When organizing a wedding, all newlyweds try to do everything so that the celebration is fun and fervent. Therefore, for the wedding to be fun and unforgettable, you need to consider in advance what music to include in your wedding playlist. After all, music has a substantial impact on a person, and the success of your most important event may depend on its choice!
Finding the fitting soundtrack for your wedding is difficult if you don’t have a DJ with encyclopedic musical knowledge to help you. There are many things to consider, from the first dance, cutting the cake, to the last dance. If you love deejaying your reception, here are a few tips on how to create your wedding playlist.
1. Pick out songs for all the special dances
Every reception has a few headline dances – one by the newlyweds, one by the groom and his mother, the bride, and her father, etc. So it’s important to pick something for each of these special dances. The compositions accompanying these moments should come from the depths of your soul and fully match the mood.
Practice shows that the choice of these two compositions is the most difficult. For the father-daughter dance, for instance, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison and Never Too Much by Luther Vandross are popular songs. For mother-son dances, My Mother’s Eyes by Etta Jones and Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton are well-loved choices for your wedding playlist.
2. You’ll need a reception entrance song
The reception entrance is when the bride and groom make their grand entrance. Be sure to stage your entrance: choose a pace and mood that will suit your temperament, come up with unusual or funny features that cheer up guests, and generally relieve tension.
And most importantly – choose the perfect wedding playlist track for your spectacular appearance. It needs to be stylistically different from the rest of the music that you plan to play through the evening. It needs grand lyrics and music.
The intro to Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love, for instance, works great as a fanfare. Other songs can also support a grand entry – Beautiful Day by U2 and Goldeneye by Tina Turner are fabulous options that should definitely be in your wedding playlist.
3. A song for the first dance
The first dance of the young is one of the key moments of the festive evening. But the most important question is what kind of music to choose to tell the guests a unique love story.
Ideally, there is a composition with which both of you have pleasant memories. However, in another case, it is first desirable to decide on the dance style and then select the desired wedding playlist composition.
It’s a good idea to include a sentimental number in your wedding playlist for the first dance by the bride and groom like Unchained Melody, Something Good from the Sound of Music, Your Song by Elton John, etc. The song needs to be danceable, too. It’s a popular choice to try a custom mashup for the first dance – a song built out of pieces of different famous tunes.
4. Pay attention to the lyrics
Another one of the most useful tips on how to create your wedding playlist is to pay attention to the lyrics. Many songs with beautiful melodies and a danceable tempo can nevertheless be the wrong choice for the first dance. The lyrics can send out the wrong message.
If you don’t usually pay attention to the lyrics, you could end up with songs that make everyone uncomfortable. For instance, Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You from The Bodyguard sounds like a beautiful love song for couples. Unfortunately, it’s actually a breakup song.
When I’m 64 by The Beatles may sound like a sweet song about love that sees you through old age. It’s actually the exact opposite – it is often said to be actually about boredom in a long marriage. Therefore, try not to choose such songs for your wedding playlist.
5. The cake cutting song
The cake-cutting ceremony is a traditional part of any wedding reception. This action looks quite bright and beautiful. Nevertheless, you can personalize it by playing music to suit your personality. Therefore, it is worth considering the emotional message you want to convey to the guests.
For each person, taking out dessert is associated with a different mood. For someone, it is romantic, and someone will say that it is enchanting and solemn. You can eventually get on the right track based on your emotions and desires to convey a certain mood.
If you’d like a playful tone to the ceremony, you can pick wedding playlist music like Love You Madly by Cake or Cuts Like a Knife by Bryan Adams. You’re My Best Friend by Queen and I got you Babe by Sonny, and Cher can work for a lighthearted tone.
More: 10 Wedding Cake Ideas Your Guests Will Love
6. Music for the bouquet toss
The bouquet toss ritual is slowly on its way out today. But, if you plan for it, you must go with the mood that the ritual will likely generate – competition and raucous fun. Therefore, choosing relevant wedding playlist for bouquet toss is essential.
Appropriate musical accompaniment will help you make this moment even more vivid and unforgettable. Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, Another One Bites the Dust by Queen, and What a Man by En Vogue can all bring great energy to the proceedings.
7. The garter toss
The garter toss is another ritual that’s on its way out today. So if you plan to have it at your wedding, you need to plan for another rowdy moment.
For this exciting event, you need to choose lively and intriguing music. For these purposes, various modern tracks are suitable. Bad Boys by Inner Circle, You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate, Wild Thing by Tone Loc, and Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood can be included in your wedding playlist.
8. The cocktail hour
Cocktail hours need mellow, feel-good music that’s only mildly danceable. The chosen music should not be too loud, fast, or monotonous. It should cause pleasant sensations and comfort for all guests. The most suitable option is quiet and slow compositions. Consider it during creating your wedding playlist.
Sweetest Thing by U2, LOVE by Nat King Cole, Kiss on My List by Hall and Oates, and That’s How Strong My LoveIs by Otis Redding can set the right mood. Avoid playing heavy metal or rap, even if you know that some guests love it.
9. Reception dinner music
10. The last dance
As the final touch to the big day, the last dance can be a tricky one to pick a song for. It needs to be upbeat to send everyone off on a happy note, but still be sentimental.
Time of Your Life from Dirty Dancing could work. Late in the Evening by Paul Simon and Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire can be included in your wedding playlist, too.
More: 10 Wedding Traditions to Keep Forever
11. Eternal Values
The fashion for music changes every season, and new tracks replace the old ones. So to make all guests feel comfortable, it is better to add more win-win songs to your wedding playlist – those that can be safely called modern classics.
At the same time, there are also modern classics: Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake, and Maroon 5 – virtually everyone likes their compositions and does not cause rejection. Also, don’t forget about legendary performers such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bee Gees, and Aerosmith, whom your guests are ready to sing along to. In addition, you can always include beautiful Italian or French music and jazz in your wedding playlist.
12. Follow your desires
You should not listen to advice when choosing music for your wedding playlist, since the newlyweds should first like it. However, if desired, you can hire a whole musical ensemble while providing touching live music at the celebration and a DJ with whom you can discuss your preferences in advance.
For lovers of something unusual, ordering a violinist and trumpeter for a wedding is suitable, which will not only provide spectacular sound at your wedding but also add zest to your wedding.
Your abiding thought, as you build your wedding playlist, needs to be picking songs that are crowd-pleasers. You don’t want anyone to think that your music is intrusive or boring. Going with popular tunes, rather than obscure ones, should help you in this area.
Below, we have compiled a list of the most interesting questions about surefire ways to create your wedding playlist:
What should a wedding playlist look like?
Music is one of the key moments at a wedding. As a rule, your wedding playlist should be different and include calm and cheerful, slow and fast music, choosing tunes for dances, banquets, competitions, and so on. It is also worth considering the style and nature of the wedding.
What do you put on a wedding playlist?
It is best to divide your wedding playlist for each event at the wedding and choose the right song as an accompaniment. For example, choose music for the reception entrance of the newlyweds, the first dance of the bride and groom, for throwing a bouquet or garter, contests, and background music.
How many songs should a wedding playlist have?
It all depends on how long the celebration will last. A good rule of thumb is 15 songs an hour. On average, it is best to include 120-150 songs in your wedding playlist for all occasions.
What song is played most at weddings?
A poignant yet very tender song, Better In Time by Leona Lewis, is most often played at a wedding during the newlyweds’ reception entrance. All of Me by John Legend can often be heard during the newlyweds’ first dance. In addition, I will survive by Gloria Gaynor and Beyoncé’s classic wedding tracks, such as Crazy in love and Single Ladies, are among those songs everyone loves because they can sing along.
