5 Stevie Nicks Love Songs That Are Wedding-Safe

For all the romance she pours into her music, Stevie Nicks has very few songs that are suitable to be played at a wedding. Bangers like "Stand Back" and "Edge of Seventeen" may be great for getting people on their feet at the reception, but the lyrical themes don't exactly lend themselves to the joys of a matrimonial union. Even the songs Nicks has written for other artists aren't exactly musical love letters. In fact, she has more songs about the trials and challenges of doomed love than she does about love that works out in the end, making it a real challenge to include her most noteworthy works on the playlist. After all, who wants to hear songs about how Lindsey Buckingham broke her heart while walking down the aisle?

Nonetheless, hidden among the explorations of heartache and breakup songs that make up Nicks' canon is a set of songs that make perfect additions to a wedding celebration, whether they're used as vow-exchange music or the soundtrack for a first dance. From walking down the aisle to "Sleeping Angel" to energetic numbers like "Talk to Me" as the reception kicks into high gear, as well as unexpected gems like "Love Is" that keep the joy of finding true love at the top of the playlist, it turns out Nicks has some powerfully positive love songs tucked away in her journal after all.

As a romantic all-timer and a mid-tempo country ballad with a deep heart, "Leather and Lace" sets the perfect tone for any aspect of a wedding. Swapping verses with former lover Don Henley gives Nicks a chance to express a more celebratory form of love, even as vulnerable as the admissions in the lyrics become. "I have my own life / And I am stronger than you know," she sings, trying to assert her independence before giving in: "But I carry this feeling / When you walked into my house / That you won't be walking out the door." The summation of how it feels to let someone else into your life has rarely been described so elegantly.

For all her songs about the elusiveness of love, it took being commissioned to write a duet for country singer Waylon Jennings and his wife, Jessi Colter, for Nicks to tap a vein where romance actually works as an even exchange. Anyone needing a gentle tune with a folksy spirit that stands in as wedding vows would do well to have this classic spinning at their festivities. It's also one of the dreamiest duets Nicks has ever recorded, a timeless gem that stirs hearts whenever it plays.

Who wouldn't love having Stevie Nicks encourage open communication as part of their wedding program? "Talk to Me," a Top 10 hit from Nicks' 1985 album "Rock a Little," gives the songstress a more hopeful outlook on lasting love, with an energetic backbeat driving the message home. It's a more direct examination of honesty than her more mystical ruminations on love, thanks to writer Chas Sanford, who also crafted John Waite's mega-hit, "Missing You." Sanford and Nicks collab on an energetic classic that's sure to get guests on their feet for a free dance while celebrating the value of honest communication. It may be disguised as a hooky pop song with sterling production values and a kicking beat, but that's part of the magic.

The message comes through loud and clear among the candy-sweet musical backdrop, with Nicks' formidable voice soaring as she declares her devotion. "Well, let the walls burn down / Set your secret free / You can break their bounds / 'Cause you're safe with me," she insists, creating a safe space for her other to be as honest as possible. Wise couple goals for any pair heading into the matrimonial adventure, and a fun tune to groove along with

A song about succumbing to the overwhelming gravity of another soul, "Love Is" gave Nicks a chance to sing about the purity and depth of love rather than poeticizing how rocky it can be. The message centers on a confession of how the authentic feeling of love has finally overtaken her: "Have you felt this way before? / Oh, I thought I knew / Do you know that I love you now? / Oh yes, I do." There's a sweet admission that she's finally crossed over the threshold after so many failed attempts. Rather than a glib or cliched take on the feeling, Nicks dispenses with the frillery and speaks clearly and concisely, in a way anyone who's ever felt the pull of true love can relate to.

Nicks found a creative partner in Sarah McLachlan for this track from her 2001 album "Trouble in Shangri-La." The Canadian singer-songwriter played piano and guitar on the track, lending her own ethereal talents to create swirling textures that sound like crushed velvet behind Nick's whisky warble. It's a slow burn given dramatic delivery, the ideal song for a first dance between new spouses who can genuinely appreciate what "love is."

Long-term relationships that don't lose their fire turn into a charming jangler of a love song in "My Heart." In this rare track featured on certain editions of the LP "In Your Dreams" and her collected works box set, Stevie Nicks is at her finest describing how time has had no dulling effect on her feelings for her truest love: "And the crowd fades away / And we stand alone / Just like nothing's changed / After all these years." It's as apt a passage for a couple who've spent years working their way through marriage as it is for a married pair imagining their future together, where feelings still spark no matter how far they've traveled together.

The chorus is a stunning choice for a wedding quote or to incorporate into vows. "Well, my heart still stops / When I stand before you / And my heart still breaks / When you take my hand / And my eyes still close / When someone speaks your name." The enduring power of finding your person is so sweetly captured here, and there's no question this chiming valentine of a Nicks tune belongs somewhere in your wedding plans.

Marriage is a commitment to unconditionally accepting someone else as they are, an aspect "Sleeping Angel" captures in fairy-tale-like verses. The idea that two people will still be discovering both good and bad things about one another long after the rings are exchanged gives this gleaming ballad its bittersweet edge. "I'm trying to believe you / And I'm learning all the time," Nicks pleads as she recognizes the struggle, "Two-part personality / The flower and the vine." Her reminder that fairy tale romances sometimes feature rocky paths adds lyrical depth to the lighter spirit of the wedding setting, though it does so with the notion that the rose is worth the thorns.

The music from this "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" soundtrack highlight, a stunner from Nicks' "Bella Donna" era, is as lovely as the imagery in the lyrics. Mandolins add earthy notes of classic bluegrass music to keep the arrangement organic. But the rousing harmonies of the chorus crescendo to remind your wedding party that Nicks doesn't do romance by half-measures, and her reminder that "Real love affairs are heavy spells" is a caveat all couples tying the knot would do well to take to heart.