Mother Son Dance – Tips for Planning the Best One

How many wedding dances you and your partner choose is entirely up to you. Typically the father daughter dance and the mother son dance are the most popular. There’s a chance you’ve never thought about these details until you’re in the thick of wedding planning. Here are some tips to guide you in making your mother son dance special.

• Have the groom and his mom pick a song that feels right for the both of them. If it’s simply too hard to choose, ask your DJ and they can make some recommendations (or choose it for you).
• If you have a mom and a stepmom, pick a song that represents your relationship with each of them.
• Resist the temptation to save time and “double up” on the dances, i.e. don’t do the father-daughter dance at the same time.
• If you’re uncomfortable being in the spotlight for the entire song, have the DJ cut out the music around 90s. Just make sure you dance long enough for your photographer to catch some great shots.
• Since it’s your wedding day, you can plan to do your mother-son dance whenever you want. Typically though, it’s right after the father-daughter dance at your wedding reception and specifically, right after dinner. Both the father-daughter dance and the mother-son dance happen right after the couple’s first dance.
• If your mom has passed away, you can choose to leave out the mother-son dance completely. You can also choose to play a song during this segment in her memory or another special gesture.
• If the parents are absent for any reason, you can also choose to do a group dance or a special dance with someone else you’re close with, i.e. grandmother, aunt etc.
• Some couples choose to do a dance with their new in-laws too – that’s entirely up to you and how you want to plan your special day.

Here are some playlists to give you inspiration on finding the right song for your mother son dance.

Country Songs

1. That’s What Mamas Do – Jason Matthews
2. A Song For My Son – Alan Kim Cochran
3. Don’t Blink – Kenny Chesney
4. Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
5. Find Your Wings – Mark Harris
6. Like Jesus Does – Eric Church
7. He Gets That from Me – Reba McEntire
8. Then They Do (with Strings Intro) – Trace Adkins
9. Mama’s Song – Carrie Underwood
10. Do I Make You Proud – Taylor Hicks
11. The Dance (Live) – Garth Brooks
12. Like My Mother Does – Lauren Alaina
13. Parent’s Prayer – The Faith Crew
14. Mama Tried – Merle Haggard & The Strangers
15. Sweet Child O Mine – Captain Fantastic Soundtrack
16. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle – Glen Campbell & Steve Wariner
17. The Woman in My Life – Phil Vasser
18. I Loved Her First – Heartland
19. Ladies in My Life – Troy Cassar-Daley
20. Angels – Robbie WIlliams
21. I’m the Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised) – Willie Nelson
22. Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys – Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
23. Always on My Mind – Elvis Presley
24. Angels Among Us – Alabama
25. Jesus and Mama – Confederate Railroad
26. The Baby – Blake Shelton
27. To Make You Feel My Love – Mathilde Holtii
28. My Wish – Rascal Flatts
29. The Best Day (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
30. The Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler 
31. Blue Eyes and Freckles – Chris LeDoux
32. I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song – Jim Croce
33. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
34. Fore She Was Mama – Clay Walker
35. Through the Years – Kenny Rogers

Unique Songs

1. Simple Man (Acoustic) – Shinedown
2. Lean on Me – Bill Withers 
3. Days Like This – Van Morrison
4. Letter To My Mother – Edwin McCain
5. 93 Million Miles – Jason Mraz
6. I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin
7. He Gets That From Me – Reba McEntire
8. You’ll Be in My Heart- Phil Collins
9. Loves Me Like a Rock – Paul Simon
10. I Will – Matchbox Twenty
11. I’ll Always Be Your Mom – Logan Paul Murphy
12. Humble And Kind – Tim McGraw
13. My Mother – William Clarke Green
14. You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
15. What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
16. Mama Said – Lukas Graham
17. Stand By Me – Ben E. King
18. You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Randy Newman (Toy Story)
19. You Are My Sunshine – Johnny Cash
20. Small Bump – Ed Sheeran
21. Home – Phillip Phillips
22. I’ll Be There – The Jackson 5
23. God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
24. All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
25. House Of Gold – Twenty One Pilots
26. Thank You Mom – Good Charlotte
27. Through The Years – Kenny Rogers
28. You’re My Best Friend – Queen
29. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
30. Sweet Child o’ Mine – Sheryl Crow
31. A Song For Momma – Boys II Men
32. Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
33. Handprints On The Wall – Kenny Rogers
34. Do I Make You Proud – Taylor Hicks
35. The Rainbow Connection – Christina Perri
36. Beautiful Boy – John Lennon
37. For You I Will – Monica
38. Sweetest Devotion – Adele
39. My Mother’s Eyes – Frankie Valli
40. My Baby You – Marc Anthony

Classic Rock Songs

• Beautiful Boy – John Lennon
• Blessed – Elton John
• You’re My Best Friend – Queen
• Wildflowers – Tom Petty
• I’ll Stand By You – Pretenders
• Your Song – Elton John
• You’ll Be In My Heart – Phil Collins
• Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• The Wish – Bruce Springsteen
• Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
• Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
• All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
• Have I Told You Lately – Rod Stewart
• Into The Mystic – Van Morrison
• Forever Young – Rod Stewart
• Just The Way You Are – Billy Joel
• Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
• God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

Upbeat Songs

• We are Family – Sister Sledge
• I Say a Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin
• You’re My Best Friend — Queen
• God Only Knows — The Beach Boys
• How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – Marvin Gaye
• Home – Phillip Phillips
• One Love / People Get Ready – Bob Marley & The Wailers
• I’ll Always Love My Mama – The Intruders
• Count on Me – Bruno Mars
• Superwoman – Alicia Keys

Humorous Songs

• Your Mama Don’t Dance – Loggins & Messina
• Your Mama Don’t Dance – Poison 
• Mama Tried – Merle Haggard & The Strangers
• Take Your Mama – Scissor Sisters
• Thank You For Being A Friend —  Golden Girls theme by Cynthia Fee
• Rainbow Connection – Kermit the Frog & The Muppets
• You’ve Got a Friend in Me – Randy Newman (From Disney’s Toy Story)
• Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne

Final Thoughts

This is the perfect send off for those that have a close relationship with their mother. Since you are starting your own family, this would be a lovely moment in your wedding to honor your mother. It’ll also be a memory for you both to cherish as you start an amazing new chapter in your life.