Of all the moments at a wedding, the first dance often carries a quiet kind of weight. It might not be the most photographed or the most scripted, but it is the moment where everything else seems to pause. Just two people, one song and a few minutes to take it all in. Choosing that song is rarely a simple decision. For some couples, it’s a track that’s been ‘theirs’ for years. For others, it’s a deliberate search for the right lyrics, the right mood and the right moment. While some still turn to classics or chart-toppers, a growing number are taking a more personal route: having a song written just for them. Here, Melbourne Wedding & Bride’s Jessica Muller joins Dom La Ferlita, a one-man band and songwriter, to unpack the rising trend of custom love songs.
La Ferlita firmly believes that music is the best thing humans have ever created. “Music makes us feel. Music makes us human. And music gives us soul – everybody loves some sort of music,” he shares. “Imagine life without music! It would be boring and dull for me.”
La Ferlita has been performing as a pianist and singer for more than fifteen years. “Entertaining an audience is always thrilling – the singalongs, the dancing, the laughter and the tears during some emotional ballads,” he describes. “Live music really provides it all in terms of atmosphere. I love providing live music at weddings because it really heightens all emotions of the day. From the entrance song to begin the ceremony to the first dance and farewell song, live music elevates the experience and has the potential to provide more energy and feeling to the day.”
Image courtesy of Dom La Ferlita.
CUE THE MUSIC
“Song choices can really reflect a couple and their love story. An upbeat pop song can frame a couple as energetic and ready to celebrate. A string focused song can reflect a timeless and almost cinematic fairytale feel to the love story,” La Ferlita describes. He has found that brides often express their experience in finding a first dance song to be overwhelming and frustrating, because they cannot find a song that feels entirely like them. “This is understandable seeing as all the songs released out there were written for other people!” La Ferlita asserts.
Classics like Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley have stood the test of time, especially with the multitude of remakes and reimagined versions. La Ferlita also reports that a lot of first dance songs are simpler versions of pop songs – with just the guitar and voice, or piano and voice. At his own wedding in 2024, his first dance with his wife was to a live rendition of Shania Twain’s Still the One. However, using an existing song for some lacks the desired personal touch. “All songs released commercially are written for other people. No song will ever share the quirks and deep intimate characteristics of each couple’s own love story,” La Ferlita explains. “This is the reason why custom love songs have become popular, and I see it continuing to grow in the future and may also become the standard for first dance songs at weddings.”
While La Ferlita does consult couples on choosing their first dance song from time to time, he has found that the overwhelming majority choose the option of a custom song once he’s written a draft for them. “Custom songs are underrated and mostly unknown, but I seek to change that, one wedding at a time,” he says.
YOUR SONG, YOUR STORY
When writing custom love songs, La Ferlita asks a lot of questions to give him the best chance of writing the perfect song. “Some questions include how a couple met, first thoughts and feelings, things they adore about each other and some things their partner does that may sometimes annoy them,” he details. “All of this is often great material to offer a bit of everything in their song.”
La Ferlita can be quite flexible when it comes to genres and moods. “I always ask for music influences and do some research into the artists/ songs suggested. I then write a song to match the influence and mood they are after. Sometimes this might be Ed Sheeran inspired but with a little humour, or it might be a slow, emotional ballad with a string quartet and voice only.”
The result is the couple feeling emotional, seen and celebrated. “The custom songs I write really do offer a deeply personal touch which can be cinematic and definitely unforgettable,” La Ferlita says. Some songs can speak about the future and where a couple is going together, while others can connect the couple to their family roots and traditions by bringing in their culture. “Every love story deserves its own custom song, captured in a way that lasts forever,” La Ferlita asserts.
DANCE TO YOUR TUNE
When it comes to advice for the couple, La Ferlita emphasises recognising the importance of music. “Music can be deeply personal and is definitely something that should be thoroughly considered,” he says. For couples with differing music tastes, he advises that a custom song is of course the answer. “I have had couples present with two different musical tastes and they are always pleased when I present them with a song I wrote because the song encapsulates their very own story,” he reassures. The future is custom, according to La Ferlita. “I truly believe 2026 will be a big year for custom love songs, as it is becoming overwhelming with the amount of commercial music out there, and yet, people struggle to find a deep connection to the songs as they usually tell a different story,” he says.