35 R&B Wedding Songs – Make Your Big Day Perfect
R&B mixes soul music, funk, jazz, and other genres. They make great wedding songs as they are slower when sung. Indeed, romantic songs have long been prominent in this genre. Here’s our list of top R&B wedding songs perfect for bride entry, processional, reception, and the first dance.
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R&B Bride Entry Songs
Bride entry songs need to have a distinct message of what the bride or groom is feeling (or what they are both feeling). While the attention can be all on the bride with the song, you can change it up and show the point of view of the groom as well.
1. “Giving Myself” by Jennifer Hudson
Song year: 2008
“Giving Myself” by Jennifer Hudson will have the soon-to-be-married contemplating how far their love has come.
The song speaks of the singer’s devotion to their love, and their desire to give their whole soul to them.
2. “I Do” by Mark Middleton (from Blackstreet)
Song year: 2003
Mark Middleton’s song is reminiscent of those two special words at the wedding we all look forward to hearing: “I do.”
Middleton sings in disbelief that he got to be with someone they love so deeply. His poignant words affirm that he wants to spend his whole life with them.
3. “Never Felt This Way” by Brian McKnight
Song year: 1992
There is a special way that someone feels when they find the one. While it’s different for everyone, Brian McKnight’s song illuminates that deeply personal feeling very well.
The song chronicles a person’s love and laments that they’d feed an emptiness if they had to live life without them.
4. “There Goes My Baby” by Usher
Song year: 2010
The song lyrics are a great segue for the bride entering the room that is sure to make her blush.
Usher swoons over his love, revealing how much he desires her and how he simply can’t get enough of her.
5. “For You I Will” by Monica
Song year: 1996
A marriage is a partnership. You do for one another everything that you can. One spouse supports the other where he or she is weak.
Monica highlights how much spouses will do for one another in different life situations without giving it a second thought.
6. “By Your Side” by Sade
Song year: 2000
“By Your Side” is a beautiful song declaration of love. In the song, Sade assures her love that, even when they are lost, she’ll help them find their way home.
The song title itself is perfectly suited to welcoming a bride’s entry. As they walk in, the DJ can line up the lyrics that say the title of the song to when the spouses meet at the altar.
7. “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)” by Alicia Keys
Song year: 2010
Walking down the aisle is a tall order that has any couple jittery and nervous. Alicia Keys goes into deep emotions about how she has never felt this way before about someone.
Playing Alicia Keys’ hit 2010 single will have the soon-to-be-married couple psyched and prepared for the future to come.
8. “Meant to Be” by TLC
Song year: 2013
Relationships come with highs and lows with many challenges along the way. Destiny causes what is meant to happen.
TLC’s “Meant to Be” speaks of fate and how everything was meant to happen the way it does. A wedding is a beautiful reminder that a couple was meant to happen in this life.
9. “All My Life” by K-Ci & Jojo
Song year: 1997
Everyone thinks about that moment when they find their soulmate. The one you love can come out of nowhere.
Listening to this 1997 R&B single will have you feeling nostalgic and mushy all around in the lead up to the defining moment of the big day. A top choice for R&B wedding song.
R&B Wedding Processional Songs
The wedding processional songs build up the hype at a wedding. They get the attendees in the mood for witnessing a wonderful example of love come together that very day. They also help the bride and groom get their bearings before it’s time to do their vows.
10. “I Choose You” by Kiana Lede
Song year: 2017
Through all of life’s experiences, the soon-to-be-married will always know what brought them into each other’s lives.
Kiana’s song builds up the anticipation of what is to come later in the wedding when the couple says those two binding words.
11. “When I See You” by Fantasia
Song year: 2006
The bride and groom will likely not have seen each other since the day before. They might be wondering what one another looks like the moment they meet each other at the altar.
Fantasia’s song speaks about how she always has her love on her mind. Naturally, this song will have everyone thinking about the feelings they have when they see their significant other.
12. “Let’s Get Married” by Jagged Edge
Song year: 1999
Jagged Edge’s hit single is a love letter in which the singer throws off all their inhibitions to reveal the feelings they have for someone.
Playing this song will have the soon-to-be-married couple thinking of the moment in which they decided to marry.
No matter how it happened, Jagged Edge puts a pep in the step, which makes for a great wedding processional for the bride and groom party.
13. “Marry You” by Bruno Mars
Song year: 2011
Marriage is a leap of faith. Bruno Mars sings about how it is a jump into the unknown and a huge adventure in front of the couple. Not knowing what will happen next in life is part of the excitement.
The song shows more of a runaway-and-get-married vibe, but it works great for traditional weddings, too!
14.“Love Will Never Do (Without You)” by Janet Jackson
Song year: 1989
Jackson’s song shows how the bride endured possibly many options for love before arriving at her decision to marry the person in front of her.
The song delves into how her friends believed that she and her lover would not last. She goes on to declare that her lover is the epitome of the care and desire she feels for him.
15. “Halo” by Beyonce
Song year: 2008
When you find the love of your life, you may feel as if they are an angel sent from heaven. Beyonce sings about what rests on top of a metaphoric angel’s head: a halo.
An angel is like an answer from the heavens to make your life better than you thought. Beyonce speaks of how the person they love brightens up a room, and how much they want to know them. It’s a perfect song to affirm mutual love.
16. “You’re My First, My Last, My Everything” by Barry White
Song year: 1974
A married couple is everything to one another. Barry White shows just how integral the relationship will be for the spouses at the wedding venue.
White’s song is a classic tribute to the enduring power of love as the iconic music declares his partner to be everything they need. Listening to this song will feel like a moment fulfilled as the vows are exchanged.
17. “Signed, Sealed, & Delivered I’m Yours” by Stevie Wonder
Song year: 1970
Commitment is the word that comes to mind with this 1970 single hit from Stevie Wonder. The funky, upbeat song is a resounding endorsement of love and will get the newlyweds excited and hyped to say their vows to one another.
This song is perfect for physical gestures at a wedding. For instance, each spouse could have their vows in an envelope that they each open in front of one another.
18. “Love of My Life” by Brian McKnight
Song year: 2001
That indescribable feeling of knowing you are beside the person you love most is a blissful sensation.
Brian McKnight’s soulful ballad is evocative of what spouses often think and feel for one another.
R&B Wedding Reception Songs
Some wedding reception songs can be upbeat as others can be a lovey-dovey for the bride and groom to share more dances after their first dance.
20. “Never Knew I Needed” by Ne-Yo
Song year: 2009
The person that we marry could be unexpected. You don’t know how many relationships you will have with other people before you find “the one.” Ne-Yo soulfully sings how it feels to find someone that was unexpected but the best thing that has ever happened in your life.
Aptly, it featured in the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog, which ends in the unlikely pairing of a hard-working waitress with a bon-vivant prince.
21. “Differences” by Ginuwine
Song year: 2001
They say opposites attract. In fact, the differences that a couple shares have the potential to bring them closer together than people who share many things in common with each other.
Ginuwine highlights the delightful variations that couples share and how they can be the perfect complement to their lives. A great black wedding song.
22. “Diamonds” by Rihanna
Song year: 2012
Love soars you high into the air. Rihanna sings about what it feels to be heading sky bound on Cloud 9 when you are with someone that you truly love.
Rihanna’s lyrics speak of the power of love. The singer declares that she chose to be in love. That, together, the couple can shine with the intensity of a diamond.
23. “At Your Best (You Are Love)” by Aaliyah
Song year: 1994
Marriage is for better or for worse. The spouses will go through their best and worst moments as a couple.
“At Your Best (You Are Love)” appeared on Aaliyah’s debut album. Her smooth voice captures the empathy and compassion that exudes from the lyrics. It’s a beautifully tender song perfect for a newlywed couple.
24. “Nobody” by Keith Sweat feat. Athena Cage
Song year: 1996
Coming together in marriage shows that nobody else is perfect for each other. Keith Sweat and Athena Cage capture that in this enchanting duet.
The duo professes they want to not only stick through the night but throughout their lives. The bride and groom will feel the same as well.
25. “Better” by Khalid
Song year: 2018
Finding your special someone is a better feeling than any other emotion you can experience. Khalid smoothly sings about how there is nothing comparable to being with that special someone.
No matter what you two do as a couple, just being at each other’s side is comforting and delightful.
26. “Happily Ever After” by Case
Song year: 1999
You will feel like you are at a storybook wedding with a song called “Happily Ever After.”
Case soulfully professes how it feels to propose to a bride, envision the future, and go through that special day. The hit song accompanies a wedding procession because of its whimsical lyrics.
27. “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men
Song year: 1994
Even when couples encounter issues in their relationship, they can be worked out if they see each other’s differences and appreciate them with love, kindness, and respect.
While the song title is reminiscent of the singer asking a woman to stay with him rather than marry, it shows the strength of working out a relationship rather than simply ending it.
R&B First Dance Songs
The first dance song has to be the perfect mix of what the newlyweds feel collectively for one another.
These R&B first dance songs will put love in the air as the newlyweds share their first moment on the dance floor as a married couple.
28. “All of Me” by John Legend
Song year: 2013
Marriage is a battle of good and down, ups and downs, beautiful and ugly. All these experiences are threads in the tapestry of a couple’s lives.
John Legend and Chrissy Teigan beautifully display their marriage in a black-and-white music video that shows how they give each other everything that they each have to one.
The spouses with a song at their wedding can reflect on their strong commitment to each other during their first dance.
29. “Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder
Song year: 1972
Playing this song for the first dance will inspire guests to think of a sun in the sky as the symbolism behind the couple’s love for one another.
Stevie Wonder’s hit beautifully encapsulates how two people can be so happy to see each other every day, learn new things about one another, and feel the same enchanting emotions no matter how much time passes.
30. “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys
Song year: 2003
Alicia Keys artfully plays the piano and explores how it feels when she does not have her lover at her side. The bride and groom are sure to feel the same about one another as they share their first dance.
Something about not having one’s love around can easily make a person feel down. However, their presence makes everything better.
31. “Share My Life” by Kem
Song year: 2010
Marriage involves so much sharing. Love, feelings, a bed, a kitchen, bills—an entire home. It doesn’t stop there, either.
Some people continue to dream of the day that they find the one to share their life. When that person comes, it’s that much more blissful as Kem observes in his 2010 song.
32. “That’s Why I Love You” by Boyz II Men
Song year: 2002
There are many reasons that a couple stays in love with one another. That might be a silly quirk, a hobby they both enjoy, or something else that inspires only positivity.
The soon-to-be-married will think of how they fell in love with their husband or wife, especially as they share their first dance.
33. “My Boo” by Usher feat. Alicia Keys
Song year: 2004
This is a great song for a first dance, especially if you and your spouse met each other in childhood or high school. The song highlights how two friends from childhood considered each other their “boo.”
Of course, you can play it at any wedding no matter how long you have known each other.
34. “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” by Marvin Gaye
Song year: 1966
If you both have a passion for funky soul music from the 1960s, consider Marvin Gaye’s 1966 single hit as your first dance song. Rather than a slow dance, you can get into a faster groove to pick up the pace. That’s ideal if you two prefer having a more energetic presence on the dance floor.
The singer gives thanks to his lover for not giving up on him and sticking by him, which is a reminiscent theme great for a wedding.
35. “Have You Ever” by Brandy
Song year: 1998
Feel the love and romance that this R&B slow jam brings to the dance floor. The newlyweds will be thinking about the feelings they felt before they confessed their love to one another.
Who revealed their love first? How did the other person feel about the confession? Did they reject it at first? Did they accept the declaration right away?
Brandy touches on the challenges of professing love when you may not be confident of how the other person feels about you. However, we know what the newlyweds feel as they listen to this song for their first dance.
Top R&B Wedding Songs Of All Time, Final Thoughts
We hope this lineup of R&B wedding songs can be a source of inspiration for you. A song suggested for the wedding procession could be used for the first dance or the reception.
Each song has been suggested based on how the meaning relates to either category of a wedding event. It’s your wedding so find the songs that best fit how you and your soon-to-be-spouse feel about one another.
