Elizabeth and Sean, Windridge Estate, Cazenovia
Absolutely nailed it - start to finish! Truly helped make our celebration one to remember.
Wedding planning involves lots of stressful, time-consuming decisions. But your wedding request song list shouldn’t take a ton of your time. Here are some pointers from my experience as a wedding DJ since 2010.
Recognizing certain songs have a significant meaning, I allow my couples up to 10 “must play” requests that will definitely play. Couples can also list as many “nice to have” requests as they like, and I usually play most (if not all) of them.
But just because you can list 10 “must plays” doesn’t mean you have to. If you can only think of 3 or 4 songs that deserve “must play” status, don’t stress over adding more songs just to fill the list, especially if you’ve got dozens of other wedding-related details on your plate.
One of the main reasons to hire a professional wedding DJ is that DJ’s ability to “read the room” and pick songs to maintain an active dance floor.
Sure, lock-in your biggest favorites and provide a general idea of what you like, but you don’t need to spend countless hours trying to come up with enough songs to fill your entire reception — that’s a big part of the DJ’s job. Trust in your DJ’s experience from other weddings.
Before you add any song to your request list, ask yourselves, “Will we dance when this song plays?”
Over the years, I’ve had some “must plays” that cleared the dance floor — even the newlyweds! Then, guests shoot me dirty looks, because they don’t know it’s a must-play — especially when the newlyweds aren’t dancing.
But when you are dancing, it’s like an “endorsement” of the song. Rather than walking away, guests will dance with you. As the “stars” of the evening, you set the tone. Your presence (or absence) on the dance floor will have a major influence on the rest of your guests.
“Will we dance when this song plays?” If the answer isn’t an absolute “yes,” you may want to reconsider whether that song truly deserves “must play” status. On the fence? Put it on the “nice to have” list and leave it up to the DJ.
Lots of songs are great to crank-up for a road trip, during a workout or to sing along in the shower. But doesn’t mean they’re great “wedding dance floor” songs.
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” is one example. Great song! It’s got energy and everyone recognizes the song as soon as it begins. But it’s not a song that will get people dancing.
Again, see pointer 2: Would YOU be dancing when it plays?
Sometimes, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. That also applies to wedding reception music.
In particular, I’ve found that country and classic rock are most likely to “burn out” quickly: people are usually OK with 2 or 3 songs. Beyond that, there’s the occasional crowd that loves country or classic rock enough to keep dancing to it for another hour… but at most weddings, everyone’s ready for a change after that 2nd or 3rd song.
This is where a shorter and/or more-varied request list gives your DJ more flexibility to “read the room” and cater to the crowd.
Remember, one of the key benefits of hiring a professional wedding DJ is that you can rely on their expertise and experience to select music that will keep your dance floor going strong… so you can focus on all the other wedding planning details competing for your time.
Sure, request some of your favorite songs to put your own signature on the evening, but don’t worry about spending hours and hours trying to come up with enough requests to fill the entire reception — or even half of it.
But … if you’re the type who’s going to come up with a big list anyway, here’s a good guideline to follow. Consider that the average song is 3-4 minutes long. That’s about 18 songs per hour. If your reception timeline includes a 2½-hour dance floor window… we’ll probably have time for about 45 songs. There’s no point in submitting more than 45 songs. And if you’re one of my clients, remember that only 10 of them can be on your “must play” list, while the other 35 go on the “nice to have” list.
Hope this helps! If you have other suggestions or ideas, put them in the comments below! Heck, even if you disagree with anything I suggested, I’m always open to different viewpoints.
