Make a splashy entrance and kick off the party with a memorable reception entrance song. After all, it’s the first time you’ll be introduced as newlyweds, so choose a song that’s upbeat and energetic—something that will set a lively tone for the rest of the reception.
If you’ve booked a DJ for your wedding, we love the idea of creating a custom mashup of your and your spouse’s favorite songs. If you’re asking a live band to play songs for your wedding party entrance, consider tunes with a faster tempo that will get your guests’ feet tapping. Whatever song you select, make it one that will put your wedding guests in a dancing mood.
Depending on how many bridesmaids and groomsmen you’ll have, you might want different wedding party entrance songs for the guys and the gals, then a special tune for you and your new spouse. We’ve broken our recommendations down in this format to make it easier to skim, but any of these upbeat wedding entrance songs could work for the whole group. So, without further ado, here is our top 20 list of high-energy, attention-grabbing songs.
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For the Gentlemen
“Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars
If your groomsmen have some swag, this song is perfect for smooth footwork or cool-as-funk poses in their Converse sneakers. Mars co-wrote the song with Mark Ronson, whose stepfather is Foreigner co-founder Mick Jones, giving this upbeat wedding entrance song serious street cred.
Highlight lyrics: “Got Chucks on with St. Laurent, gotta kiss myself I’m so pretty.”
“Song 2” by Blur
Blistering guitar riffs and a grungy garage band sound make this song perfect for headbangers in tuxedos. Did you know that lead singer Damon Albarn turned down an offer of great money from a U.S. defense contract request to use this song to promote its stealth fighters. Seeing as how this song wanted to be paired with a montage of fighter jets, it will probably work well for the introduction of groomsmen into your wedding reception!
Highlight lyrics: “Woo-Hoo!”
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“Howlin’ for You” by the Black Keys
Let your wolf pack off the chain with this heavy, driving beat with a fuzzy guitar pedal sound. It’s from the Black Keys’ sixth album, “Brothers,” recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which propelled the Akron, OH, duo from a Rust Belt anomaly to bona fide rock stars.
Highlight lyrics: “I can’t explain any of these thoughts racing through my brain. It’s true that, baby, I’m howlin’ for you.”
“The Walker” by Fitz and the Tantrums
This light and catchy number is a fun wedding entrance song for men who’d rather walk in and pose than do a choreographed number. Bandleader Michael Fitzpatrick has said the song is an homage to the late Dr. Marc Abrams, noted for walking shirtless through his Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A. every day until his death in 2010.
Highlight lyrics: “I walk to the sound of my own drum... Here we go, feel it in my soul.”
“Levels” by Avicii
If the grand opening strains of this song don’t make your toes tap, nothing will. Andrew Unterburger of Billboard Magazine called playing this song at a wedding, “a clarion call for the last remaining stragglers still nursing a drink at the bar or futzing with their appetizers to stop stalling and get on the dance floor already.” Plus, the first minute and a half are fully instrumental, giving your crew an opportunity to show off their moves.
Highlight lyrics: “Oh, sometimes I get a good feeling. Yeah.”
For the Bridesmaids
“SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
Give your besties a chance to show off their most flirtatious dance moves. Timberlake has alluded to channeling his inner David Bowie, Prince, David Byrne, and James Brown to achieve the raw energy of this pulsing dance tune.
Highlight lyrics: “Get’cha sexy on. Go ahead, be gone with it.”
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“Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet
This wedding party entrance song selection is also a great option to be playing in the background when you ask your Maid of Honor if she will accept. Let your girls boogie to this iconic rock tune that is totally not a rip-off of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life.” Jet drummer Chris Cester says that Iggy, himself, thinks this high-energy song is more of a homage to Motown hits like The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” than an imitation of his own work.
Highlight lyrics: “I know we ain’t got much to say. Before I let you get away, I said, are you gonna be my girl?”
“Hey Soul Sister” by Train
Let everyone know these ladies are your sisters from another mister. Lead singer Pat Monahan has said this tune was inspired by his imaginings of beautiful women dancing around an engulfed Burning Man structure in the desert.
Highlight lyrics: “I knew when we collided, you’re the one I have decided is one of my kind.”
“Firework” by Katy Perry
Whether your wedding day is on July 4th or not, this song sets an empowering tone for the bridesmaids to express themselves. Perry was reportedly inspired by lines from Kerouac’s Beat-era novel “On the Road” for the idea of people “fizzing and full of life.” She also has said she wants her remains shot from a firework off the Santa Barbara coastline when she passes.
Highlight lyrics: “You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine — just own the night like the Fourth of July!”
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“Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer
This wedding reception entrance song was first released in 1979 and is still on our top 20 list over 40 years later! Often referred to as the Queen of Disco, there is countless potential for an unforgettable dance routine your bridesmaids can craft to this song.
Highlight lyrics: “Wanna share my love with a warm-blooded lover. Wanna bring a wild man back home.”
For the Newlyweds
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen
If you’re not saving this for your first dance song to show off your swing moves, it makes for a rousing wedding entrance song. Freddie Mercury has claimed he wrote this tune in just a few minutes while in the bathtub, and that knowing only a few guitar chords actually helped him keep it simple and tight. The straight-forward lyrics and retro sound reminiscent of Elvis Presley make it a no-nonsense love song.
Highlight lyrics: “This thing called love, I just can’t handle it. This thing called love, I must get round to it. I ain’t ready, crazy little thing called love.”
“The Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine
The slow build of this song lends itself to a very dramatic but still fun wedding entrance song. Florence Walsh and her keyboardist Isabella Summer recorded this “just for fun” in Summer’s south London studio using a Yamaha keyboard and the walls for percussion.
Highlight lyrics: “I never wanted anything from you except everything you had.”
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“Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
If the bouncy beat of this tune doesn’t melt hearts, the story of how vocalists Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos wrote the endearing homespun lyrics will. Reportedly the young couple were romping around in Elysian Park in Los Angeles when Castrinos lost her shoes. Ebert carried her home on his back, both of them feeling like they were in a rom-com scene. They then took turns writing lines for this hit song.
Highlight lyrics: “Let me come home. Home is wherever I’m with you.”
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“We Go Together” by Olivia Newton-John
This song is so cliche it’s cute, especially if you and your partner are musical theater buffs. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta make such a perfect couple in this number that it’s hard to believe they were not the first picks for their roles. Henry Winkler turned down the role of Danny Zuko for fear of being typecast as his Fonzie character from “Happy Days.” Marie Osmond opted out of playing Sandy because the character morphs into a rebel at the film’s end, which was off-brand for her.
Highlight lyrics: “Chang chang changity chang shoobop - that’s the way it should be!”
“Marry You” by Bruno Mars
Making it on our top 20 list twice, Bruno Mars knows how to pull at the heartstrings while also playing a catchy melody. After this song appeared on Glee, it began to climb in popularity and also climb the Billboard charts.
Highlight lyrics: “Is it that look in your eye or this dancing juice? Who cares, Baby? I think I wanna marry you.”
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“Happy” by Pharrell
This wedding entrance song is scientifically proven to get everyone in the room clapping along and feeling festive. Interestingly, this song was Pharrell’s 10th attempt at composing a tune that reflected the animated character Gru’s transformation from a gloomy misanthrope to a guy who’s blissfully in love in the film “Despicable Me.”
Highlight lyrics: “Clap along if you know what happiness is to you. (Because I’m happy). Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do.”
“For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder
Wonder was just 17 when he recorded the first up-tempo version of this song originally crooned by jazz/soul singer Jean DuShon in 1966. This song drew many covers over the years by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and The Temptations. All that love, plus the combination of toe-tapping rhythm and deeply moving words make this one of the all-time great wedding reception entrance songs.
Highlight lyrics: “For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of long before I knew someone warm like you.”
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“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
It’s what keyboardist Jonathan Cain’s dad told him when he struggled to make a living as a musician on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip before his band’s breakthrough album “Escape” soared to Billboard’s Top 10 in 1981. For a twist on this classic song for a wedding party entrance, go for the a cappella version from “Glee.”
Highlight lyrics: “Don’t stop believing; hold onto that feeling.”
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake
Timberlake has said he was inspired by the Bill Withers classic “Lovely Day” for this number featured on the soundtrack of the 2016 film, “Trolls.” We can’t think of a better homage or a more perfect way of expressing how you and your partner will most likely be feeling on their wedding day.
Highlight lyrics: “Ooh, it’s something magical. It’s in the air, it’s in my blood, it’s rushing on.”
“I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown
Let the “Hardest-Working Man in Show Business” kick off your party with a soulful tune that transcends generations. The song that would become Brown’s catchphrase was a reworking of something he originally wrote and had performed by one of his back-up singers, Yvonne Fair, back in 1962. In Brown’s famous version, he added some of his icon screams and shouts.
Highlight lyrics: “When I hold you in my arms, I know that I can’t do no wrong.”
