Last Dance Songs: Close Your Wedding In Style & Lasting Love

Updated November 14, 2023 | Author: Matthew Campbell

The last dance song closes out the reception and signals that it’s time for your guests to leave. They are a great way to book your wedding reception from the first dance to the last.

This will help everyone remember the night — especially the two of you. Discover a list of the most popular and unique last dance songs to end your reception.

last dance songs

Table of contents

Quick Tips

When picking out the song to dance the last dance of the wedding, you must consider the following 3 factors:

1. Do you want to end on a high note energy or a loving slow song?
2. Does the song’s meaning match the end of the event?
3. What is the tempo of the song (fast or slow) to determine the style of dance that fits best?

As an experienced wedding DJ, I’ve assembled a list of songs for the mother-son dance. Songs are selected by the meaning of the song and popular hits by today’s brides. Besides the relationship type between the mother and groom, additional lists are grouped by genre to match your taste in music.

New Last Dance Songs

  1. “Love You Anyway” by Devon Gilfillian (R&B – 2023)
  2. “Out Of Reach” by BoyWithUke (Alternative – 2023)
  3. “One Last Dance” by John Legend (R&B – 2022)
  4. “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Teddy Swims (Pop – 2022)
  5. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Ron Pope, The National Parks (Singer-Songwriter – 2022)
  6. “Never Let You Go” by Jason Derulo, Shouse (Dance – 2022)
  7. “The Best Is Yet to Come” by Tom Walker (Singer-Songwriter – 2022)
  8. “Growing Old With You” by Restless Road (Country – 2022)
  9. “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” by Elle King & Miranda Lambert (Alternative – 2021)
  10. “Today Was A Fairytale (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift (Pop – 2021)

Below is a list of popular and unique alternative last dance songs. The songs on the left are popular last dances. The songs on the right are similar alternative tracks in the same music style, tempo, and mood – but not played at every wedding.

Popular SongsUnique Alternatives
1. Closing Time – Semisonic
2. (I’ve Had The) Time Of My Life – Medley & Warnes
3. Love Story – Taylor Swift
4. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
5. Mr. Brightside – The Killers
6. Last Dance – Donna Summer
7. Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
8. Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
9. Piano Man – Billy Joel
10. Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley
11. Friends In Low Places – Garth Brooks
12. I Wanna Dance With Somebody – W. Houston
13. Bye Bye Bye – *NSync
14. One More Time – Daft Punk
15. Forever – Chris Brown
16. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
17. Drunk (I Don’t Wanna Go Home) – King/Lambert
18. Save The Last Dance For Me – Michael Buble
19. At Last – Etta James
20. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
21. New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
22. All The Small Things – Blink-182
23. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
24. We Are Family – Sister Sledge
25. Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
26. Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
27. Time Of You Life (Good Riddance) – Green Day		1. Bang! – AJR
2. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepson
3. Wildest Dreams – Taylor Swift
4. Thunderstruck – AC/DC
5. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
6. One Last Dance – John Legend
7. Simply the Best – Noah Reid
8. What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
9. Lean on Me – Bill Withers
10. Until I Found You – Stephen Sanchez
11. Whiskey Glasses – Morgan Wallen
12. Higher Love – Kygo, Whitney Houston
13. Glad You Came – The Wanted
14. I’m Good (Blue) – David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
15. Never Let You Go – Jason Derulo, Shouse
16. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
17. Dancin’ In The Moonlight – C. Lane, L. Alaina
18. Your Song – Ellie Goulding
19. Baby Will You Love Me – MAJOR.
20. Love On Top – Beyoncé
21. My Way – Frank Sinatra
22. Still Into You – Paramore
23. Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
24. Family Affair – Mary J. Blige
25. Growing Old With You – Restless Road
26. Love Of A Lifetime – Firehouse
27. Memories – Maroon 5

 

Last Dance Songs by Genre

Rock

  1. Out Of Reach – BoyWithUke
  2. Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home) – Elle King & Miranda Lambert
  3. Dance Real Close – Jessie Payo
  4. Best Day Of My Life – American Authors
  5. Marry Me – Train
  6. Happy Trails – The Avett Brothers
  7. I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
  8. Mr. Brightside – The Killers
  9. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
  10. Closing Time – Semisonic
  11. Here’s To Us – Halestorm
  12. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) – Green Day
  13. Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root
  14. Love Of A Lifetime – Firehouse
  15. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It – R.E.M.
  16. Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi
  17. Take Me Home Tonight – Eddie Money
  18. Africa – Toto
  19. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
  20. Thunderstruck – AC/DC
  21. You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
  22. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
  23. Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
  24. Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
  25. Fat Bottom Girls – Queen
  26. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
  27. Piano Man – Billy Joel
  28. American Pie – Don McLean
  29. Moondance – Van Morrison
  30. Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
  31. All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
  32. Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley
 

Pop

  1. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Teddy Swims
  2. Today Was A Fairytale (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
  3. Bang! – AJR
  4. Black And White – Niall Horan
  5. Incredible – James TW
  6. Memories – Maroon 5
  7. Perfect – Ed Sheeran
  8. Worth It – Fifth Harmony
  9. Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
  10. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
  11. A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
  12. Firework – Katy Perry
  13. Marry The Night – Lady Gaga
  14. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
  15. Shut Up And Dance – Walk The Moon
  16. A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
  17. Marry You – Bruno Mars
  18. Save The Last Dance For Me – Michael Buble
  19. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
  20. Bye Bye Bye – N Sync
  21. Miracles Happen (When You Believe) – Myra
  22. The Horses – Daryl Braithwaite
  23. (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
  24. Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley
  25. New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
  26. Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye – Steam
  27. My Way – Frank Sinatra
  28. Save the Last Dance for Me – The Drifters
 

Country

  1. Forever After All – Luke Combs
  2. The Best Is Yet To Come – Drake White
  3. In Case You Didn’t Know – Brett Young
  4. From The Ground Up – Dan + Shay
  5. Today – Brad Paisley
  6. Die A Happy Man – Thomas Rhett
  7. I Don’t Dance – Lee Brice
  8. I Don’t Want This Night To End – Luke Bryan
  9. Then – Brad Paisley
  10. Makin’ Plans – Miranda Lambert
  11. Love Story – Taylor Swift
  12. You’re Still The One – Shania Twain
  13. Friends In Low Places – Garth Brooks
  14. Could I Have This Dance – Anne Murray
  15. Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
 

R&B

  1. Love You Anyway – Devon Gilfillian
  2. About Damn Time – Lizzo
  3. One Last Dance – John Legend
  4. Love On Top – Beyoncé
  5. If Only for One Night – Luther Vandross
  6. All My Life – K-Ci & Jojo
  7. Save The Best For Last – Vanessa Williams
  8. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
  9. Just The Two Of Us – Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr.
  10. September – Earth, Wind & Fire
  11. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
  12. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
  13. Hit The Road Jack – Ray Charles
  14. My Girl – The Temptations
  15. Stand By Me – Ben E. King
  16. At Last – Etta James
  17. Shout – The Isley Brothers
 

Folk

  1. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Ron Pope, The National Parks
  2. Simply the Best – Noah Reid
  3. Ho Hey – The Lumineers
  4. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
  5. You Are The Best Thing – Ray Lamontagne
  6. Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show

EDM & Dance

  1. Never Let You Go – Jason Derulo, Shouse
  2. Can’t Stop The Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
  3. Stole the Show – Kygo and Parson James
  4. We Found Love – Rihanna, Calvin Harris
  5. Get Lucky – Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams
  6. Glad You Came – The Wanted
  7. I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
  8. Forever – Chris Brown
  9. One More Time – Daft Punk
  10. Memories – David Guetta Feat. Kid Cudi
  11. Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room) – Paul Lekaki

Disco

  1. Celebration – Kool & the Gang
  2. We Are Family – Sister Sledge
  3. Last Dance – Donna Summer

Mixed Genre

  1. The Best Is Yet to Come – Tom Walker
  2. Closing Time – The Chardon Polka Band
  3. Cha Cha Slide – DJ Casper
  4. It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube
  5. Our Love – Judah & the Lion
  6. Young Forever – Jay-Z feat. Mr. Hudson
  7. Cupid Shuffle – Cupid
  8. Lose Yourself – Eminem
  9. One Love / People Get Ready – Bob Marley
  10. It Had To Be You – Tony Bennett

Do you have a favorite last dance song not on my list? Please share your song below in the comments.

 

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Tip

The last dance can be a romantic moment. If you want to end on a high note, there are many songs to choose from here. You can also see our list of party songs for singing and dancing too.

Tip

If you want to have a private moment at the end of the reception, see a slow dance song playlist too.

FAQs

The last dance song is a closing element to the perfect night. You basically have two choices for the tone of the last dance: slow or upbeat.

A slow song will help the guests key down from their sugar highs (cake, right?). It also signals that the party is over. (Please, leave, thanks for the presents.)

On the other hand, finishing the night with the last dance surrounded by your friends can be fun, too.

You can choose to end your wedding reception on a high note with an upbeat song that everyone will remember (and feel good about that gift they bought).

There are two ways to end the night. One is with a bang with an upbeat party song like “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” or with the dance floor full of couples playing a romantic song like “At Last,” a classic by Etta James.

Remember, it’s your wedding so the choice is yours. Just be sure to pay attention to the lyrics.

Avoid breakup songs — even if they’re upbeat. “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy or “Mambo No 5” by Lou Bega may not be the best choices for the last dance.

Your last dance can be a private dance. The private last dance is when the DJ gently nudges guests out the door for an official send-off. The empty room only has the wedding couple, DJ, and photographer to capture the moment.

A private last dance is a good way to refocus on yourselves — the wedding couple. Talk to your professional wedding coordinator and DJ to choose a song that will set the tone for the night, the honeymoon, and the rest of your lives.

The song played at the end of a wedding is the recessional – the song that is playing as the wedding couple walks out after the first kiss. Your recessional could incorporate a few songs as the wedding party and guests leave. See a list of wedding exit songs to help guide you.

The last dance should include 2 songs. The first is a slow song to get all of the couples on the dance floor. Then, kick the music in high gear with a party song that will have everyone singing and dancing to end on a high note and be excited about the send-off.

Couples typically end their wedding reception with the last dance, slow song, or on a high note. Then, guests proceed outside the reception venue for a final send-off with bubbles, sparklers, or fireworks.

Why trust Matthew Campbell?

DJ, Author, Music Lover

matt

I have always had a love for music and the way it makes you feel. My passion grew for wedding celebrations with years as a wedding DJ. Now, as a wedding music planner, I research popular and unique wedding songs to create personalized playlists for couples and help wedding pros curate crowd-cheering music. Let’s get the party started! – Read More About Me

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Ozmen Ozdemir
Ozmen Ozdemir
3 years ago

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through all of your suggestions and it is very helpful. Keep it up!!

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Studio Jay
Studio Jay
3 years ago

Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

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My Wedding Songs
My Wedding Songs
3 years ago
Reply to  Studio Jay

Great song. We definitely have it on the list!

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David
David
5 years ago

Coldplay – A Sky Full of Stars

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My Wedding Songs
My Wedding Songs
5 years ago
Reply to  David

Thanks David. Great song. We will add it to the list.

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Kevin
Kevin
6 years ago

Color my world by Chicago

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My Wedding Songs
My Wedding Songs
6 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

Thanks Kevin. Great song and we will add it to the list.

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