Be Cautious Not To Handcuff Your DJ

Your “Do Not Play List” – every couple has one, some are short, but others can be pages long.

The wedding music should certainly be tailored to your musical tastes and both represent who you are as a couple and remind you of points in your relationship or times growing up.

At Avid Entertainment, we encourage couples to provide us with input regarding the wedding music and include a “Do-Not-Play List” section in our reception planning guide.  However, the list of songs not to play at your wedding is not designed to eliminate large subsets of music.  Instead, its purpose is to avoid playing any songs that might cause any type of bad memories (loved  ones who may have passed away, ex-significant others, etc.).

Factors to consider when choosing your wedding music:

The Guest List

Most weddings consist of guests from nieces and nephews to grandparents and everyone in between.  Keep this in mind – do you really want to eliminate all “Disco” or “Oldies”?  Doing so may segregate an entire subset of your guest list.

Line Dances

Most couples don’t want to hear “The Chicken Dance” or “Macarena” – these are the types of songs you want to add to your do-not-play list.  Do you really want to eliminate line dances all together though?  The Cupid Shuffle fills the floor every time we play it and is always requested multiple times.  Think hard before you tell your DJ not to play any line dances – remember how much grandma loves doing the “Electric Slide.”

Incorporating Your Music Choices

Just as sure as you are going to have a do-not-play list, you are also going to have a list of songs you need to hear during your day.  Make these known to the DJ, but once again resist the urge to compile 4 pages of wedding music that are all “must-plays”.  There is about 2 hours of music to be played during the cocktail hour and dinner – utilize this time to put in some special songs that would not fit well during the dancing portion of your reception.

Personalizing The Cocktail & Dinner Hour Mixes

This a great opportunity to customize the wedding music without affecting the time your guests will have.  Insert songs from different periods in your relationship, ask for your favorite artist to be played, request certain genres (jazz, country, etc.).   We customize the cocktail and dinner music for every couple.

Your Ideal Wedding Reception Vision

Are you looking for an all out party from beginning to end or do you want a more laid back approach?  It is important for you to express what your vision is to the DJ when you meet before the wedding.  Keep this vision closely in mind as you decide what to prevent the DJ from playing and/or doing the day of your reception.  A more laid back wedding certainly lends itself to a more selective playlist and DJ restrictions; however a good dance party requires you to let the DJ do their job with only necessary restrictions.

Keeping these factors in mind will keep you from handcuffing your DJ and allow them to utilize their professional experience to create a wedding music set as your night unfolds and guest reaction can be measured.  Every crowd is different and even the same crowd is going to have different musical tastes from one evening to the other.

To wrap up:

1. Keep your do-not-play list short and necessary
2. Incorporate personal songs into the cocktail and dinner portions of the evening
3. Allow your DJ to do what you paid them a lot of money to do – play good music for everyone.
4. Above All Else - Have Fun!!

Thanks for reading!
Eric