Picking the right music
How to set your music vibe
We all know music can make or break the party. You don’t wanna mess that up, so here’s our guide for how to navigate setting your music vibe.
And to save you from doing the same old Google search everyone else does, I’m going to give you access to successful playlists other wedding couples have given us.
Let’s go! …
How great wedding DJs program the night.
For the party portion, our DJs know to start the night with older, more multi-generational music. As the night progresses, it gets younger (and, if you’re that type of couple — dirtier, lol).
We also have go-to playlists we’ve refined over time that work at most weddings. Combined with our ability to read the room, we could walk in blind and usually figure out how to make the celebration pop.
All the above is pretty standard protocol for our DJs or any good wedding DJ you’ll find.
How you can make it better.
You have special insider info. You know specific songs that’ll connect with your crowd. We don’t have that info unless you share it with us. And when you do, we can create epic moments much more quickly and consistently.
Think about that one summer banger that you and your college friends partied to. Or whatever song was playing that your uncle did the goofy dance to.
Whatever that is, you’ll want your DJ to play it. The more you have like this, the more likely you’ll be to see people singing the words together or jumping up and down.
How to organize your lists.
In your preferred streaming service (Spotify, iTunes, Tidal), start these playlists …
Pre-ceremony music
Ceremony music
Recessional music
Cocktail/dinner (some separate, some don’t)
First dance songs
Party songs
Could be 10 songs, could be 100 (Also helpful to denote any “must-play songs” in case your list is long)
Optional: what would be the best song to kick-start the dancing?
Do you want any slow songs? They can be good for bringing people back to the dancefloor if there’s a lull
Last song of the night: make it an epic sing-a-long
Do-not playlist (no need to add this to compile this on your streaming platform)
You’ll also want to note your preferences for requests. I think of it like three categories: some requests with discretion, no requests, or all requests. And some people switch that in the middle of the night, which is totally fine.
Then, when you are close to your wedding date, send direct links of these playlists to your DJ. They can easily incorporate that playlist into their DJ software with just a few clicks.
Don’t do this.
Avoid sending a typed-out list. This adds a bunch more work for them to look up that song individually and manually add it to a list.
Scan through these lists from our past weddings.
If you have Spotify, you’ll want to scan through these lists, find what you like, and then drop and drag them into your own playlist.
Pre-CEREMONY
CEREMONY Walk Music
Cocktail & Dinner
DANCE PARTY
The low-stress way to do this.
If this seems like a lot, no worries. Our DJs are gonna do great work for you regardless.
But if you wanna do a version of this the low-stress way, the good news is that you probably have time on your side.
From now until your wedding, whenever you’re listening to music while making food or going on a road trip — if you hear something that catches your attention, drop it in one of your streaming lists.
After several months, you’ll have compiled a pretty good list of things. And you’ll have fun doing it.
I hope these guides have made your planning journey easier. Reach out if you have questions!
