Folk Wedding Songs: Trending & Timeless Love Hits

Updated November 2, 2023 | Written by Matthew Campbell

Some of my favorite songs to play at weddings are folk songs. They contain so much emotion in their performances which makes your wedding memorable.

Discover a list of folk songs perfect for your wedding day.

folk wedding songs

When choosing folk songs for your wedding, you must consider the following 3 factors:

  1. What is the tempo of the song to determine the style of dance?
  2. What is the meaning of the song and is it appropriate for your wedding?
  3. What moment of the wedding ceremony or reception will the song play?

Let’s start with the new and trending folk songs right now.

New Folk Wedding Songs

  1. Someone Like Me (Wedding Version) – July Moon (2023)
  2. Nothing Can Keep Me from You – The Sweeplings (2023)
  3. Nothing Else Matters – Phoebe Hunt (2023)
  4. Nobody Else – Dave Thomas Junior (2023)
  5. The Mountain Song (First Dance Version) – Tophouse (2023)
  6. Still Into You Acoustic – Landon Austin & Acoustic Diamonds Music (2023)
  7. Love of Mine – The License Lab feat. Alec Shaw & Zan Fiskum (2023)
  8. Never Alone – Garrett Kato & Elina (2023)
  9. This Is How We Learn To Fall In Love – Cinder and The Sea (2023)
  10. You’re the One – Rhiannon Giddens (2023)
  11. Everything to Me – Ivan & Alyosha (2023)
  12. Everything Is More Beautiful with You – Open Road Folk Music (2023)
  13. Stumble Together – Matt Bednarsky (2023)
  14. My Feet Don’t Touch the Ground – Bonner Rhae (2023)
  15. Holding You – David McCredie (2023)
  16. What Would I Do Without You – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors (2023)
  17. You and I – SYML and Charlotte Lawrence (2023)
  18. The Man I Am – Mark Erelli (2023)
  19. All My Love – Cathartic Fall (2023)
  20. Perfect to Me – Josh Tatofi (2023)
  21. Our Time – Roo Panes (2023)
  22. Sunshine – The National Parks (2023)
  23. All of me (Acoustic) – Norah Davis (2023)
  24. For Me It’s You – Jobi Riccio (2023)

Trending Folk Wedding Songs

  1. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, 1971
  2. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman, 1988
  3. “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers, 2012
  4. “When You Say Nothing at All” by Keith Whitley, 1988
  5. “Wedding Song (There Is Love)” by Noel Paul Stookey, 1971
  6. “Father And Daughter” by Paul Simon, 2002
  7. “Simply The Best” by Billianne, 2022
  8. “Sweet Pea” by Amos Lee, 2006
  9. “Bloom” by The Paper Kites, 2013
  10. “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat, 2007
 

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As an experienced wedding DJ, I’ve assembled a list of folk wedding songs. Songs are selected by the meaning of the song and popular hits by today’s couples. Besides new and trending, additional lists are grouped by decades.

2020s Folk Hits

  1. Better Part of Me – SYML and Sara Watkins (first dance song)
  2. Forever and for Always – Jarrod Morris
  3. The First Time – The Brave Collide feat. Brian McGrane & Chloe Agnew
  4. Turning Onto You – First Aid Kit (cocktail hour song)
  5. Belong with You – The Light the Heat
  6. When You Love Someone (Live) – Gretchen Peters
  7. I Hope You Dance – The Hound + the Fox (parents’ dance song)
  8. No One Has What We Have – Levi Parham
  9. Simply The Best – Billianne (processional song)
  10. You Mean the World to Me – James Walsh
  11. Understand My Love – Brandon Mills
  12. If I Say That I Love You – Foster
  13. One For Me – Mary Hopkin
  14. One and Only – Garrett Kato
  15. I’d Be Your Man – Parker Twomey
  16. Hold You – Amos Lee
  17. If I Didn’t Love You – Ben Abraham (first dance song)
  18. Sing Me a Song – William Prince, Serena Ryder
  19. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Ron Pope, The National Parks (last dance song)
  20. Valentine’s Day (Acoustic) – David Tribble (first dance song)
  21. By The Sea – Mountain Laurel
  22. Love Is – Zach Winters
  23. Until You – AHI (first dance song)
  24. She Is My Everything – Bill Callahan & Bonnie Prince Billy
  25. Faithfully – Clem Snide & Eef Barzelay (first dance song)
  26. Soul Mate – flora cash
  27. Love You – Jasmine Chadwick
  28. Anything – JJ Heller
  29. Home – Josh Beeman (first dance song)
  30. Someone Like Me – Julia Westlin
  31. Colors – Langhorne Slim
  32. Sunshine – Leucadia (recessional song)
  33. Till Death Do Us Part – Lily Hormel
  34. You’re the One (Acoustic) – Luca Fogale
  35. I’ll Be with You – Matt + Abi
  36. I Just Love You – Roo Panes
  37. What a Wonderful World – Sawyer Fredericks (prelude song)
  38. Headlights – The National Parks (cocktail hour song)
  39. Steal My Heart Away – The Paper Kites, Ainslie Wills
  40. Marry Me – The Wicks
  41. All The Gold – Alivan Blu
  42. Forever & Back – Anders Sohn (recessional song)
  43. I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You – Bob Dylan
  44. Mairi’s Wedding – Caroline McCaskey (prelude song)
  45. That’s The Way Love Goes – Hayes Carll & Allison Moorer
  46. Helplessly I Fell – Jim Lord
  47. Not Enough – JJ Heller
  48. Simple Thing – Jonathan Wilson
  49. Over the Moon – Julian Taylor
  50. I Got You – Michael Franti & Spearhead (entrance song)
  51. Rest of Our Lives – The Light the Heat
  52. I Want To Make You Mine – The Suddenlys
  53. No Matter Where You Are (Wedding Version) – Us The Duo (unity song)

Tip

The closest genre to folk music is country music. See a list of country songs for every part of your wedding day.

 

2010s Folk Favorites

  1. As Time Goes By – Anna Nalick
  2. You Have Stolen My Heart – Brian Fallon
  3. I Chose You – Caleb Edens (processional song)
  4. Make These Colors Real – Hush Kids
  5. L O V E L O V E – Jeremy Lister (cocktail hour song)
  6. No Place Like You – Joy Williams
  7. Not Just Any Old Love Song – Luke Cerny
  8. Forever From Now – Sheffield (recessional song)
  9. When We Grow Old – Stace & Cassie
  10. Latch – The Hound + the Fox
  11. Bride – Aria & Oaken (processional song)
  12. Earthquake – The Black Lillies (first dance song)
  13. Before You – Fortunate Ones
  14. Welcome Home – Fox and Bones
  15. Yeah You – Freedom Fry
  16. Give All – Jon Danforth
  17. If I’m the Sun and You’re the Moon – Aaron Espe
  18. You and I, Here and Now – Evan Nachimson
  19. Chances – Fox and Bones
  20. I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You – Imaginary Future & Kina Grannis (first dance song)
  21. As Long as I Have You I’m Home – Imaginary Future
  22. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – Imaginary Future (first dance song)
  23. Places We’ll Go – Nate Michael
  24. Dance With Me – Phillip Phillips (first dance song)
  25. Lover’s Lullaby – Sweet Tea Project
  26. Touching Heaven – JOHNNYSWIM
  27. Sea Of Love – Langhorne Slim & Jill Andrews
  28. Take The World – JOHNNYSWIM
  29. If You’re the Coffee – The Arcadian Wild
  30. For You To Be Here – Tom Rosenthal
  31. Heart’s On Fire – Passenger
  32. Bloom – The Paper Kites (processional song)
  33. Forever – Ben Harper
  34. Only Love – Ben Howard
  35. Hey Ho – The Lumineers (recessional song)
  36. Higher Love – James Vincent McMorrow (processional song)

Tip

Another genre to review is our list of indie love hits for engaged couples on their big day.

 

2000s Folk Tunes

  1. I And Love And You – The Avett Brothers
  2. January Wedding – The Avett Brothers
  3. All I Want Is You – Barry Louis Polisar (recessional song)
  4. Let It Be Me – Ray LaMontagne
  5. Boats & Birds – Gregory & the Hawk

Tip

See all genres of music played at weddings.

1990s Folk Tracks

  1. In Spite Of Ourselves – John Prine and Iris DeMent
  2. When You Say Nothing At All – Alison Krauss and Union Station (first dance song)
  3. Wild World – Yusef/Cat Stevens (recessional song)

Classic Folk

  1. Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead (cocktail hour song)
  2. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor (cake-cutting song)
  3. Watching the River Run – Loggins & Messina
  4. Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
  5. Wedding Song (There Is Love) – Noel Paul Stookey (prelude song)
 

FAQs

If Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and James Taylor speak to you, then that singer-songwriter feel that brings teardrops to everyone’s eyes, is your jam. Folk music is emotional. Folk music captures our stories as people. it’s part of our tradition and how we tell stories. You could say that country and western stem from folk. American folk music has its roots in Ireland.

Because of this, many of our most beloved songs are from the folk genre. We could also include indie and singer-songwriters in this genre as well.

Sweet, low-key weddings outdoors with a solo guitarist are the ideal wedding for folk music. Imagine walking down the aisle to “Something in the Way She Moves” by James Taylor. You could even include an instrumental version of “You Look Wonderful Tonight” in this category. Wow. Beautiful, just beautiful.

Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted orally, music with unknown composers, or music performed as a customer over a long period of time.

Folk music is storytelling. It’s simple in its instrumentation but complex in its harmonies. It’s known for beautiful, haunting melodies with choruses that everyone can join.

If you love Folk music, be sure to attend the Montana Folk Festival. It is held in Butte, Montana in the month of July.

Folk isn’t for the old folks. According to Ranker, the top 3 folk artists in 2020 include Leon Bridges, Caamp, and Nathaniel Ratliff. We also like The Avett Brothers, The Milk Carton Kids, and Chris Thile.

The all-time popular folk artists include:

  • Ben Harper
  • Bob Dylan
  • Cat Stevens
  • Emmylou Harris
  • The Grateful Dead
  • Harry Belafonte
  • James Taylor
  • Joan Baez
  • Johnny Cash
  • Joni Mitchell

Why trust Matthew Campbell?

DJ, Author, Music Lover

matt

Matthew (Matt) Campbell is the founder/editor of My Wedding Songs from his experience as a wedding DJ. He is the author of two wedding planners: ‘Wedding Songs Planner’ and ‘The Wedding Music Toolkit’. Matt is the host of the ‘Wedding Songs Podcast’. He shares music inspiration in his weekly newsletter the ‘Wedding MusicLetter’. His articles have been published on Rolling Stone, DJ Life Magazine, and DJ Times. Matt resides in the wedding capital of the world – Las Vegas.

6 Comments

    1. Hi Luke. Thanks for the song suggestion. It was released in 2020 but I have not heard it played at weddings before?

      Reply

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