Songs for the Bride's Dance with her Father

I'm featuring two beautiful songs that brides-to-be can choose from for their dance with their Dads on their wedding day.  The first song is already a very popular choice; while the second one is another beautiful song which may not be as popular as the first.  I encourage you though to check out its lyrics and video before you decide. 

My first recommendation is Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle.  It's a well-written song with beautiful lyrics and melody.  I'm sure every bride and father of the bride would be moved to tears or will be teary-eyed at least while dancing to this song during the wedding party.

Below is a video of the song and its lyrics.





Butterfly Kisses

There's two things I know for sure,
She was sent here from heaven,
And she's daddy's little girl.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night,
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes.
And I thank God for all the joy in my life,
But most of all, for...

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer.
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair.
"Walk beside the pony daddy,
Its my first ride."
"I know the cake looks funny,
Daddy, but I sure tried."
Oh, with all that I've done wrong,
I must have done something right
To deserve a hug every morning
And butterfly kisses at night.

Sweet sixteen today,
She's looking like her momma
A little more every day.
One part woman, the other part girl.
To perfume and makeup,
From ribbons and curls.
Trying her wings out in a great
Big world. But I remember...

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer.
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair.
"You know how much I love you daddy,
But if you don't mind,
I'm only going to kiss you on
The cheek this time."
With all that I've done wrong,
I must have done something right.
To deserve her love every morning,
And butterfly kisses at night.

All the precious time
Like the wind, the years go by
Precious butterfly
Spread your wings and fly

She'll change her name today.
She'll make a promise,
And I'll give her away.
Standing in the bride room
Just staring at her,
She asked me what I'm thinking,
And I said "I'm not sure,
I just feel like l'm losing my baby girl."
Then she leaned over...and gave me...
Butterfly kisses, with her mama there
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair
"Walk me down the aisle daddy, it's just about time"
"Does my wedding gown look pretty daddy?"
"Daddy don't cry "
Oh with all that I've done wrong, I must have
Done something right
To deserve her love every morning
And butterfly kisses
I couldn't ask God for more, man, this is
What love is
I know I've gotta let her go, but I'll always remember
Every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses for life...

The other song I recommend is another moving song, this time by Luther Vandross -- Dance with My Father.

Check out the video and lyrics below.





Dance with My Father

Verse 1:
Back when I was a child
Before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high
And dance with my mother and me and then
Spend me around till I fell asleep
Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved

Chorus:
If I could get another chance
Another walk, another dance with him
I'd play a song that would never ever end
How I'd love love love to dance with my father again

Verse 2:
When I and my mother would disagree
To get my way I would run from her to him
He'd make me laugh just to comfort me(yeah, yeah)
Then finally make me do just what my momma said
Later that night, when I was asleep
He left a dollar under my sheet
Never dreamed that he would be gone from me

Chorus:
If I could steal
One final glance
One final step
One final dance with him
I'd play a song that would never ever end
Cause I'd love love love to dance with my father again

Verse 3:
Sometimes I'd listen outside her door
I'd hear how my mother cried for him
(2x) I'd pray for her even more than me

I know I'm praying for much too much
But could you send back the only man she loved
I know you don't do it usually
But dear Lord she' s dying to dance with my father again

Every night I fall asleep
And this is all I ever dream


What's your choice?  Well, I know that whichever you choose from these two, it will surely be a touching dance with your Dad.  Enjoy your dance!

If the Shoe Fits... Searching for the Princess' Shiny Shoe

Tiara, check.  Jewelry, check.  Wedding gown, check.  Shiny shoes... hmmm... still searching.

Would you believe that one the things I had a hard time searching for was my wedding shoes?  Yes, because I wanted to look and feel like a princess from head to toe.  Since the theme of our wedding was Disney Princess, I thought that my wedding shoes should fit 1. our theme; 2. my shoe size; and 3. our budget.

So, my shoes should be shiny, silver or white in color, or if I can find transparent shoes or something that looks like the glass slippers of Cinderella, much better.

We first went to The Landmark to search for the perfect shoes for me.  I saw a lot of shoes that were shiny and silvery or white.  But there was not one pair of shoes that convinced me they're the right pair for my wedding day.

Thus, my fiance and I continued our search for that elusive shiny shoe fit for a princess bride.

My fiance suggested that we go to Power Plant Mall.  Just like what we did at The Landmark, we went around every shoe store to check if there was a pair that I'd like and would fit my criteria.

It was in one of the shoe stores there that I saw what I think was the perfect shoes for a Princess Bride.  The shoes were transparent and they looked like Cinderella's glass slippers.  They had swarovski stones that made them sparkle and shine.  And they had a pair for my shoe size.  I excitedly tried a pair.  I even tried to dance some steps to see if I would feel comfortable dancing the foxtrot in them.  They felt perfect for my feet!

I looked at the saleslady and casually asked for the price of the beautiful pair I'm wearing.  As soon as she said the price, the big smile on my face started to fade and suddenly the shoes didn't seem perfect at all.  The price of the shoes I tried was Php16,000! 

I was amazed that I was able to think of an excuse right away to leave the store and leave "Cinderella's shoes" behind. haha :)

Okay, so I found the perfect shoes... well, not really, because it did not fit our budget.  I would never buy a shoe that expensive even for my wedding day. No way!  It was simply impractical.  I was even thinking that the shoes I will buy for my wedding should be something I can use again on other occasions.

I think we went to SM Makati and Glorietta to check out some shoe stores too but we found oursleves back at The Landmark.  This time, I was determined to buy the best pair of shiny shoes I'll fit into, one that satisfies all my criteria. 

I finally found the pair of shoes I wanted to wear for my wedding.  Yes, I tried to dance some foxtrot moves with them, walked around with them and stared at the mirror lengthily before finally buying the pair.

I was happy with my purchase.  It was a simple shiny pair of shoes, silver in color, with heels that are three inches tall.  They had straps around my ankles to make sure my shoes will not slide or will not be left behind during my bridal march or our first dance as a couple.  I liked Cinderella's story but I didn't want to experience that part where she lost one of her shoes. 

Important lessons learned during our hunt for my wedding shoes: Know your priorities and know what part of your dream wedding to compromise and what not, where to splurge and where to stick to the alloted budget.

I still felt like a true princess on my wedding day even though the price of my wedding shoes was just around a thousand pesos.  Let me tell you why through a quote in one of my favorite shirts: YES, I AM A PRINCESS BECAUSE MY FATHER IS THE KING OF KINGS!

Recommended Wedding Song: On This Day by David Pomeranz

I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it.  I said to myself, "I want this song sang in my wedding."  My plan did not push through though for I changed my mind and chose another song (Angels Brought Me Here) for our entourage procession.  I also did not get to ask one of my friends to sing this at the reception.  anyway, I still love this song and highly recommend it for weddings as bridal march, entourage procession, during the pictorial in the church, as music for the couple's first dance or simply one of the love songs to serenade the couple during the reception.  It's so romantic!

Check out the lyrics below.

On This Day

Here we stand today
Like we always dreamed
Starting out our life together
The light is in your eyes
The love is in our hearts
I can't believe you're really mine forever

Been rehearsing for this moment all my life
So don't act surprised
If the feeling starts to carry me away

On this day
I promise forever
On this day
I surrender my heart
Here I stand take my hand
And I will honor every word that I say
On this day

Not so long ago
This earth was just a field of cold and lonely space
Without you
Now everything's alive
Now everything's revealed
For the story of my life
Is all about YOU

For if you feel the cool winds
Blowing through your nights
I will shelter you
I'm forever here to chase your fears away

On this day
I promise forever
On this day
I surrender my heart
Here I stand take my hand
And I will honor every word that I say
On this day

I've been rehearsing for this moment all my life
So don't act surprised
If the feeling starts to carry me away

On this day
I promise forever
On this day
I surrender my heart
Here we stand like our plan
Please say you'll always look at me this way
Like on this day

Our First Dance as a Married Couple

One of the things I dreamed of about my dream wedding is that my groom and I would not dance the traditional waltz or a slow dance as our first dance as couple.  I love dancing, ballroom dancing in particular.  So, I thought that dancing a traditional dance would be boring. :)

Thus, when I finally got engaged, I asked a dance instructor to teach me and my future husband a ballroom dance that we can dance during our wedding reception. 

Our dance instructor was Danny Pintacasi.  I first met him at a Salsa night in a restaurant in Greenbelt years ago.  My friend, Vanessa, introduced us.  Although, I haven't had the chance to learn the salsa until now, I was glad I met him.  I contacted him right away as soon as my future bridegroom agreed that we'll learn a new ballroom dance for our wedding.  I'm so glad that George likes to dance, too.

It was a good thing that Danny's availability matched ours.  We set the date for our first practice right away.  Danny suggested that we learn the foxtrot for our wedding dance and that we dance to the music of Frank Sinatra's Love and Marriage.  And wonder of wonders, I found out that my fiance George had a cd of Frank Sinatra's hits including the song suggested by Danny.  It must be God orchestrating my dream wedding down to the littlest detail I desire.

So, Danny began to teach us the basic steps and choreographed our wedding dance.  I don't remember anymore how many times we met but I think it will not be more than 4 because George and I were already very busy with our wedding preparations.  It was also a good thing that George and I had been dance partners in the past (modern dance and swing) and we both enjoy dancing.  These made it easy for us to learn foxtrot and memorize our wedding dance. 

On the night of our wedding, during our reception, we were both nervous when we were called by our emcees for our first dance as a married couple.  But as soon as we started dancing, the nervousness sowly faded away and we simply enjoyed dancing with each other.  I think we made one or two mistakes but I don't think our guests noticed them.  We all enjoyed it!  They enjoyed watching us dance while we enjoyed dancing to the music.

I thank God for fulfilling this seemingly trivial wish.  It just proved to me that nothing is trivial to God as long as it is important to us.  I thank God that I met Danny whom He used as instrument in helping me fulfill my wish.  Most of all, I thank God that He led me to my bridegroom who not only had all the essential qualities I wished my future husband would have, but also satisfied most of my preferences.  And one of those preferences I listed was that my future husband must love to dance as well.  God is so good indeed!

Check out the lyrics below of this Frank Sinatra classic.

Love and Marriage

Love and marriage, love and marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage.
This I tell ya, brother, you can't have one without the other.

Love and marriage, love and marriage,
It's an institute you can't disparage.
Ask the local gentry and they will say it's elementary.

Try, try, try to separate them, it's an illusion.
Try, try, try and you only come to this conclusion:
Love and marriage, love and marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage.
Dad was told by mother you can't have one
You can't have none.
You can't have one without the other.

[Musical interlude]

Try, try, try to separate them, it's an illusion.
Try, try, try and you only come to this conclusion:

Love and marriage, love and marriage,
Go together like a horse and carriage.
Dad was told by mother you can't have one
(You can't have none.)
You can't have one without the other.

Here are some of our pictures while dancing.

If you and your fiance are thinking of having your first dance as a couple choreographed or you simply want to learn how to dance ballroom, I recommend that you get Danny to teach you.  Dancing can be a good bonding activity for couples.  It will not only improve your dancing skills, you can also lose some weight in the process.  That's why dancing is my favorite way to shed off excess pounds.  It doesn't feel like a chore like if I'm thinking of other exercises. ;)  Anyway, you can catch Danny every Wednesday and Sunday for Salsa nights at M Cafe, Greenbelt 4, every Thursday at La Dolce Vita in Polaris street and every Saturday at Chihuahua, Makati Avenue.  You may get in touch with him at these numbers: 09164907924 and 5145019.

My Recommended Disney Love Songs for Weddings

Since the theme of our wedding was Disney Princess, it was a must for me that Disney love songs be played during our wedding reception.  I asked a violinist to play Disney songs (mostly love songs) while our guests were having cocktails, and waiting to be registered.

If you are having a Disney-themed or inspired wedding as well, here are my top 10 suggestions.  These songs can be played while your guests are lining up for the buffet, eating or you can choose one for the couple's first dance.

Click on the song titles to watch and listen to the song videos.

1. Someday My Prince Will Come - Snow White

2. Can You Feel the Love Tonight - The Lion King

3. So This is Love - Cinderella

4. If I Never Knew You - Pocahontas

5. A Whole New World - Alladin

6. You'll Be in My Heart - Tarzan

7. Something There - Beauty and the Beast

8. A Dream is Wish Your Heart Makes - Cinderella

9. When You Wish Upon a Star - Pinocchio

10. Married Life - Up

Here's a video of one of the songs I recommend.  Enjoy!

Father's Day Post on My Dream Wedding

I held his hand tightly and asked him to pray with me.  I prayed allowed so he could follow in his mind even though he could no longer talk.  I can see the tears rolling down his face as he looked at me and held my hand with whatever strength that was left in him. 


We were on our way then to the hospital.  My father has just suffered his first majot stroke.  Thank God that I was there by his side.  Thank God for the miracles He gave us from the very first time it happened to the fifth time my father had a stroke.


One of the things I dreamed of happening on my wedding day was to walk down the aisle with my father towards my bridegroom.  I dreamed of dancing with him as well during my wedding reception.  This dream may seem small or trivial to some but to me this has become a big dream, especially when my father suffered from stroke several times years before I even had a boyfriend.  


Then, just before my wedding day, he had high blood pressure again and we had to rush him with the help of my fiance to the hospital.  On my wedding day, I requested a doctor friend of mine to check his blood pressure (before the bridal march and after the ceremony) to make sure he is alright since I know that he could become emotional during the ceremony.  Moreover, we decided that he will just wait at the middle of the aisle and just walk half of the church aisle's length with me and my mom for the aisle is quite long.  Tatay had difficulty walking since he suffered his first major stroke.  He can walk but very slowly and he easily gets tired.

Walking towards my parents who were waiting at the middle of the aisle.

I thank the Lord for granting me my wish and fulfilling this important detail in my dream wedding.  I thank God that I was able to walk down the aisle with Tatay towards the man I have chosen to share the rest of my life with.  I thank God that He let my father live long enough so he could give me away on my wedding day.  I thank God that I was able to dance with my father during my wedding reception.  I thank God that my father is still alive today as we celebrate another Father's Day.

Walking happily with my parents towards a new phase in my life.

Tatay started crying as I started to say goodbye to them.

Thank you, Tatay, for all that you've done for me.

George puts his arm around my father's shoulders to comfort him.

So, today as the world celebrates Father's Day, I honor not only my Tatay but God the Father as well for fulfilling this child's wish for her wedding day. Thank you very much, heavenly Father! You are simply the best Father one can ever have!

Tatay and me dancing at my wedding reception.