Vintage weddings are beautiful and uber cool, with a sense of glamour and elegance. Music from the iconic jazz and swing eras will enhance your vintage vibe. To infuse classic charm into your big day, you’ll need tunes that transport you and your guests to a time gone by. Using vintage wedding dance songs that compliment the era is a great way to enhance your vintage themed wedding. Great music choices are essential to enhance the atmosphere and capture the ambience of the time. Slip on your flapper dress or grab your panama hat, imagine you’re in Downton Abbey, Great Gatsby or Bugsy Malone, book your wedding dance lessons and let’s hit the vintage dance floor!

At Last by Etta James – This song was recorded in 1960. The beat is amazing for first dances, which is why it’s one of our most requested first wedding dance songs. Lyrically, it’s appropriate for any couple who felt it took a long time to meet each other. However, in recently years this song has become popular for a different reason. For many, the words reflect the delays caused to engaged couples by the Covid pandemic, which according to The Guardian was an estimated 320,000 postponed weddings.

Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons – A sixties classic! It has a memorable, uplifting key change, which means your dance can be slow and romantic, then fast and energised within one track. This is a real crowd pleaser, so it’s great for getting wedding guests into the party mood!

Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller – This iconic instrumental arrangement from the 1930s oozes vintage sentiment. Nostalgic and beautiful, it’s ideal as background music or slow dance at the end of the night.

Moon River by Andy Williams – So elegant! Amy, the founder of Wedding Day Dance UK, chose this for her own first dance. They kept it classic with a simple waltz, which perfectly complimented their song and wedding venue, which was a Georgian Manor House. Bizarrely, the weekend before her wedding, Amy was watching the Sunday night Strictly results show, when she was surprised to hear Bruce Forsyth announce that Andy Williams was going to sing Moonriver! If you’d like to watch it, here’s a link, but beware, it’s old and very pixelated! Andy Williams singing Moonriver on Strictly

Let There Be Love by Nat King Cole – We love the lyrics of this smooth piano tune. It’s opulent yet simple and there is great scope for interesting choreography.

Cheek To Cheek by Fred Astaire – From the 1930’s movie ‘Top Hat’, this is lyrically perfect for a lively, romantic first wedding dance.

What A Wonderful World by Louise Armstrong – A deep and meaningful 1960’s favourite. The lyrics describe being positive for a better future, which is a great sentiment for your first dance and indeed, your entire wedding day.

We Have All The Time In The World by Louis Armstrong – This song is actually from the 1920’s, but it was made famous in the 1960’s James Bond film, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ – and then in the Guiness adverts!

The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra – This one is always popular, this couples choosing it year after year, as it’s so romantic, a true first dance classic. 

Come Fly With Me by Michael Buble – We love this uplifting vintage jazz number! This is a cover of Frank Sinatra’s classic, but we think this version feels fresher.

It Don’t Mean A Thing by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett – A 1930’s swing classic! It’s been covered by so many artists, but this version feels current and the orchestra is fabulous. Lady Gaga and Tony sound incredible together, they actually recorded a whole album of swing classics Listen to Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett’s album Cheek To Cheek

Charleston – This was HUGE in the Roaring Twenties. It’s jolly and fun, everyone will be energised and smiling. If you are thinking about an upbeat vintage first dance, it doesn’t get better than this.

Doop Doop by Doop – Who didn’t love this in the mid 90s? This bizarre Charleston-esque floor filler will flood your dance floor with guests, all attempting their best swivel! If you like this song, also listen to DJ Maurice & Daim Vega’s re-mix version.

Let’s Face The Music And Dance by Nat King Cole – Ideal for couples who don’t take themselves too seriously, seeing as the opening line is ‘there may be trouble ahead’. It’s from the 1930’s and has a sense  of tounge-in-cheek fun.

These songs are TOTAL game changers! It’s a stroke of genius to take a modern, recent hit and sing it in a vintage style. They sounds incredible and are perfect for vintage weddings, as your guests will really enjoy the familiarity of the lyrics, with the vintage twist. As all the songs are recorded recently, there is no old-skool crackle. Choosing these songs is a clever way to bring your vintage wedding bang up to date.

My favourite is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. They sing a huge range of songs ‘todays hits yesterday’ and the videos are great to see, as their hair, make up, outfits and instruments are authentic to the vintage vibe and it’s very cool to see!

Recorded music is great, but you can’t beat the atmosphere of a live singer! Paula Marie is a 

For an amazing vintage wedding, you will need more than just fabulous music to set the scene. Your wedding venue is the most influential aspect of your day, so the type of building you choose can literally become part of the decoration. You might like to consider manor houses or hotels built in the Victorian or Edwardian era. Vintage weddings work well in marquees, as they are a blank canvas and totally flexible. However, the options are endless and there is no limit to the type of venue that could be ideal for a vintage wedding. The next step is to consider the detail inside your venue. Many venues will be fully furnished, but if the vibe isn’t right, you can hire vintage style furniture and decor. We love the weddings that Sandra at Fabulous Functions styles, so we asked if she could share some vintage wedding expertise and this is what she said!

“You love the idea of having a vintage theme for your wedding but not sure where to start. Begin by deciding on the era you want to use as inspiration for your theme and décor.

The 20s Think flapper dresses and jazz

The 30s Era of The Great Gatsby – Think glitz and glamour

The 50s -60 was the rock and roll era also classic retro chic

The 60s and 70’s think flower power and bold bright prints

You get the picture! Perhaps a relation has a wedding dress from your era? Will they gift it to you? Can you carry out some alterations to bring it up to date while keeping the essence of the era?

Then look to the stationery to carry on the theme, can you create your stationery suite to echo the era you have chosen?  Think along the lines of the Gatsby era with geometric shapes, black and gold.

You may make great finds in charity shops, perhaps look to vintage themed decanters to hold your centrepiece flowers.  Interesting glassware as focus props for the guest tables.

Enjoy carefully curating your look and above all have fun!”