There’s nothing like the perfect slow song to make your wedding guests feel the love. Sure, upbeat tracks will get everyone on the dance floor, but a perfectly timed slow jam is guaranteed to add real heart and soul to your big day. Plus, after guests have jumped around to a few upbeat hits and raised their heart rates, they'll appreciate cooling down with a ballad before resuming the high-energy fun.
When picking slow songs, it’s important to include a little something for every generation. Often, it’s the classic ballads that inspire older guests to get up and dance, so songs from artists like Etta James, Frank Sinatra, and The Temptations are always a safe bet. As the reception is nearing its end, it’s fun to sprinkle in a few top hits from artists like Mariah Carey, *NSYNC, and Celine Dion to inspire romance. It truly doesn't get much sweeter than seeing the people you love dancing together to the songs that move you the most.
Below, we rounded up 78 moving slow songs that will create the perfect romantic moment during your wedding reception.
“Lover,” by Taylor Swift
Lyrics of Love: “Can I go where you go/Can we always be this close/ Forever and ever”
“Coming Home,” by Leon Bridges
Lyrics of Love: “The world leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, girl/You're the only one that I want”
“At Last,” by Etta James
Lyrics of Love: “At last my love has come along/My lonely days are over and life is like a song”
“Until the End of Time,” by Justin Timberlake feat. Beyoncé
Lyrics of Love: “Sick and tired of trying to save the world/I just want to spend my time with you, girl”
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye
Lyrics of Love: “From that day on, I made a vow/I'll be there when you want me”
“Thinking Out Loud,” by Ed Sheeran
Lyrics of Love: “Take me into your loving arms/Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars”
“If I Ain’t Got You,” by Alicia Keys
Lyrics of Love: “So nothing in this whole wide world don't mean a thing/If I ain't got you with me baby”
“Wonderful Tonight,” by Eric Clapton
Lyrics of Love: “We go to a party and everyone turns to see/This beautiful lady that's walking around with me”
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” by Frankie Valli
Lyrics of Love: “You're just too good to be true/Can't take my eyes off you”
“Lady,” by D’Angelo
Lyrics of Love: “But I know I love you and you love me/There's no other lover for you or me”
“All of Me,” by John Legend
Lyrics of Love: “All of me loves all of you/Give your all to me I'll give my all to you”
“Keep on Loving You,” by REO Speedwagon
Lyrics of Love: “When I said that I love you/I meant that I love you forever”
“Let’s Stay Together,” by Al Green
Lyrics of Love: “Cause you make me feel so brand new/And I want to spend my life with you”
“I’m Yours,” by Jason Mraz
Lyrics of Love: “Our time is short/This is our fate, I'm yours”
“Yellow,” by Coldplay
Lyrics of Love: “Look at the stars/Look how they shine for you”
“Crazy Love,” by Van Morrison
Lyrics of Love: “I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles/And the heaven's open every time she smiles”
“All My Life,” by K-Ci & JoJo
Lyrics of Love: “And all my life I've prayed for someone like you/And I thank God that I, that I finally found you”
“My Cherie Amour,” by Stevie Wonder
Lyrics of Love: “You're the only girl my heart beats for/How I wish that you were mine”
“Time After Time,” by Cyndi Lauper
Lyrics of Love: “If you're lost you can look and you will find me/Time after time”
“Faithfully,” by Journey
Lyrics of Love: “Girl, you stand by me/I'm forever yours, faithfully”
“How Deep Is Your Love,” by the Bee Gees
Lyrics of Love: “You know the door to my very soul/You're the light in my deepest, darkest hour”
“Overjoyed,” by Stevie Wonder
Lyrics of Love: “Over time, I've been building my castle of love/Just for two, though you never knew you were my reason”
“Better Together,” by Jack Johnson
Lyrics of Love: “Sometimes life can be deceiving/I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together”
“You Are the Best Thing,” by Ray LaMontagne
Lyrics of Love: “The way you move me, it's crazy/It's like you see right through me”
“Stand by Me,” by Ben E. King
Lyrics of Love: “Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me/Oh, now, now, stand by me”
“The Way You Look Tonight,” by Frank Sinatra
Lyrics of Love: “There is nothing for me but to love you/And the way you look tonight”
“When a Man Loves a Woman,” by Percy Sledge
Lyrics of Love: “When a man loves a woman/Can't keep his mind on nothin' else”
“Unforgettable,” by Nat King Cole
Lyrics of Love: “Never before has someone been more/Unforgettable in every way”
“Fever,” by Peggy Lee
Lyrics of Love: “When you put your arms around me/I get a fever that's so hard to bear”
“Can’t Help Falling in Love,” by Elvis Presley
Lyrics of Love: “Take my hand, take my whole life too/For I can't help falling in love with you”
“In My Life,” by The Beatles
Lyrics of Love: “But of all these friends and lovers/There is no one compares with you”
“No One,” by Alicia Keys
Lyrics of Love: “I know some people search the world/To find something like what we have”
“XO,” by John Mayer
Lyrics of Love: “I'll give you everything/Baby love me lights out”
“10,000 Hours,” by Dan + Shay feat. Justin Bieber
Lyrics of Love: “When you close your eyes, tell me, what are you dreamin'?/Everything, I wanna know it all”
“Crash Into Me,” by Dave Matthews Band
Lyrics of Love: “Lost for you I'm so lost for you/You come crash into me”
“Adorn,” by Miguel
Lyrics of Love: “These lips, can't wait to taste your skin, baby/And these eyes, can't wait to see your grin”
“Come Away With Me,” by Norah Jones
Lyrics of Love: “Come away with me/And I'll never stop loving you”
“Fade Into You,” by Mazzy Star
Lyrics of Love: “I want to hold the hand inside you/I want to take the breath that's true”
“Unchained Melody,” by The Righteous Brothers
Lyrics of Love: “Oh, my love, my darling/I've hungered, for your touch”
“You Send Me,” by Sam Cooke
Lyrics of Love: “Now I find myself wanting/To marry you and take you home”
“This I Promise You,” by *NSYNC
Lyrics of Love: “Without you in my life, baby/I just wouldn't be living at all”
“Butterflies,” by Kacey Musgraves
Lyrics of Love: “Now you're lifting me up, instead of holding me down/Stealing my heart instead of stealing my crown”
“Love on the Weekend,” by John Mayer
Lyrics of Love: “I gotta leave ya, it's gonna hurt me/My clothes are dirty and my friends are getting worried”
“Kiss Me,” by Sixpence None the Richer
Lyrics of Love: “Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight/Lead me out on the moonlit floor”
“Amazed,” by Lonestar
Lyrics of Love: “Baby, when you touch me/I can feel how much you love me”
“Truly Madly Deeply,” by Savage Garden
Lyrics of Love: “I want to stand with you on a mountain/I want to bathe with you in the sea”
“My Best Friend,” by Tim McGraw
Lyrics of Love: “I fall in love all over/Every time I look at you”
“Perfect,” by Ed Sheeran
Lyrics of Love: “When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath/But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight”
“Your Song,” by Elton John
Lyrics of Love: “I don't have much money but boy if I did/I'd buy a big house where we both could live”
“Everything,” by Michael Bublé
Lyrics of Love: “Baby, don't pretend that you don't know it's true/'Cause you can see it when I look at you”
“Make You Feel My Love,” by Adele
Lyrics of Love: “I could hold you for a million years/To make you feel my love”
“Best Part,” by Daniel Caesar feat. H.E.R.
Lyrics of Love: “I know you're a star/Where you go I follow”
“By Your Side,” by Sade
Lyrics of Love: “When you're lost and you're alone and you can't get back again/I will find you darling and I will bring you home”
“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” by James Taylor
Lyrics of Love: “But you brighten up for me all of my days/With a love so sweet in so many ways”
“California Stars,” by Billy Bragg and Wilco
Lyrics of Love: “So I'd give this world just to dream a dream with you/On our bed of California stars”
“Maybe I’m Amazed,” by Paul McCartney
Lyrics of Love: “Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time/Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you”
“Marry Me,” by Train
Lyrics of Love: “Forget the world now we won't let them see/But there's one thing left to do”
“Wild Horses,” by The Rolling Stones
Lyrics of Love: “No sweeping exit or offstage lines/Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind”
“You're My Best Friend,” by Queen
Lyrics of Love: “Ooh, I've been wandering 'round/But I still come back to you”
“Vision of Love,” by Mariah Carey
Lyrics of Love: “Carried me through desperation/To the one that was waiting for me”
“My Girl,” by The Temptations
Lyrics of Love: “I've got so much honey the bees envy me/I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees”
“L-O-V-E,” by Nat King Cole
Lyrics of Love: “Two in love can make it, take my heart and please don't break it/Love was made for me and you”
“Here and Now,” by Luther Vandross
Lyrics of Love: “The love that we share makes life so sweet/Together we'll always be”
“Dancing in the Moonlight,” by King Harvest
Lyrics of Love: “Dancin' in the moonlight/Everybody's feelin' warm and bright
“Harvest Moon,” by Neil Young
Lyrics of Love: “Because I'm still in love with you/I want to see you dance again”
“Baby I Love You,” by Aretha Franklin
Lyrics of Love: “If you feel you wanna kiss me/Go right ahead I don't mind”
“Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” by Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend
Lyrics of Love: “So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you/And I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye”
“Say You Won’t Go,” by James Arthur
Lyrics of Love: “I promise 'til death we part like in our vows/So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows”
“Islands in the Stream,” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
Lyrics of Love: “I can't live without you if the love was gone/Everything is nothing if you got no one”
“Don’t Dream It’s Over,” by Crowded House
Lyrics of Love: “But you'll never see the end of the road/While you're traveling with me"
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” by The Miracles
Lyrics of Love: “I don't want you, but I need you/Don't want to kiss you, but I need you”
“Halo,” by Beyoncé
Lyrics of Love: “Everywhere I'm looking now/I'm surrounded by your embrace”
“Electricity (Acoustic),” by Silk City, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson, and Diplo
Lyrics of Love: “And I would stop the world for you/You know I wanna let you know, I'll never let this feeling go”
"Til Kingdom Come," by Coldplay
Lyrics of Love: “For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come/Until my day, my day is done"
“Because You Loved Me,” by Celine Dion
Lyrics of Love: “You were my strength when I was weak/You were my voice when I couldn't speak/I'm everything I am because you loved me”
“I Swear,” by All-4-One
Lyrics of Love: “For better or worse, till death do us part/I'll love you with every beat of my heart”
“A Moment Like This,” by Kelly Clarkson
Lyrics of Love: “Some people wait a lifetime/For a moment like this”
"1+1," by Beyoncé
Lyrics of Love: “And it's me and you/That's all we'll have when the world is through, 'cause baby/We ain't got nothing without love"