daughter dance songs above will say her name. A HeartCraft song card can. You tell HeartCraft who the song is for and share a few memories (the bike with no training wheels, the terrible puns), and her name is sung in the chorus while your story goes into the lines. It's ready in about 10 minutes and arrives on your WhatsApp or email as a link you can forward or play for her. You choose the language and the feel of the song.
One idea is to play it for her that morning, before the dress goes on. Whether it can go over the venue's speakers later is a question for the song page, so check there first. To make one, start a wedding song with her name in the chorus.
The small stuff, sorted
Who picks the song, the bride or her dad?
Either can, but it goes smoothest when she shortlists three and he picks one. He won't get ambushed by a song he can't get through, and she still likes what plays.
When does the father daughter dance usually happen?
Often right after the couple's first dance, while everyone's still gathered near the floor. Some couples push it until after the toasts, so the speech notes in his jacket are done and he can relax.
Can a stepdad or grandfather share the dance?
Yes. Use the same 1:30 cut from the mashup, with one of them taking the first half and the other stepping in when the DJ switches songs. Let the photographer know who's first, too.
What should he say to her during the dance?
Something short, said into her ear, that he doesn't need to read. If he's stuck, the lines in these birthday wishes for daughter work just as well on a wedding night. Save the long version for the toast.