Wedding Songs.

You Raise Me Up

I've posted the link to Josh Groban's video for You Raise Me Up. Feel free to listen while you read this.

Matthew & I have chosen this song as our First Dance song. It's one of my favorite worship songs for two reasons: 1) It's such a great message. God raises us up to stand on mountains and walk on stormy seas. Through Him we can find strength and courage. 2) I believe the song is just beautiful. The sound of it is so calming and yet empowering.

When I first thought of using this song as our first dance, I was hesitant. I even talked to Kristen about it before mentioning it to Matt. I thought it would be a great song, but wasn't completely sure. I eventually came to the conclusion that it not only encompasses our relationship with each other, but also encompasses our relationship with God.

Matthew definitely raises me up and gives me strength. He could help me walk through any stormy weather. And I hope that I do the same for him. But I also thought that using a worship song as our first song would be special too. The only reason we can love one another is because God loved us first (we discussed this in church today). God is a HUGE part of our relationship, and I think sharing our first dance as a married couple to a worship song is just fitting.

Not only have we decided on this song, but we have asked Matthew's best man, Grant, to sing the song for us. His voice is beautiful, and it will be so special for us to have such a close friend sing this amazing song for us. I'm very excited for this.

Side note: Something I've noticed is that the more I embrace my love for Jesus, the stronger my love with Matthew becomes. I can't prove, of course, that these two things are directly correlated, but I definitely feel amazingly blessed to have a man as great as Matthew in my life. i thank God for him every single day.

I Loved Her First

The link I just posted goes to the song I Loved Her First by Heartland. I've chosen this song for my Father/Daughter dance. If you take a listen and focus on the lyrics, I think you'll see why.

The chorus is my favorite. Here are the words: I loved her first, I held her first and a place in my heart will always be hers. From the first breath that she breathed, when she first smiled at me, I knew that the love of a father runs deep. and I prayed that she'd find you someday, but it's still hard to give her away. I loved her first.

This song seriously hits home for me. When I first sat down with my father after getting engaged, it was a hard conversation. As a daughter, I was nervous telling my dad his little girl was going to get married. I was excited, but also VERY nervous. I could tell that my dad was still shocked about the news. At first I thought he was slightly angry that I was engaged, but after talking to him I found out that even he was afraid. He wasn't prepared to lose his little girl just yet. He told me how much he loved me and that it was just hard to let me go.

This song completely encompasses the conversation I had with him. Even now, the song makes me tear up when I listen to it. But I think it is absolutely perfect for me and my dad. No matter how much I fall in love with Matthew, and no matter how many years I spend with him, my dad will always be my #1 guy. I know that my dad loves me unconditionally, and for that I'm grateful. He's done a great job helping raise me, and I love him more than anything in the world.


I can't wait for the night that I dance to these songs. I just know that I will cry. But they will be such happy tears.