Anniversary Slideshow Songs for Your Parents' 25th or 50th

The best song for an anniversary slideshow is their first dance. If anyone in the family remembers it, that is the opening, and you can stop reading. If nobody does, the next best thing is a song from the year they married, because it puts the whole room into the wedding photos the way nothing else can.

This list is sorted by when they married, with the timeless songs that work for any couple and a few families use for the last photo. One or two songs is right: one from their era under the wedding and the early decades, one warm and recent under the grandchildren and the ending.

How to choose

• First dance first. Ask their siblings and their oldest friends; someone remembers.
• Era, then now. A song from the wedding year for the opening, something warm and recent for the last decade.
• One or two songs for four to six minutes; three if it runs longer. Let the songs set the length.
• Read the lyrics through. A love song from 1976 can have a verse that has not aged well.

If you are still gathering the photos, our guide to collecting fifty years of photos from both families covers the wedding box, the slides, and how to get everyone's photos in one place.

Married in the 1970s (a 50th)

• Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton)
• Longer (Dan Fogelberg)
• Annie's Song (John Denver)
• You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder)
• Let's Stay Together (Al Green)
• Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel)
• Your Song (Elton John)
• Something (The Beatles)
• Colour My World (Chicago)
• We've Only Just Begun (The Carpenters)
• How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees)
• Evergreen (Barbra Streisand)
• Always and Forever (Heatwave)

Married in the 1980s and 1990s (a 40th or a 30th)

• Endless Love (Diana Ross and Lionel Richie)
• Faithfully (Journey)
• Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison)
• Forever and Ever, Amen (Randy Travis)
• I Cross My Heart (George Strait)
• Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton)
• Everything I Do (I Do It for You) (Bryan Adams)
• Amazed (Lonestar)
• You're Still the One (Shania Twain)
• From This Moment On (Shania Twain)

Married around 2000 (a 25th)

• I Could Not Ask for More (Edwin McCain)
• Breathe (Faith Hill)
• Amazed (Lonestar)
• Thank You (Dido)
• At Last (Etta James, the version everyone danced to that year)
• Beautiful Day (U2)
• The Luckiest (Ben Folds)
• Come Away With Me (Norah Jones)
• Better Together (Jack Johnson)
• Yellow (Coldplay)

Timeless, for any couple

• At Last (Etta James)
• Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley)
• The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
• L-O-V-E (Nat King Cole)
• Stand by Me (Ben E. King)
• Make You Feel My Love (Adele)
• Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)
• Perfect (Ed Sheeran)
• All of Me (John Legend)
• I Won't Give Up (Jason Mraz)
• Grow Old With Me (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

For a 50th especially

The songs written about exactly this, that families come back to for the golden one.

• Remember When (Alan Jackson)
• Through the Years (Kenny Rogers)
• When I'm Sixty-Four (The Beatles), for the room that will laugh
• Grow Old With Me (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

For the last photo

• Remember When (Alan Jackson)
• The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
• What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• In My Life (The Beatles)

Bringing the song in

On Embrance you choose your own audio at the music step and it uploads with the photographs, as an MP3, M4A or WAV. Add one song and it plays under the whole slideshow; add two or three and they play in the order you added them, with a moment of quiet between each. Levels are evened out, so a soft 1970s recording and a loud modern one arrive at the same volume. If you would rather not source anything, there is a small built-in set of gentle instrumental tracks.

One practical note. Playing a popular song at the party is fine. Posting the finished video online afterward is where Facebook, Instagram and YouTube may mute a copyrighted track, so if the online copy matters, an instrumental version or one of the built-in tracks avoids that.

Common questions

What is the best song for a 50th anniversary slideshow?

The first dance from their wedding, if anyone remembers it. Failing that, "Remember When" by Alan Jackson and "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers are the two families come back to for a 50th, and "At Last" by Etta James and "Unchained Melody" work for any couple.

How many songs does an anniversary slideshow need?

One or two for a slideshow of four to six minutes, three if it runs longer. A pairing that works: a song from the year they married under the wedding and early decades, then a warm recent song under the grandchildren and the last photo.

Should the music be from the year they married?

For the opening, yes. A song from their wedding year puts the room into the wedding photos in a way nothing else does. Then change to something warm and recent for the last decade, so the slideshow ends in the present with the couple in the room.

Can I use a popular song in the anniversary slideshow?

For playing at the party, yes, use the song you want. On Embrance you add your own MP3 or M4A and it plays under the photos. The one place to be careful is posting the finished video online afterward, where Facebook, Instagram and YouTube may mute a popular track.