Of all the to-dos on your wedding checklist, finding a fun song to play during your wedding cake cutting probably isn’t one you’ve thought of (yet)—but that’s why we’re here. If you’re incorporating a cake cutting moment into your reception timeline, coordinate a song plan when you go over your playlist (and do-not-play list) with your DJ or emcee. Here are a few on-theme songs—some upbeat, some mellow—to play while you slice that beauty as newlyweds.
1. “How Sweet It Is,” James Taylor
Marvin Gaye recorded the first version of this beloved wedding tune, which also makes for an awesome first dance song. Whichever version of “How Sweet It Is” you choose will suit your cake cutting perfectly.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “I just want to stop and thank you, baby, hey now / How sweet it is to be loved by you, oh, baby /How sweet it is to be loved by you, yes it is”
2. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” Four Tops
With lyrics like these, it might be hard to tell if you’re thinking about the actual cake (or pie) or your new spouse. Probably the latter.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Sugar pie, honey bunch / You know that I love you / I can’t help myself / I love you and nobody else”
3. “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond
If you’re not saving this crowd-pleaser for the end of the night, play it while you dig into your wedding cake (although there’s no penalty for playing it more than once). And if one of your names is Caroline, this hit is pretty much a no-brainer.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Sweet Caroline / Good times never seemed so good / I’d be inclined / To believe they never would”
4. “Sweet Pea,” Amos Lee
Oh man, this song is just so, well, sweet. Mellow, romantic, but not too mushy-gushy, it’s a great pick to accompany your first slice.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Sweet pea / Apple of my eye / Don’t know when and I don’t know why / You’re the only reason I keep on coming home”
5. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Eurythmics
The Eurythmics made a real head-bobber with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” While it’s not particularly romantic, we’ll let it slide because it’s so dang catchy.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Sweet dreams are made of this / Who am I to disagree?”
6. “Sugar,” Maroon 5
Maroon 5’s music video for “Sugar” follows the band as they crash weddings to perform for some of their biggest newlywed fans. A danceable pop song with video full of wedding moments? Yeah, it belongs on your wedding cake-cutting playlist.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Yeah you show me good loving / Make it alright / Need a little sweetness in my life / Your sugar / Yes, please / Won’t you come and put it down on me”
7. “Sugar, Sugar,” The Archies
This song is so sugar-y you might want to invite your dentist to the wedding just in case. Here’s a late 1960s classic that never gets old.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Oh sugar, pour a little sugar on it honey / Pour a little sugar on it baby / I’m gonna make your life so sweet, yeah yeah yeah”
8. “Sweet Thing,” Keith Urban
Play some country in the background while you cut the cake and take your first bite. We love Keith Urban’s fast-paced love song for this reception moment.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Sweet thing / The moon is high and the night is young Come on and meet me / ….You know I need you / And there’s no way I’ll be leaving / ‘Till we’re kissing on the porch swing / Oh my little sweet thing”
9. “Sweetest Thing,” U2
Any U2 fans in the house? We know the lyrics to this hit seem slightly unromantic, but Bono apparently wrote this song as an apology to his wife for having to record in the studio on her birthday, and that’s pretty sweet.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Mine is a blind kind of love / Oh oh oh the sweetest thing”
10. “Sweet Nothing,” Calvin Harris and Florence and the Machine
Not into the oldies? No worries. Eat cake and rock out to Calvin Harris’s chart-topper featuring vocal powerhouse Florence and the Machine.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “So I put my faith in something unknown / I’m living on such sweet nothing / But I’m tryin’ to hope with nothing to hold / I’m living on such sweet nothing”
11. “Sweet Lovin’,” Sigala and Bryn Christopher
Here’s another contemporary electronic jam (with a much more upbeat message than “Sweet Nothing”) that will make you want to cut the cake as quickly as possible so you can get back out on the dance floor.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Your sweet, sweet loving, won’t you put it on me? / Keep me coming ’cause you’re all that I need / You give me love, I’ll give you everything that you want / As long as you love me”
12. “Cake by the Ocean,” DNCE
Who needs sex on the beach when you can have cake by the ocean (or maybe they’re the same thing—we may never know)? Get in the mood to eat and party with this song’s infectious bassline and dessert-ready lyrics. Bonus points if you’re actually getting married by the ocean.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Talk to me, baby / I’m going blind from this sweet-sweet craving / Whoa-oh / Let’s lose our minds and go crazy crazy / I keep on hoping we’ll eat cake by the ocean”
13. “Sweetheart,” Thomas Rhett
Thomas Rhett has yet to make a song that isn’t perfect for a wedding. “Sweetheart” has a catchy doo-wop beat you’ll love—and no shortage of sweets references.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Yeah, you’re sweet like chocolate / Hot like sriracha / Yeah, girl you got me right in your back pocket / You’re smooth like whiskey, fine like wine / I love how you’re making my blood sugar rise”
14. “Sweet Talk,” Saint Motel
This indie-pop hit is a winner every time. While the song is technically the singer lamenting their crush doesn’t know they exist, the message is hilariously cute: “Everything you say, even the bad stuff, sounds like sweet talk to my ears.” It’s pretty much love and marriage in a nutshell.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Sweet talk / Everything you say / It sounds like / Sweet talk to my ears”
15. “Sweetest Thing,” Allman Brown
Ugh, this song is just so romantic and soothing. For a low-key cake-cutting song and a more sentimental moment, play this. If it’s little too slow for you, but you’re still obsessed, use it for your first dance song.
Cake-Worthy Lyrics: “Miami heat, palm trees in the breeze / You’re the the sweetest thing / The sweetest thing I’ve ever seen / Sand at my feet, ocean after that / Silver light of the moon dancing on the waves”
Want more wedding music inspo? Here are the best songs to play at every wedding event.
