By Brent Crampton, Alternative Wedding DJs · Updated November 2026
Mikayla and Lindsay asked every guest to name a song on their RSVP card. By the wedding, DJ Angie had a guest playlist of 59 songs. Across a six-hour reception at the Harper Center in Omaha, she got two requests she didn't already have.
Most couples don't go that far, but almost all of them wonder how requests will work. About 31 of the 121 couples we talked with this year, roughly 1 in 4, asked us directly. The short answer: you pick one of three settings, and you can switch in the middle of the night.
Those numbers come from our analysis of consult calls between January 8 and November 5, 2026.
Why do so many couples ask about guest requests?
A lot of them have been burned. About 23 couples (19%) told us a bad-DJ story from some other wedding, and refused requests and repeated songs both came up in those stories.
So couples come at this from two directions. Some want their guests to feel heard. Others worry one guest will hijack the night. Both get solved the same way: decide your request setting ahead of time.
What are the three guest request options?
Some requests, with discretion. Guests can ask. Your DJ plays what fits your taste and the moment, and passes on what doesn't. A request that works gets mixed in when the energy's right, which might not be the very next song.
No requests. Guests get a friendly no, and the night runs off the lists you sent.
All requests. If a guest asks for it, it gets played.
Can you change your request setting during the reception?
Yes. Say you start open early on, when the music skews older and the grandparents want their song. Then you tighten it up once the floor gets younger and louder. It works the other way too. If the night is going great and you want to let your friends steer for a while, tell your DJ.
Which option should you pick?
For most couples, some requests with discretion. Every so often a guest asks for a song that's exactly right, and the floor goes up a level. You want to keep that.
You also hired a DJ to read the room. Our DJs live-mix songs on the beat with no gaps, so a good request slides right in. A request that would stall the floor can wait, or get skipped. That handles the repeated-song complaint from those bad-DJ stories too. If somebody asks for a song that already played, your DJ keeps the night moving instead of running it back.
The best version of this starts before the wedding. Kelsey's review says Tyrone Storm asked her whether guest requests were OK ahead of time. Connor's review mentions the requests I took from his guests at his wedding. Both nights ran on a setting the couple chose.
No requests makes sense if your lists are tight and you know exactly what you want. All requests makes sense if your crowd knows your taste and you'd rather not think about it. Neither one is wrong.
How do guest requests work with your do-not-play list?
Your do-not-play list is what your DJ checks every request against. If the "Cha Cha Slide" is on it, it doesn't matter which setting you picked. A guest asking for it gets a polite no. Line dances are the most common reason this comes up, and we broke down where 63 couples landed on line dances.
Should you collect song requests on your RSVP cards?
If you want guests involved without fielding requests all night, it works. Ask for one song, mark it optional, and hand the list to your DJ as a pool to pull from rather than a queue to play in order. Mikayla and Lindsay's wedding walks through exactly how they did it.
What should you tell your DJ before the wedding?
Which setting you want to start with
Whether anyone's requests should always get a yes, like a parent or grandparent
Your do-not-play list, including any line dances you're banning
Who's allowed to change the setting during the night, in case you're busy
There's more on the lists in how to build your wedding playlist. And if you're still comparing DJs, ask each one how they handle requests. Their answer tells you a lot. We've got more questions like that in How to Choose a Wedding DJ.
We DJ weddings in Omaha and Lincoln and in Madison and Milwaukee. Want to talk requests with one of our DJs? Check your date →
Whatever you pick, you can change it with one conversation, even halfway through the reception. Or do what Mikayla and Lindsay did and collect the requests six months early, so your DJ already has them when the night starts.