Mikayla and Lindsay asked every guest to name a song when they RSVP'd. So they handed our DJ, Angie, two Spotify playlists instead of one- theirs and their guests'- and across a six-hour reception at the Harper Centre, she got two requests all night that she didn't already have.

It’s a brilliant move, because it solves one of the most difficult parts of the reception before the reception ever starts.

The move worth stealing: put one line on your RSVP card asking each guest to name a song, then hand your DJ the pile as a second playlist alongside your own.

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Why it works

Guest requests usually turn into a problem you manage on the night. Your uncle wants something awful at 9:40, he's already told four people it's coming up next, and now your DJ is the bad guy.

Collecting the requests at the RSVP stage moves the conversation six months earlier, when nobody's had four drinks influencing their decision, and your DJ has time to sit with the list.

Angie recommends it to every couple she works with. She did it at her own wedding for the same reason: "Everybody put down one or two songs you want to hear, so then you don't have to be bugging the DJ."

How to do it at your wedding

1. Ask each guest for one song, and tell them it's optional.

One is plenty. It gives your DJ a read on somebody's taste and keeps the pile short enough that a person can hold it in their head. Two if you're under 100 guests. Long lists get skimmed.

Put "optional" on the card. Half your guests will leave it blank, and you don't want anyone stressed about a line on an RSVP.

2. Word it as a dance floor question.

"What song will get you on the dance floor?" pulls better answers than "song request." One asks what makes people move. The other asks what they like, and those are different lists.

3. Put the same field on your wedding website.

A chunk of your guests will RSVP online and never touch a card. If the question only lives on paper, you're missing them.

4. Send it to your DJ as a second playlist.

Keep it separate from your must-plays. Mikayla and Lindsay sent Angie two Spotify playlists at their planning meeting, theirs and their guests', so she knew which one she was obligated to and which one was raw material.

Mikayla's reason for doing it in the first place is the clearest case for it we've heard:

"I knew there would be a huge variety of people coming to the wedding, and we wanted to make sure that we were playing songs they wanted to hear. It worked out really well."

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Agree out loud that it's a pool, not a promise.

Your DJ pulls from it based on what the floor is doing. Nobody is owed their song at a specific time. If there are songs you want guaranteed, move those onto your must-play list, where they belong.

Hand over your do-not-play list in the same email. The guest pile is exactly where a song you hate is going to turn up. We broke down how to build one on Dan and Ken's wedding at The Admiral.

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Don't clean up the list before you send it.

The duplicates are the useful part. If eleven people name the same song, that's the strongest signal in the pile, and it vanishes the second you dedupe.

Mikayla and Lindsay handed theirs over raw. Angie could see the shape of the room before she got there.

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What the guest list bought them on the night

Angie came up through Ottawa's '90s rave scene and she's a house head. What she reached for at this wedding was 70s and 80s salsa, because one of the brides is Venezuelan and Angie listens to a lot of Latin music. She read the room, put it on early, and it landed right away. Salsa wasn't written into the plan anywhere. The floor filled on it anyway, which is the best kind of surprise to get at your own wedding.

Then "The Wobble," which Lindsay insisted on. Every age group in the room knew it and got up, and from there the night belonged to the line dances. And Bad Bunny, who Angie called the hit of the night.

How the music programming worked out

Almost no requests came to Angie all night, so she spent the reception reading the room instead of fielding it. That's the real return on this.

Angie came up through Ottawa's '90s rave scene, and she's a house head. But she also loves Latin music. And since the bride is Venezuelan, Angie had the foresight to play some salsa music. It wasn’t on any of the playlists, but she saw the family and the potential. So Angie put it on early in the night and the floor filled, and it stayed filled.

Then "The Wobble," which Lindsay insisted on. Every age group in the room got up for it, and the line dances ran the next stretch of the night. Then later, Angie told us a few Bad Bunny songs were the hit of the night.

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Wanna book this same DJ? Check out DJ Angie's page.

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Steal their playlists

Angie's two lists from the night:

The guest requests: L&M Requests, 59 songs, every one of them named by a guest on an RSVP.

The night itself: L&M Real Wedding, 108 songs.

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It rained, so the party started an hour early

The reception was called for 5:00 p.m. Mikayla and Lindsay were going to take photos beforehand. It rained, the photos didn't happen, and their guests did what guests do when there's nowhere else to be. They showed up.

Angie had loaded in and built the booth that morning, so by the time the text came saying everyone was arriving, the room already had sound. Nobody had to scramble. The night started early, ran long at the front instead of the back, and finished around 10:30.

Two things worth taking from that.

Ask your DJ what time they load in, not what time they arrive, because load-in is the part that can't be compressed. And treat your rain plan as a timeline problem, not only a photo problem. Rain is the reason a hundred people turn up an hour before you're ready for them, so decide in advance who can start the music early and make sure that person is on site.

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The encore no one saw coming

At the end of the night Angie handed the couple the mic. They thanked the room, gave Angie a shout-out, and hugged her. Then, once the rig was already packed down, Lindsay's aunt asked for one more song. Lindsay told her she didn't have to. Angie played it anyway.

‍Mikayla said the same thing a few weeks later, in the comments on our Instagram post:

"DJ Angie really did keep the energy going, even at the end of night when there just a few of us left, but we just wanted to keep on dancing because we were having so much fun."

Mikayla Moody, on Instagram

Questions couples ask us about RSVP song requests

Should we put a song request line on our RSVP cards? Yes, as long as your DJ is on board and you treat the results as a pool rather than a queue. At Mikayla and Lindsay's wedding it cut live requests down to two across a six-hour reception.

What if a guest requests something we hate? That's what your do-not-play list is for, and this is the exact reason to write one. Give it to your DJ at the same time you hand over the guest pile. Our DJs know how to turn a request down without making it awkward for anyone.

How many songs should we ask each guest for? One. Two if you're under 100 guests. Long lists get skimmed, and the point is signal, not volume.

Does this replace our must-play list? No. Keep them separate. Your must-plays are the songs your DJ is obligated to play. The guest pile is material your DJ pulls from when the floor asks for it.

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What the brides said about our DJ

Mikayla left this on Google a few days after the wedding:

‍"We had DJ Angie from Alternative Wedding DJs for our wedding celebration! She did a fantastic job! When we first got in contact with Alternative Wedding DJs, we had a virtual meeting with Brent to learn more about them, which was very helpful. We then virtually met with DJ Angie closer to our event date and were able to provide her with two Spotify playlists, one of songs that my partner and I liked and one of songs that our guests requested in their RSVPs. She then created and played a wonderful combination of both playlists day of. She also played very lovely instrumental music during our cocktail hour and dinner as well as helped with announcements, such as dismissing tables for dinner and announcing our first dance. She went above and beyond for us, and we are so grateful to her for everything! We highly recommend hiring her and Alternative Wedding DJs for your wedding!"

Mikayla Moody, Google, August 2026

And on Instagram, after we shared the post:

"DJ Angie was fantastic! We are still over the moon about how the night turned out! DJ Angie, Claire Katan Creative, and Creighton did such a wonderful job! We couldn't have been happier! Thanks Alternative Wedding DJs for introducing us to DJ Angie!"

Mikayla Moody, on Instagram

It went both ways. Angie's read on them after the night: "So easy. So easy. They're so laid back, they knew what they wanted, lots of communication." She pointed out that most couples go quiet the week before the wedding and these two kept emailing, which made her job easier rather than harder.

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The vendors we loved working with:

Every photo on this page is by Claire Katan Creative. If you're getting married in Omaha, go look at her work.

Photography: Claire Katan Creative, Omaha
Venue: Mike & Josie Harper Center at Creighton University, Ahmanson Ballroom, Omaha
Venue events coordinator: Minh Vu, Assistant Director of Operations & Technology
Catering: Creighton Catering
Cake: Butterfly Bakery, Omaha
Florals: Mikayla and Lindsay did their own, with flowers from Trader Joe's. Her words: "They were cheap, yet so beautiful."
DJ: DJ Angie with Alternative Wedding DJs