One of the most memorable parts of your wedding reception for you and your guests can easily be the music. From your first dance as a couple, to the father-daughter and mother-son dances, to all of the moments in between when you’ll get to let loose with your friends and family, your music playlist will play a huge part in setting the mood for the reception and keeping your guests and you and your partner entertained all night. There is no one way to build a great playlist, but you should keep these few tips in mind so the music is memorable for the right reasons.
Our last blog post talked about the top 10 wedding music mistakes to avoid. You might want to read that before you did into the tips of this post.
Create a theme or try to smartly appeal to everyone
If your wedding has an overarching theme, choosing music that matches with the theme will take you far. If you’re going for a classic ballroom feel, for instance, have all or most of your songs have a classical sound, including by adding modern music that uses string instruments. Even if this isn’t the type of music your friends and family usually dance to, they’ll likely love the effort you’ve put into developing a theme and have just as much fun as they would otherwise.
For weddings that don’t have a theme, one key part of developing a great playlist is to appeal to everyone in a smart way. This means including music from every decade and including different genres. Put in some Frank Sinatra for your parents and grandparents and some Adele for your friends–and don’t group each decade separately, but instead mix it up so everyone can feel involved throughout the night. Don’t have three 70s dance songs in a row, in other words.
Keep in mind that a lot of old and modern music alike can appeal to more than one generation. Bryan Adams’ tunes from the 80s and Michael Buble’s modern crooning are good examples.
Make sure the flow is right
You want your music to help the party transition in and out of different parts of the reception smoothly. You can make separate playlists for each section, like one for before dinner is served and another for in between separate speeches. Hiring a professional DJ can help if you feel lost on what should go where. They’ll ask you the right questions and make great song suggestions that will fit with everything else going on during the night.
In each separate section of music, make sure to give your guests a break from high-energy dance songs and slower ones. If your guests are mainly the type to want to dance the night away, for instance, put in a slow tune every five songs or so to give everyone a chance to rest.
Another thing to keep in mind is whether one song will flow well with the song right after it. You don’t want there to be a long silence between songs, but this can happen as some songs start off very quietly. To fix this, you can actually use iTunes to add about a four-second (or whatever amount of time seems to fit) cross-fade between each song of the playlist.
Get all of the technical details sorted out well ahead of time
Speakers, sound systems, extension cords–there’s a lot to organize and you might not know the first thing about what you need or what your venue will provide. Talk to the managers of the venue to get a clear picture of everything included. If a DJ is not included with the venue package, getting one to manage the music will help you to keep the event running smoothly.
Don’t forget about the important songs
If you and your partner have a few songs that are important to you as a couple (like from your first date, your first kiss, and your engagement) before you get too far ahead in building your playlist you should figure out where those special songs will fit. You should be able to find key moments during the reception to place them.
Leave your guests on a high note
The last song of the night should be upbeat and very danceable–you want to leave your guests with something to remember as you make your departure from your special day.
Whether you have an idea of the type of music you want to include or you feel clueless, our expert Wedding DJ’s in Victoria BC are here to help you with all your planning needs.