Wedding Reception Music

The music that you choose for your wedding reception will set the tone and mood for your wedding.  How do you know what music to choose?

The first decision is whether to have a DJ or to have a band.  Usually a band will be more expensive, but a good DJ will also cost good money, so depending upon your needs you should compare prices.

One of the first things to consider is how comfortable is the band/DJ with weddings?  Wedding are different than other events.  There are lots of opportunities for the DJ/band to MC the events, and have fun activities to keep the crowd entertained.  Regular DJ’s who just play music are usually not chosen for a wedding reception.  You want the guests to be entertained with fun activities, spot dances, and other activities—yet you don’t want those activities to take over the wedding.  A nice balance should be achieved by an experienced wedding DJ/band.

Then, the kind of music that will be played at the wedding reception is the next decision.  If the majority of your guests are older, as is common with a lot of wedding receptions, it is appropriate to play music they will enjoy.  The food and the music are the two things guests remember the most about a wedding, so appropriate music is very important.

It is common to start the evening with quiet dinner music, followed by music appropriate to the majority of the guests, at a volume that allows for conversation at the guest tables.  As the evening progresses, the music usually becomes more contemporary as the older guests leave.

Many wedding receptions have music like traditional waltz’s, polkas, chauteses, and the butterfly.  Alternatively, appropriate music for country dances like the 2-step and line dance are common.  Classic rock/pop from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s are also common.  Ideally, a combination of all these types of dances is appropriate for some weddings.

Ask your parent’s for the typical dances for their generation, since many of the guests will be of their age.  You will be familiar with the music that your friends like, so you can also suggest that to your DJ/band.

Ethic songs are also a nice touch at a wedding, that also add to the overall wedding theme.  Think about latin influenced music, or specific songs that are common to your family tradition.

The typical types of wedding music are:  rock/pop, funk/hip hop, latin, R&B, country, dance mixes, big band/swing, or reggae. Whatever  your wedding music choices, be sure to consider the age of all your guests, so all will have an opportunity to dance to music they know and love.  Most people will not dance to music they do not know.