Reception Music

[springprincess]

I'm not sure if there's already a thread on this, but any help would be GREATLY GREATLY appreciated. I have no idea how to plan the reception music. I know the dj will be a big part of that, but they do want a list of songs we want played. I'm 24, and a lot of the guests will be around that age, but there will also be a lot of older guests, around my parents ages (50s). SO. I am so worried that people won't dance, even with the all-night open bar we're planning to have. How do I get good mix of music, with current music and older music, that everyone will be happy with? What did you guys do? HELP! And thank you in advance! :eek:

[Happy1]

Most of the DJ's will ask what kinds of songs you guys like (as in rap, hip hop, new age, etc.). They'll probably want a "Do Not Under Any Circumstances Play These Songs" list from you just to make sure they don't upset you at the reception by agreeing to play a song that was requested that you guys despise.

We told our DJ to mix it up really good between all kinds of music. Not the "3 and 3" stuff that most DJ's have done at the weddings we go to (they play 3 polkas then 3 rap songs then 3 slow songs, etc.). It worked out very well for us.

That should be it though.

Nikki :D

[keygirl]

We are actually having a live band - but the principle is the same - deciding what songs to play. Since there will be a mix of people there, I suggest playing some classic party songs, that all generations will enjoy. This includes things like Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, etc. (only if you like these of course!)

I just attended a wedding where the majority of guests were from 25-30 and they played NO modern music. Everything was from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and everyone danced and had a great time!

If you do an internet search, there are some sites that give suggestions for wedding music.

[sublime311]

We left out anything that we didn't like (rap/hip hop and country) and asked him to play mostly American standards (by Sintara, Dean Martin, Michael Buble and Harry Connick, etc) with some top 40 dance songs from any era. We also asked them to play some polkas (to recognize DH's heritage) and some Mexican cumbas (to recognize my heritage). We only gave him an outline list with only a few specific must-be-played selections. We told him to play what ever our guests seemed to like. Luckily for us, he LOVES American standards so knew all the best songs to play!

BTW, we carried the American standards theme throughout our ceremony, dinner and reception.

We received LOTS of compliments on our music by our quests, young and old alike. Some said it was the best music selections they'd ever heard at a wedding!

ETA: From what my DJ told me, my coordinator (who also used my DJ) gave him a list of songs to play and he was not to stray from the playlist - NO MATTER WHAT. It was a slow love song theme she had going on. Anyway, he replaced one song (that he didn't have) with another by the same artist and she almost blew a gasket!! He said hardly anyone danced at that wedding. No wonder she almost had a heart attack when I told her I wanted a laid back, relaxed wedding with no serious schedules!

[dpangel33]

We didn't hire a DJ per say. I downloaded selected music to our lap top which hooked right up to the receptions sound system and had a family friend "hit play". He did announce a few things like the first dance and such, but it was great b/c I knew he couldn't play anything we didn't want him to.

We selected our favorite songs and then had some slow songs for the older crowd along with some "old school" songs that got everyone on the dance floor. I couldn't believe how packed the floor was to MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This"; I chose to play it since it was my dad and I's favorite once.

I was also surprised by how many of the songs didn't get played. I was super worried we wouldn't have enough music to last the whole night, but turns out he only ended up playing the ones I specified as MUST plays.

If you have a DO NOT play list let your dj know, and at the same time you can suggest songs you want to hear rather than giving generalizations.

[kimthebride]

Our DJ gave us a booklet with the most-requested wedding reception songs from his history of DJing.
DH & I happen to love music, so we went onto Napster (at the time) and ended up creating a list of about 100 songs from dance to slow to background music for the DJ to chose from. He was not to stray from that list, which was in his contract.
We had a huge variety that included hip hop, 80s, top 40, 50's, ballads, club mixes, everything but metal & country! He was a great DJ, so it was all blended really well and we had everyone dancing all night long.
Can your DJ give you any help with this list? If you are interested in seeing ours, I can dig it up for you to give you an idea.
Good luck!

[springprincess]

Thank you all so much!!! Your advice is definitely helping and I'm getting a better idea of how to deal with the reception music.

sublime311, I LOVE your avatar! That is my favorite holiday movie EVER. My family and I watch it once a year, and we make a big dinner and watch it together and it's my favorite night. (o: