DJ's Choice Wedding Music Tips & Fun Ideas 

How do you measure a wedding's success?  Most likely it's by whether you had a good time or not.  Experienced disc jockeys know that music is the number one factor that guests use to decide if they had a good time at your wedding. When the music is dull with little involvement, chances are your guests are waiting for a good time to sneak out and go home.  Use these priceless Wedding Music Tips to ensure a magical night of music.

MOST IMPORTANT TIP! Use the free Music Planning Worksheets provided on this website to write out your entire musical program. Then sit down with your disc jockey and go over the worksheets in detail.  You should also give copies to your photographer, videographer and hall coordinator.  THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY SUCCESSFUL WEDDING!

Even slightly loud music is hard on the ears of your older guests. Make sure these people are seated as far as possible from the disc jockey's speakers.  A great way to organize your seating arrangements is to use Seating Arrangement - Wedding Planning Software.  This software creates floor plans in which you can arrange tables, chairs and place your guests at them with simplicity of a mouse click.  Print floor plans for your vendors, make place cards and labels, track RSVPs and much more.

The Grand Entrance sets the tone and establishes the energy for the entire reception. Work closely with your disc jockey and your facility's coordinator to stage a Grand Entrance that reflects your style and personality. Decide who will participate, where they will assemble and in what order and where they will go after being introduced. Clarify pronunciation of names, determine appropriate introductions for blended families and, of course, select the perfect music.  See the Bridal Party introduction section of the Music Planning Worksheets to type in you names. 

When you compile a list of your bridal party names for the Grand Entrance, write down something about each person so your guests will know why that person is special to you. Whether it is funny or sentimental, everyone will enjoy this personal touch.

One good suggestion is to do a formal welcome toast immediately after the Grand Entrance. At no other time during the reception will your guests be more attentive and focused. The Bride, Groom, Parents or Close Friend should welcome your guests, thank them for coming and let them know about the great time that is planned for the evening.  It sets a great tone for the evening and makes all your guests feel they are part of your big day.  If you think you might have some trouble coming up with a great toast try UltimateSpeeches.com. They have proven toasts that deliver the response you want.

With any wedding the main focus will be on the bride, groom, and wedding party. You should have these key players in the room, and together at all times. Should the bar be located far from the dance floor, or in another room more often than not the groom and ushers will congregate there. This leaves bridesmaids without dance partners. Keep this in mind if your hall gives you an option as to the location of a mobile bar. Position the bar as close to the dance floor area as possible.  

GREAT PARTY STARTER! Right after the bridal party song or the first fast song of the night, instruct everyone in your wedding party to go grab someone's hand from the audience and bring them to the dance floor. These first few minutes of dancing are crucial to set the tone of the party.

Some music that you may want played at your wedding may have inappropriate language and subject matter.  NEVER play an unedited version of these songs. You will always offend someone even if it wasn't intended. Your wedding will not be hurt by a song that isn't played, but it could be hurt by a song that is. 

Dancing should start no more then 1/2 hour after dinner. If you wait too long to start the dancing kids will get restless, your guests will get bored and may leave early. Give everyone a reason to stay. Get people out of their seats and to the dance floor as early as possible. Nobody will ever complain the dancing started to early. 

Careful with your "do not play" list. Generally, this list consists of longtime party favorites like “YMCA”, “The Chicken Dance”, and “Hokey Pokey”, just to name a few. Don't let your personal opinions get in the way of playing songs that would surely fill the dance floor and keep the party rockin’. It's not good to have a thought process of "It's my wedding and I don't want to hear that song". 

When picking music keep in mind those you would like to honor. 1) For bride/father dance and groom/mother dance, choose wedding music that is from the parents' era as a tribute to them. 2) During the night invite all your family members to the dance floor and play a special song from your childhood that everyone loves. 3) Invite all your high school or college friends to the dance floor and play your favorite party song. These are the special moments that will be remembered.   The DJ's Choice Wedding Music Charts give you hundreds of great suggestions for picking the perfect music.

Find out which special songs were played at the weddings of your family and friends. Then play those songs at different times during your reception. This will bring them to the dance floor as they remember the emotions of their own wedding. 

The most important song of the evening is the bride/groom song. Don't simply choose the most recent pop song on the charts or the song that everyone is using this year. Take your time choosing and decide on a song together. Pick a song that has meaning and when you hear it ten years from now you will still remember why the lyrics were so potent on your wedding day and will stand the test of time.  The DJ's Choice Wedding Music Charts have over 500 great suggestions for the Bride/Groom Dance.

If you're giving your centerpieces as gifts to your guests, have a contest to see who at each table will be allowed to take it home. During dinner tell your guest you will be playing a game and for someone at the table to pick up a certain object on the table. The object could be a balloon, an unlit candle, a napkin with a knot in it, etc. Play some high-energy song. Tell everyone to pass it around the table like a hot potato. When music stops, have all the people holding the item stand up. Have the DJ inform them that they are lucky winners of the centerpiece.

Don't let photographs dominate your day. Select a photographer who has the professional skill to capture your special moments efficiently and unobtrusively. Don't be held hostage at your own reception by a photographer who will dominate your time with lengthy photo sessions while your guests become restless. There's nothing more annoying than a photographer's bright light shining in the eyes of your dancing guests.

Include your bridal party in the music decisions. Get everyone's e-mail address and make up little music surveys to get their input on your wedding play list. They can help you come up with songs you might have forgotten. Plus it keeps everyone in touch and feeling included in your wedding planning.  Give them you username and password to the DJ's Choice Wedding Music Charts and let them pick some of their favorite songs.

Dimming the lights after dinner will motivate your guests to dance. Determine the desired lighting levels for dinner and dancing when you meet with your reception facility's coordinator and what time you would like them dimmed and to what level.

For dinner music, compile a medley of slow songs that are significant to your guests. Examples: Include friend's bridal songs, high school graduation songs, songs from your favorite bands growing up, songs you sang in the car with your parents or any other songs that may have significance to you and your friends. Your DJ can make an announcement before the medley is played so that guests know the significance of it.  Write these announcements in the dedication section of the FREE Music Planning Worksheets which you can type in all your information using Microsoft Word.

Give the disc jockey fun and harmless information about popular and well-liked key guests, and have him/her use that information during the party. 

Find your biggest party animals and elect them as activity leaders.  These people need to be willing to lead a bunny hop, chicken dance, cha-cha slide, talk on a microphone, lead people to the dance floor etc.  Every successful wedding has activity leaders. They will think they’re very special when you give them that title. 

If you are having children at your wedding: 1) Sit them close to the dance floor. 2) Have a separate bouquet and garter toss for children under twelve. 3) Kids like to dance too! Make sure there are songs they will know and have fun with. 4) If possible have someone play some fun kids games with the children during dinner.

Make sure to do some research on your guests.  Find out if there are any Birthdays, Anniversaries or special events also being celebrated on your wedding day.  Make sure you acknowledge them some time during the night.

Keep your guests in mind: Consider the tastes of your guests. Make sure singles and older guests can enjoy the music as well. Include timeless standards and music of different eras that all guests will enjoy.  The DJ's Choice Wedding Music Charts will make it easy to choose the best music for your wedding.

Still looking for a nice keepsake for your guests? Why not mix together a musical CD of you and your finance's favorite tunes. It's less expensive than most traditional gifts and has much more meaning.

An overcrowded dance floor can be aggravating to the fair-weathered dancers. Make sure you have plenty of dance floor space. In addition, leave some space between the dance floor and tables so there is plenty of room for people watching