There are some songs that you can almost guarantee will get played at a wedding. We’re talking about the likes of ‘At Last’, ‘Wonderful Tonight’, and maybe a dash of ‘Amazed’ by Lonestar. All great songs, but sometimes we want something a bit unique. This is why we have compiled this list of alternative wedding songs.
All the alternative wedding songs on this list are romantic, but not songs that you would traditionally find being played at a wedding. If you’re looking for something different, we hope you’ll find a few ideas on this list. There’ll certainly be a few surprises along the way.
Alternative Wedding Songs
In search of the perfect wedding song? Check out these other top play lists for the ultimate celebration:
1. ‘Anybody Else But You’ – The Mouldy Peaches
Lyrics You’ll Love: You are always trying to keep it real / I’m in love with how you feel
Back in 2008, the Juno movie was all the rage. Given accolade after accolade. Praised as the greatest comedy ever. It then just…disappeared. Nobody talked about it again. It is a shame, because that movie boasted one of the best indie music soundtracks in history, and this included one of our favorite alternative wedding songs.
This is a beautiful acoustic song. The story involves the singer being head over heels in love with somebody. They are the only person they have ever wanted in their life, although others can’t quite see why they are together.
It is a match made in heaven, even if others don’t realize it. Is this a metaphor for your love? Well, this may be a great song to add to your wedding playlist.
2. ‘Last Night On Earth’ – Green Day
Lyrics You’ll Love: My beatin’ heart belongs to you / I walked for miles ’til I found you
There are a lot of Green Day songs that could have been added to this list. We’ve seen the likes of ‘Time of Your Life’ played far too often at weddings (even if it is nowhere near close to being a wedding song). ‘Last Night on Earth’ is.
Like most Green Day songs, the meaning behind ‘Last Night on Earth’ is pretty hidden. But, if you look closely at the lyrics, you can see this is a song about a man completely dedicating himself to the woman that he loves.
He would do anything for her. He would walk the world to find her. Sounds like your relationship? Then you’ve got a good wedding song choice.
3. ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ – The Maccabees
Lyrics You’ll Love: Lay with me, I’ll lay with you / We’ll do the things that lovers do
One of the greatest things about being in a relationship is falling asleep and then waking up next to the person that you love every single day. When you get married, you are going to be doing that even more.
‘Toothpaste Kisses’ from The Maccabees is a celebration of this. It is a great acoustic indie song and in a similar style to ‘Anybody Else But You’ by The Mouldy Peaches. We can see this is a great song to walk down the aisle to.
4. ‘You Really Got Me’ – The Kinks
Lyrics You’ll Love: See, don’t ever set me free / I always wanna be by your side
We told you that this would be a list of songs filled with surprises! Everybody knows this song (or the Van Halen cover), and we doubt that many people would have pegged it as a good wedding song, but it really is.
‘You Really Got Me’ is another celebration of love. The Kinks sing about how a woman is driving them so wild they can’t think of anything else but themselves.
They are so head over heels in love. This may conjure up feelings about your relationship. Plus, who doesn’t want a dash of 60s flair at their wedding?
5. ‘Everlong’ – Foo Fighters
Lyrics You’ll Love: If everything could ever feel this real forever / If anything could ever be this good again
This is a song about feeling connected to somebody on every level imaginable. For a long while, people debated the meaning behind ‘Everlong’, but Dave Grohl said that the lyrics were about a woman that he was completely in love with.
He says that everything about being with that woman was perfect. The romance. The spiritual connection. The fact that they could sing together.
If you’re looking for a rock song with deep meaning and a real wedding headbanger, then check out the Foos. We are positive that you have the same connection to your partner as Dave Grohl had to his when he wrote these lyrics.
6. ‘You Sexy Thing’ – Hot Chocolate
Lyrics You’ll Love: Where did you come from, baby? / How did you know, I needed you?
‘You Sexy Thing’ is an incredibly upbeat song. We are sure you know that already. Very few have been able to escape the funky beat of this banger.
While this is a good song to dance to at your wedding, it has a very deep meaning. Right from the very first line ‘I believe in miracles’, you know that this is a song about it being a miracle that you have found your partner. How everything is so perfect that you have them in your life.
You probably think your partner is sexy too, so they’ll really like that part!
This was a popular wedding song in the UK after The Full Monty movie came out. Why not make it a song at your wedding?
7. ‘Mountains’ – Biffy Clyro
Lyrics You’ll Love: Nothing lasts forever, except you and me. / You are my mountain, you are my sea
The Scottish band behind this song has stated that it is a celebration of getting through a rough patch and ending up with the love of your life. It is a discussion of how nothing in this world is permanent, except the love a couple shares.
Before your wedding, we are sure that you have gone through more than your fair share of rough patches. However, you realized that despite that roughness, you still wanted to marry your partner. Your love is eternal.
We don’t think that we have ever heard this song played at a wedding, which is a shame. We love songs that celebrate eternal love. Maybe you can dance to it with the love of your life?
8. ‘Heaven By Your Side’ – A1
Lyrics You’ll Love: I feel that I have always walked alone / But now that you’re here with me
/ There’ll always be a place that I can go
A1 has a bit of a reputation as a cheesy 90s boy band, which we guess they are. There is a lot of cheese in their back catalog, but there are some really great songs with deep, meaningful lyrics too. ‘Heaven By Your Side’ is one of these.
This one of our alternative wedding songs is a beautiful ballad of how when you are in love with somebody, you feel that you are in heaven every time the two of you are close. We are sure that you feel this way about your partner too, so why not have this as your first dance?
9. ‘Only Girl (In The World)’ – Rhianna
Lyrics You’ll Love: Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world / Like I’m the only one that you’ll ever love
Alright. We admit that this Rhianna hit has appeared in a few weddings that we have attended, but it is still ‘out there’ enough to be an alternative song.
After all, not many people really picture jamming to this brilliant pop tune at their wedding. It is more a dance hit for later on in the evening. But, this makes a particularly jazzy first dance.
The song is about only having eyes for the person that you love. That nobody else matters. Like, well, they’re the only girl in the world. If you’re a man, that is exactly how you should be treating your now-wife for the rest of their life. Why not get things off to a good start with this song?
10. ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ – The Proclaimers
Lyrics You’ll Love: When I wake up, well I know I’m gonna be / I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
If you play this at your wedding, we can guarantee you that everybody is going to sing along. The Proclaimers wrote a cracking song here, but the lyrics have a deep meaning too.
‘I’m Gonna Be’ is a story of how, no matter what a person gets up to, they will always be by the side of the person that they love. It doesn’t matter whether it is waking up, getting drunk, havering (no, we don’t know what that means either), sharing wealth, or even sharing the hard times.
A perfect, if incredibly upbeat, wedding song.
11. ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ – Keane
Lyrics You’ll Love: Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? / I’m getting old, and I need something to rely on
Keane once claimed that they were never the coolest band in the world, which is true. Although, that didn’t stop them from putting out some amazing ballads. It is a shame they have seemingly disappeared from existence. We could have done with more songs like ‘Somewhere Only We Know’.
The song’s lyrics are a metaphor. It tells a story of a place where you go to escape the hardships of the world. A place where you feel comfortable. If you take the lyrics literally, this could mean a physical place. However, we like to see it as in the arms of the person that you love. You want their companionship.
It is a great wedding song. Your marriage is going to be incredibly happy. However, you’re going to share some tough times with your partner. It is a true joy to know that no matter how tough things can get, they will always be your safe place. This song serves as a reminder of that.
12. ‘Nothing Else Matters’ – Metallica
Lyrics You’ll Love: Never opened myself this way / Life is ours, we live it our way / All these words I don’t just say / And nothing else matters
Who knew that a classic metal song from one of the biggest bands in the world could have such deep and meaningful lyrics? We have seen this beautiful song used as a first dance for metal lovers at weddings, so this may be one of the alternative wedding song choices that you’re after.
As the song name suggests, nothing else matters but the person that you are with. As long as you have them in your life, the bad things won’t impact you. You can always turn to one another. You live life the way the two of you want, not the way the world dictates that you should be living your life.
You’ll love to slow dance to this amazing tune. Trust us.
13. ‘Crazy Love’ – Bryan McKnight
Lyrics You’ll Love: I can hear her heartbeat from a thousand miles / Hear the heavens open every time she smiles
What do you love most about your partner? Is it their humor? Is it how they are always there for them when you need them the most? Do you enjoy feeling the closeness of your relationship? This amazing R&B track celebrates all that.
Halfway through this song, there is an amazing steel-string guitar solo, and we can’t help but imagine you and your partner just holding each other during that solo, dancing, forgetting about everybody else in the room. You’re just sharing your love.
14. ‘Accidentally in Love’ – Counting Crows
Lyrics You’ll Love: But there’s no escaping your love, oh
Since ‘Accidentally in Love’ was used as a wedding song in Shrek 2, we reckon that it has made an appearance in numerous weddings. But, can one more really hurt?
This is a fun song about how the power of love just grips you. Try as you might, when you have found the person that you will love for the rest of your life, those feelings will eventually overtake you, and you can’t help but feel happy about it.
Still not sold? Go and watch the first scene of Shrek 2 when Shrek and Fiona are enjoying their life on this track. We promise you that as soon as you see that, this will be added to your wedding playlist.
15. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ – Rick Astley
Lyrics You’ll Love: Never gonna give you up / Never gonna let you down / Never gonna run around and desert you / Never gonna make you cry / Never gonna say goodbye / Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
No. We’re not joking. Yes. We know that this song is a popular meme song, but you know why it is such a popular meme? Because it is a wonderful song.
Rick Astley sings his heart out about how he is going to do everything for the person that he loves. He is never going to leave her side, or do anything that makes her feel terrible. He is completely devoted to her.
Most people probably won’t expect this at your wedding, but they will certainly enjoy it. It is a good dance number with some meaningful lyrics. It may not be your processional music or your first dance, but you should slide it in there somewhere.
Outro
If you were looking for alternative wedding songs, we hope you enjoyed our list. We’ve given you a ton of great options here. None of them see regular plays at weddings, but all are great tunes about romance. These songs will be unique to your wedding, just like your love is.
FAQs
What are alternative songs for weddings?
Everybody has their own views about what an alternative song is. We see it as a song about romance, but one that doesn’t traditionally get that many plays at a wedding. So, something like ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley.
What is the best alternative song for a wedding?
It depends on your tastes. We are fans of ‘Anybody Else But You’ by The Mouldy Peaches, but ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by Metallica may work better for others.
Serena & Dominic are a married couple and parents to 3 wonderful children. They plan weddings, run multiple small businesses, and curate wedding events.
By giving you everything you need to make your dream wedding attainable, you can eliminate stress, get the ‘wedding glow,’ and focus on spending this rocking day with the person you adore. Discover their podcast for more information
