Blog
Selecting the right music for your Wedding Day - Part 2
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Cocktail Hour
The beginning of most modern wedding receptions begin with a cocktail hour. There are two reasons for having this cocktail hour: 1) To give you and your wedding party adequate time to take photographs, and 2) To allow your guests to become acquainted. This is the time for your guests to talk and catch up before being seated. This is great as it allows family members who are distant or are from out of town to reunite. The music for this portion of the event should be relaxed and merely a background. The music should create a comfortable atmosphere, but not be so loud that it makes conversation difficult. This is a great time to introduce your favorite type of “listening” music. We DJ’s like to think that there are two main types of songs out there… those that you listen to, and those that you dance to. Cocktail hour and dinner are the times for listening music. Additionally keep in mind that music creates a mood. Moods can be created by the volume, lyrics, tempo, or general feel of the song… How does the song make you feel? Happy? Sad? Is it a love song? Does it make you want to party? Is it angry? These types of mood are very important for a wedding. You can almost control your guests thoughts by playing the right music! Do you want your cocktail hour to feel like a happy hour at a bar? –Play some light rock like “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet or country like “I Love This Bar” by Toby Keith. How about a summer wedding… maybe a tropical feel? Bob Marley all the way, mon! Let’s create the atmosphere you want. Most of your better DJ’s (myself included) will know all about this and will have suggestions for you. No need to provide a long list of songs (of course you can if you want), just tell us what kind of ”mood” you want!
Introductions
Everyone has made their way into the dining hall and has found their seat. Your photos are done. Everyone is waiting anxiously for your arrival. This is your moment… the grand entrance! Of course you are going to walk in with music! What to choose? Once again, this is your chance to make a statement about yourself (and perhaps for your whole wedding party too!). (Feel free to check out our most popular introduction tunes.) Most people prefer to walk in to something with “pomp” or “wow factor”. It could be as loud as you would like. Probably the most popular tune right now is “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. Feel free to pick an individual track for each of the couples as they enter the room. Pick a song that says something about them… or choose a song that has meaning between you and them… or choose a song that is their favorite… or even just let them choose their own song! Be sure to choose a song that they can strut their stuff to as they make their entrance as well.
First Dance
This moment is reserved for you and your new spouse. It should be about you. Only you. The song you choose for this dance should be so special that the walls and people around you just dissolve and disappear. (Especially the photographer, because they will be all over you taking photos… don’t pay attention to that flash, lock your eyes on the person who you’ve just committed to!) I can’t help you with this song… except that when you find the right song, you’ll know it…
Dinner
Just like the cocktail hour, it’s time for more listening music. However, now the guests are eating and thus talking less… I recommend taking the music down a notch, by suggesting ballads at this time. Yes gentlemen, you heard me… ballads. Sappy, cheesy, LOVE songs. This whole day IS about love right??? Sorry guys! Of course it does not have to be that way… but I think it’s nice to acknowledge the whole romantic purpose of the event. There are love songs from every time period and every genre… you could have R&B ballads from the 50’s, or Rock ballads from the 90’s… so there is still every opportunity to personalize the evening. You say “ballad” to some guys and they think you are only going to play Celine Dion or Michael Bolton. It does not have to be that way (of course, some people really do like Michael Bolton… surprised me too), most modern day artists have ballads too… you can still have your Green Day or Pearl Jam, even Nickelback.
Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dance
These dances are reserved for you and your parents, and we recommend involving the parent in the song decision. This is their way of sending you off. It is often a song about growing up, or leaving the nest, but it may also be a song about memories. This is a special moment and deserves some thought. (Our Music Library contains a link to some popular favorites.)
Dance Music
Okay, this is the time when everyone can let loose and really enjoy themselves. This is the time for dance music. We bring up the volume and flip on the disco lights. Dance music can mean anything from Swing Jazz to Modern Techno music (and everything in between). The most popular dance music genres at a wedding usually consist of Oldies, Motown, Disco, Funk, Pop, Rock, Country, R&B, and Hip Hop spanning from the 1950’s up to the present day. A good DJ will watch everyone in the room to make sure that everyone gets to hear something they like… Sorry kids, Mom and Dad want to dance too! Additionally we will work in sets of slow ballads for couples to slow dance.
The “Must Play” List
I am usually given a list of songs from my clients of songs that they would like to hear. I think these song lists are very important… they help me get to know you. A few things to keep in mind when creating this list:
1.) I may not get to ALL of the songs on the list if you make it too long. The night goes by more quickly than you think… we will only play 50-60 songs all night in a 5 hour wedding, and only 25-40 of these songs will be played during the actual dance portion of the evening! It is difficult to work in a list of 25 songs and still keep a dynamic flow. Additionally we are usually getting requests by the guests and that can make things really challenging. We feel the perfect length of the “Must Play” list should be kept to 10 songs or less. If you insist on a longer list, most DJ’s will usually comply… but honestly it’s difficult to make it work.
2.) Think about your guests too! Don’t ignore the fact that Mom and Dad want to hear Motown, and that your brother likes Rock and hates Hip Hop. Yes, this day is about you… but you will not be having fun if you are the only one dancing either!
3.) Make sure you are selecting dance songs, and not listening songs if you want them included in the dance portion of the evening. Us DJ’s will usually try to lump the listening music into Dinner or Cocktails if we do not feel they will work on the dance floor.
4.) Sometimes the best “Must Play” list does not actually contain songs but artists or genres that you like. This is just as helpful and gives the DJ a little more flexibility in choosing the right song at the right time.
5.) Choose songs that are happy. They should not be about “breakups” or “cheating”. This should be obvious at a wedding… but it always surprises me how many people select music about these negative things…
6.) Keep it clean! Yes, DJ’s usually have edited tracks… but Grandma doesn’t want to hear “I’m on a mother-bleeping boat!” It may offend her!
7.) Choose music with a variety. This helps us bring more people to the dance floor.
8.) Choose popular songs. You may really love that White Stripes B-side, but no one else does, and they are not going to dance to it! People like to hear music that is familiar and catchy. Yes, sometimes it gets overplayed… but that’s because most people want to hear it.
9.) Line Dances - You either LOVE them or HATE them... No in-between here. Think about your crowd before you say YES or NO to the Macarena, Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, etc. Even if you hate them, there is usually a considerable audience for these songs. I have seen them pack a dance floor without an inch to spare!
10.) Consider checking out the Top 200 most requested songs here.
Selecting the right music for your Wedding Day - Part 1
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There are many things to consider when choosing music for your Wedding Day.
This day is most certainly important... to some it is important because they have dreamed about this day ever since they were a little girl... to others it is important because, let's face it, you will probably never spend this much money again for a single event in your life. (At least I hope you don't!) This day is meant to be "Once in a Lifetime"...
EVERYTHING is important for your Wedding Day... the Dress, the Flowers, the Hall, the Food, and yes... the Music. The Music is so important that you have hired a very important and experienced person to be in charge of the music... The DJ.
A good DJ will be experienced enough to know what types of music are going to make this evening special. A good DJ will know what songs are going to bring a crowd to the dance floor. A good DJ will know when and how each piece of music should fit together to create a dynamic and exciting event. A good DJ will play a mix of music to make everyone in the room feel appreciated, no matter how diverse the crowd is in age. Music can bring generations together. Music is necessary to create this atmosphere. Your DJ is at the helm.
First and foremost, the most important thing to do is to hire the right DJ. You need to find someone who you can trust to understand your crowd. As a DJ I find it is very important to try to make a connection with my clients. I don't make assumptions or stereotypes... Just because someone is young does not mean they want to hear only Top 40 music. It is my job to try to get to know you a little... which is not always easy to do in the few hours which we speak and meet before your wedding. This is why a little help from you can go a long way...
One of the first things your DJ will hand you is the "Music Planner Sheet" or possibly give you a link to an online version (we offer both). This sheet is obviously very important to the DJ, so it is important that you do not wait until the last minute to fill this sheet out. Here is some helpful guidelines to helping us help you:
Ceremony:
The first element of almost any wedding is the actual ceremony. Your ceremony may be at a church, or other place of worship... it may be outdoors in a scenic setting... or it may be inside your reception hall. Wherever you decide to have it, it is very likely going to require music. Traditional ceremony music varies greatly depending upon region, religion, culture, and tradition... In most wedding ceremonies we perform, traditional classical music with a very light feel is usually selected. Usually a "Prelude" of music is played as guests are being seated. Some favorites for the prelude include "Canon in D", "Air", and "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring". When the guests are seated and the ceremony begins, the Processional music will be played as the Bridal Party walks down the aisle. Immediately following will be Bride who walks to "The Bridal Chorus" which is an excerpt from Lohengrin. When the officiant has pronounced the Bride and Groom as Husband and Wife, typically the "Wedding March" (also known as a Midsummer Night's Dream) will be played as the Bride and Groom recess down the aisle followed by the Wedding Party. This is a modern American traditional wedding. However, perhaps about 25% of the ceremonies we perform are non-traditonal. In a non-traditional non-secular ceremony, the music can be anything you would like. We recommend choosing songs that have meaning to you personally for a non-traditional ceremony. You may choose to walk down the aisle to a favorite childhood song… or perhaps a rock song… or you may even dance down the aisle to your favorite hip hop track! The sky is the limit… this is YOUR day afterall.
