New research has shown the most popular wedding songs in the UK this year.
The study, conducted by experts from wedding music booking platform, Encore Musicians analysed 2,300 song requests from newlyweds made on their platform to determine the most requested songs and artists for weddings in 2023.
Topping the list as the most popularly requested song at UK weddings is ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran. A staggering 16.3% of couples chose this romantic hit for their first dance, proving its timeless appeal since its release in 2017.
Following closely behind is John Legend’s Grammy award-winning record, ‘All of Me’. Originally penned for his wife in 2013, this heartfelt song was requested by 15.2% of newlyweds in 2023 for their first dance.
Securing the third spot is Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. This romantic ballad, known as the King of Rock and Roll’s signature tune, was chosen by 12% of couples for their first dance.
Ed Sheeran makes another appearance in the top 10 with his Grammy-nominated 2014 hit, ‘Thinking Out Loud’, which was requested by 235 couples in 2023.
Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’ takes the fifth spot, being requested by 199 couples, making it the fifth most popular wedding song in 2023. Adele’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ ranks sixth, with 185 couples selecting it for their first dance.
The classic 1978 hit ‘September’ by Earth, Wind, and Fire was requested by 175 couples, making it the seventh most popular wedding song this year. According to data from EncoreMusicians.com, September is consistently the third most-popular month for weddings taking place in the UK (after August and July), which explains the popularity of the song! Perhaps we’ll see “August” by Taylor Swift climb the ranks next year following the success of her Eras tour…
Etta James’ timeless ballad ‘At Last’ takes the eighth spot, with 166 couples choosing it for their first dance.
Bruno Mars’ catchy tune ‘Marry You’ ranks ninth, with 7% of couples requesting this song. Stevie Wonder’s beloved song, ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ rounds out the top ten with 155 couples requesting this song for their big day.
The ten most requested songs for first dances at UK weddings
The most featured songs on wedding Spotify playlists
Encore Musicians also comprehensively analysed Spotify data, reviewing almost one thousand playlists with the word “wedding” in their titles. The purpose was to identify the most commonly featured songs on Spotify wedding playlists. This extensive review encompassed 55,182 unique songs and 16,410 artists.
Bruno Mars’ catchy tune ‘Marry You’ emerged as the most popular song on wedding playlists, appearing on a remarkable 19.4% of wedding playlists on Spotify. Whitney Houston’s iconic 1987 hit ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ ranks second, featuring on 16.8% of wedding playlists.
Securing the third position is Ed Sheeran’s heartfelt ballad ‘Perfect’, which found its way onto an impressive 14.4% of wedding playlists. Not far behind, WALK THE MOON’s energetic anthem ‘Shut Up and Dance’ ranks in fourth place, featuring on 14.1% of playlists.
Black Eyed Peas’ infectious hit ‘I Got a Feeling’ is in fifth place, appearing on 13.7% of playlists. ABBA’s timeless classic ‘Dancing Queen’ ranks in sixth place, featuring on 13.6% of wedding playlists.
Ed Sheeran makes another appearance with his soulful track ‘Thinking Out Loud’, earning the seventh position, appearing in 13.4% of wedding playlists. Usher’s hit song, ‘Yeah’ ranks eighth, while Beyonce’s 2003 hit, ‘Crazy in Love’ ranks ninth, both songs being perfect to dance the night away to during a reception.
Tied in tenth position are OutKast’s catchy ‘Hey Ya!’ and Jason Mraz’s heartfelt ‘I’m Yours’, both featuring on 12.4% of playlists.
James McAulay, Founder and CEO of Encore Musicians commented on the findings: “Our analysis of song requests from Encore customers provides a fascinating deep-dive into UK wedding music trends in 2023, and shows just how timeless some songs can be. It’s particularly interesting to note how influential the period from 2008 – 2017 was, with six of the Top Ten First Dance Songs being released in that time. It seems that no song released since 2017 has had a strong enough influence on couples getting married to break into the top ten!
This would make sense, given the average age of first-time newlyweds in the UK is 30.6 for women and 32.1 for men, so these songs were big when couples were coming of age in their late teens and early twenties.
It’s also fascinating to see a 30-year gap between 1978 when “September” was released, and 2008 when “I’m Yours” and “Make You Feel My Love” were released. No song in that 30-year period managed to steal the hearts of British newlyweds in 2023 enough to qualify for their first dance!
This is also reflected in the Spotify playlist data, with the most recent song in the top ten being Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” released in 2017. There’s also a similar gap between 1987 (Whitney) and 2003 (OutKast and Beyoncé).
Our prediction for 2024 is that hit songs from 2018–2020 start to break into these lists, from artists such as Harry Styles, George Ezra, Lewis Capaldi, Ariana Grande, The 1975, and Shawn Mendes. ”
The study was conducted by EncoreMusicians.com, the UK’s largest musician bookings platform. Encore makes it easy to find and book incredible bands, DJs and musicians, and has helped nearly 50,000 people book live musicians for their parties, weddings and corporate events since 2016.
You must be logged in to post a comment.