How to Make a Wedding Playlist that ROCKS
For most wedding vendors, a Pinterest board is the best way to share your vision. But when it comes to your wedding DJ, visuals won’t cut it. They’ll need a list of songs for dancing, cake cutting, and more. And this is one occasion where “just trust your own judgment” isn’t going to be enough direction.
At Our DJ Rocks, we hate to see our clients lost and confused, especially about the happiest day of their lives! So if you’re wondering how to make a wedding playlist, start with Our DJ Rocks!
How to Make a Wedding Playlist…the Easy Way
Every wedding DJ wants to have some idea of the songs you want played at your wedding reception. But with most of them, this only means more work for you.
Not only do you have to track down every song you’ve ever liked, you have to decide which one gets played at each special moment and hope that they don’t mix in a song you hate. We hate to make our couples jump through too many hoops, so we’ve implemented an online song selection portal so that you and your future spouse can create your wedding playlist on your own time.
Search by song, artist, or decade, or simply browse through the top 200 wedding favorites. Need suggestions for the perfect cake cutting song? We gotcha. Want the radio edit of a song so your grandma doesn’t disown you? Add a comment. You can even listen to a short clip of each song so you can be sure you picked the right one.
(If you’d like to try it out for yourself, feel free! The username and password are TESTWEDDING.)
Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Pick A Song For Every Moment
Many brides and grooms spend a ton of time choosing a song for their first dance, but forget that there are other milestone moments that need a soundtrack behind them. Whether you’ve got a live band and wedding DJ collaborating, or choose just one option you still need an idea of what you want for each song.
Don’t forget to make a song selection for your:
- Processionals (family, bridal party, etc.)
- Wedding March
- Candle Lighting or Sand Ceremony
- Recessional
- Introductions
- First Dance
- Dedications
- Father/Daughter Dance
- Mother/Son Dance
- Cake Cutting
- Bouquet Toss
- Garter Removal/Toss/Placement
- Last Dance
- and any others you may want to include.
Our online portal has a section labeled “Special Songs” where you can not only input your choices for each category, you can get (and hear) some suggestions if you’re stumped.
2. Create Multiple Playlists
If you’re a Type A personality, you might be tempted to create The Perfect Wedding Playlist For Maximum Fun and Emotional Impact but, as any wedding DJ knows, it pays to have a little more flexibility.
Guests will make requests, that Backstreet Boys song won’t get the reaction you expected, or you never get to that one song you REALLY wanted to hear.
That’s why we have our couples create multiple playlists.
On our online portal, you’ll see the following lists:
- Must Dance To
- Mix These If You Can
- Play Only If Requested
- Do Not Play
Once we have an idea of your favorites (and least favorites), it’s easy to create a custom playlist on the fly. There’s a reason you hired a wedding DJ rather than just relying on an iPad and a sound system. Give the expert the right tools and see the magic we can create with them!
3. Include the Top Hits
If you have really specific, offbeat interests when it comes to music, you might forget about the latest Beyoncé single. But those Top 40 hits get everyone on their feet and keep the dance floor packed all night.
That’s what you want, right?
Start off the dancing portion of the night with an upbeat crowd-pleaser, like Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” or Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance.” Then, sprinkle in a few of the most popular dance tunes.
In our online portal, you’ll see a tab called “Top Hits” where you can search by decade or simply look at the top 200 wedding dance songs. Trust us: we’ve been to a LOT of weddings. We know what gets a party off on the right foot.
4. Remember Your Audience
While your wedding day is (and should be!) all about the two of you, don’t forget that you invited your closest friends and family to have a great time. And that means including music that everyone can enjoy.
Keep your guests in mind while you’re making your music selections. If you’re a fan of country but your husband’s side of the family is more rock, include a little of both. If you love old school hip-hop but your parents are big into Motown, load that playlist up with some Boyz II Men (so everyone’s happy).
At Our DJ Rocks, we always ask prospective couples what year they graduated (so we can spin some classic throwback moments), but we also ask what music their parents like. The best weddings are the ones where everyone is happy!
One easy way to get everyone’s input is to include a place on the RSVP card for song requests. You’ll have a perfect idea of what everyone wants to dance to right off the bat.
5. Focus on Dance Songs
Slow songs have their place, but make sure your playlist is mostly faster, dance-worthy music. Sure, “Unchained Melody” and “At Last” are beautiful, but if you never play Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” is it even a wedding?
In fact, most weddings we DJ don’t include any slow songs once the “guest dancing” portion of the evening starts.
If you know your friends and family like to slow it down once in a while, a good rule of thumb is one slow song for every five (or more) fast ones. Any more than that, and it can easily become a snooze fest.
6. Trust Your DJ!
Ultimately, knowing how to make a wedding playlist starts with finding the right DJ.
Most importantly, make sure your DJ has wedding experience. It sounds like such a small thing, but there’s a big difference between different DJ styles. A good wedding DJ knows how to play what the client wants to hear, rather than their own personal favorites.
When you’re working with a party professional like Our DJ Rocks, you can rest assured that the dance floor will stay full all night. Our team of DJs know how to read a room so that every song selection keeps the party going.
Conclusion
Instead of relying on internet searches and hazy memories of your clubbing days, just use our simple online portal and your set list will be finished on your schedule, not ours!
Other Orlando wedding DJs rely on you to collect song selections and send them over. Only Our DJ Rocks has a super convenient online planning portal to easily compile, organize, and send your favorite song selections for the ultimate wedding day playlist.
Interested in learning more? Contact us to see how we can ROCK your wedding!
